Savage · Revolver
Savage-North Navy Revolver
Double action revolver · .36 Caliber Ball · introduced 1860
Also known as Savage & North revolver, North & Savage Navy revolver, Figure-8 revolver
About the Savage-North Navy Revolver
The Savage-North Navy revolver was an early double-action .36 caliber percussion revolver designed by Henry S. North and Edward Savage and built by the Savage Revolving Firearms Company from 1860 to 1862. Its hallmark was the 'figure-8' trigger: a lower ring lever drawn back with the middle finger cocked the hammer and rotated the six-shot cylinder, while a conventional upper trigger released the hammer to fire. The US Navy bought roughly 300 in 1860 and a further 800 in 1861, but the complex action was unpopular with sailors and saw only limited Civil War service.
Sailors disliked the awkward 'figure-8' ring-and-trigger cocking system so much that it was quickly redesigned into the simpler Savage 1861 Navy, leaving the original Savage-North among the rarer Civil War revolvers today.
Savage-North Navy Revolver specifications
General
- Type
- Revolver
- Action
- Double action revolver
- Firing mechanism
- Double action
- Trigger
- Double action
- Calibres
- .36 Caliber Ball
- Magazine capacity
- 6 rounds
- Magazine
- Rotary magazine
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 181 mm (7.1 in)
- Overall length
- 362 mm (14.3 in)
- Weight (empty)
- 1.53 kg (3.37 lb)
Barrel
- Rifling
- Right hand
Materials
- Barrel
- Steel
- Receiver / frame
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- blued
Performance
- Effective range
- 25 m
History
- Introduced
- 1860
- Discontinued
- 1862
- Production status
- Out of production
- Country of origin
- US
- Designer
- Henry S. North
Features
- Six shot cylinder
- Figure eight trigger
- Ring cocking lever
- Octagonal barrel
- Percussion cap
- Muzzle loader
The design directly preceded and inspired the simplified Savage 1861 Navy. The two-trigger figure-8 mechanism was an early attempt at double action that proved overly complex in service.
