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Whitney Model 1861 Navy

History of the Whitney Model 1861 Navy

After Samuel Colt's patent for a rotating-barreled firearm expired in 1857, many competitors scrambled to capture the nascent military rifle market share, and snap up civilian pistols. The timing for the weapons manufacturers couldn't have been better, as the United States would enter a years-long civil war (1861-1865) that would claim 600,000 lives.

The Whitney 1861 Navy was a product of this period and stood out as an impact revolver of primarily traditional design. Whitney's name is associated with Eli Whitney, the famous inventor of the cotton gin.

In addition to his inventions, Whitney started a firearm manufacturing business around 1798, which produced several revolvers and rifles of foreign origin.

By the time of the American Civil War, Whitney's son, Eli Whitney, Jr., had taken over the gun business. The company has accumulated considerable experience in making ponies. 44 revolvers were produced in 1847, when Colt did not have the manufacturing capacity of its own. Based on this discovery, an in-house designed revolver was born, the Whitney 1861 Navy.

The title "Navy" was used to describe. 36 calibre revolvers as "Army" models were generally available in the . 44 Calibre. Therefore, the Navy designation did not imply exclusive sale to any naval power at the time. Made under the Whitneyville Armory brand in New Haven, Connecticut, the Whitney gun was designed to compete with the popular Colt Navy revolver.

These guns turned out to be one of the first notable attempts at fixed-frame revolvers - a quality of construction design often associated with Remington pistols of the time.

The Model 1861 is a compact revolver design with a six-round rotary cylinder in the center. Unlike competing Colts - more like competing Remingtons - Whitney's design uses a "bridge" frame - a structure that connects the front and rear of the gun across the barrel - to create a stronger, Hence a stronger end product. The hammer is exposed and its spines are within reach of the main hand. Walnut grips have been added to the sides of the grip for added comfort while shooting. The trigger is held in an elongated ring that facilitates one-handed shooting.

There is a loading lever under the barrel to ram the contents of the chamber back during loading. Load up the desired primer and bullets, insert them into each individual chamber, and hit home. Primer is placed on the service joint on the rear edge of the cylinder. As a single-action revolver, the operator must manually pull the hammer for each shot, and the trigger releases the hammer onto the waiting cap.

The cap provides the ignition of the primer, and the resulting pressure sends the projectile down and out of the barrel. The barrel is 7.5 inches long and features an octagonal design with internal rifling for improved accuracy. Although the revolver is a true short-range weapon, iron sights are provided as external precision aids (rear notch, front post).

Overall length is 13 inches and weight is 2 lb 7 oz.

From late 1858 to early 1860s, approximately 33,000 Whitney revolvers were produced. The main customer became the US military, whose Army and Navy stockpiled stocks of this type (so they were quickly used during the American Civil War). New Jersey emerged as another notable buyer.

200 copies of the first model, the second model were produced.

Whitney Model 1861 Navy Spec

Base

Year of Service

1861

Origins

United States

Categories

Six-shot, single-action, percussion revolver

Manufacturer

Whitneyville Armory - USA

Operators

United States

Roll

Pistol/Pistol

Compact design for close work or general self-defense.

Dimensions and Weight

Overall Length

330mm

12.99 inches

Barrel length

190 mm

7.48 inches

Cured weight

2. 43 lbs

1. 10 kg

Attractions

Front and rear iron

Action

Single action; rotating cylinder; percussion cover

Percussion Cover

Propellant ignition is triggered using an impact cap operating system; similar to children's cap guns, small explosive caps are placed on the nipples, which are driven by previously erected drop weights.