Colt's · Revolver
Colt No. 1 Baby Paterson
Revolving · .28 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball) · introduced 1837
Also known as Baby Paterson, Colt No. 1 Pocket Model, Paterson No. 1
About the Colt No. 1 Baby Paterson
The Colt No. 1 Baby Paterson is a single-action, five-shot .28 caliber percussion revolver and the smallest of Samuel Colt's Paterson models. Built by the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company in Paterson, New Jersey around 1837-1838, it used a revolving cylinder aligned to a single octagonal barrel and the distinctive Paterson folding trigger that dropped down only when the hammer was cocked. As originally produced it had no attached loading lever, so the shooter had to partially disassemble the revolver to recharge the cylinder. Only about 500 were made, making it one of the rarest and most sought-after early Colt handguns.
The Baby Paterson was a pocket-sized companion to the larger belt and holster Paterson models. Its diminutive .28 caliber frame and folding trigger made it an elegant concealable arm, and its tiny production run of around 500 pieces has made it a prized centerpiece for Colt collectors.
Colt No. 1 Baby Paterson specifications
General
- Type
- Revolver
- Action
- Revolving
- Firing mechanism
- Percussion
- Trigger
- Single action
- Calibres
- .28 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball)
- Magazine capacity
- 5 rounds
- Magazine
- Revolving cylinder
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 63 mm (2.5 in)
- Overall length
- 178 mm (7.0 in)
- Weight (empty)
- 0.37 kg (0.82 lb)
Barrel
- Rifling
- Right hand
- Grooves
- 7
Materials
- Barrel
- Steel
- Receiver / frame
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- blued
Performance
- Effective range
- 20 m
History
- Introduced
- 1837
- Discontinued
- 1838
- Production status
- Out of production
- Country of origin
- US
- Designer
- Samuel Colt
Features
- Revolving cylinder
- Folding trigger
- Single action only
- Percussion cap ignition
- No loading lever
- Concealed pocket frame
Safety
- Hammer safety pins between nipples
Also known as the No. 1 Pocket Model. Barrel lengths varied among the roughly 500 examples produced, commonly around 2.5 inches but ranging from about 1.75 to 4.75 inches. Because it lacked a loading lever, later owners sometimes had one added.
This is a variant of the Colt Paterson.
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