Adams (revolver)

Adams revolver
Adams revolver
	Adams percussion revolver
Type	Revolver
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1851–1868 (percussion); 1868-1880 (breechloader)
Used by	United Kingdom & Colonies; Confederate States
Wars	Crimean War; Indian Mutiny of 1857; American Civil War; numerous British colonial conflicts
Production history
Designer	Robert Adams
Designed	1851
Manufacturer	Deane, Adams&Deane; Robert Adams of London
Specifications
Mass	30 oz (0.85 kg), unloaded
Length	11.5 in. (292 mm)
Barrel length	6.5 in. (165 mm)
Calibre	.44 in (11 mm)
Action	Double-action
Muzzle velocity	c550 ft/s (168 m/s)
Effective firing range	35 yd (32 m)
Maximum firing range	100 yd (91 m)
Feed system	5-round cylinder (percussion); 5-6 shot cylinder (breechloader)
Sights	Fixed front post and rear notch

Adams revolver, also known as Deane-Adams revolver,^[2] is a black powder, double-action, percussion revolver. Introduced in 1851, it was the first revolver designed and produced in United Kingdom. It was heavily used by British officers during Crimean War (1853–1856) and Indian Mutiny of 1857. It was the precursor of more advanced Beaumont-Adams revolver, designed in 1856.^[1]

Percussion revolvers

Since the production of the first Colt revolvers in 1836 up to 1851, American Colt's Manufacturing company held an absolute monopoly in revolvers' production in United States and Europe. Between 1853 and 1857, Colt has even established his own factory in London, supplying British customers with cheap, mass-produced revolvers with interchangeable, machine produced parts. Colt has even got some government contracts, selling 4,000 revolvers to the British Navy in 1854 and 14,000 to the British Army in 1855.^[3]

As Colt's English patents expired in 1851, British designer Robert Adams made his own version of revolver and patented it the same year, making a successful presentation of his design in the Great Exhibition of London in 1851. Both weapons were tested by the official British military commission for the adoption in the British army, although none was ultimately selected, due to very large price per revolver, equivalent to several single-shot percussion pistols commonly used in the military at the time.^[3]

Characteristics

Double-action trigger

Unlike contemporary Colt revolvers, whose hammer had to be cocked manually before every shot, Adams revolver had a double-action trigger mechanism. That means that pressing the trigger was simultaneously cocking the hammer, rotating the cylinder and firing the shot. That feature, so called selfcocking revolver, enabled for a very high rate of fire, although it required a heavy pull on the trigger, which made it almost impossible to aim the weapon except at the point-blank range. Also, it was not possible to cock the hammer manually, and the hammer had no thumb projection, which is one of the single traits of Adams revolver. However, British military commission had found the double-action trigger mechanism as superior to the Colt's single-action.^[4]

Solid frame

Adams revolvers had a solid, one-piece frame with integral barrel, all made of a single piece of steel, which gave them inherent strength and durability, although it was somewhat more expensive to produce, as it required skilled workers. British military commission found this far superior to the Colt's multi-part open frame revolver design, which was seen as inherently weaker and prone to break under pressure.^[4]

High rate of fire and stopping power

Although Adams revolver was rejected as the official British military weapon, its fine characteristics were well appreciated by the British public, soldiers and civilians alike, and many officers privately purchased the revolver on their own expense, along with the most popular contemporary revolver, Colt 1851 Navy. That way Adams revolvers saw heavy combat in Crimean war (1853–1856) and Indian Mutiny of 1857. In these conflicts, Adams revolvers were deemed better than Colt's, due to their higher rate of fire at the close range (due to double-action trigger) and better stopping power (due to their larger caliber, 0.44 vs 0.36 in Colt Navy). In the words of witness, in 1860 one officer of the 88th Regiment wrote a letter to Robert Adams, praising his pistols:

I had one of your largest-sized Revolver Pistols at the bloody battle of Inkermann, and by some chance got surrounded by Russians. I then found the advantages of your pistol over that of Colonel Colt’s, for had I to cock before each shot I would have lost my life. I should not have had time to cock, as they were too close to me, being only a few yards from me: so close that I was bayoneted through the thigh immediately after shooting the fourth man. I hope this may be of service to you, as I certainly owe my life to your invention of the Revolver Pistol.^[4]

In April 1896, Lieutenant Colonel G. V. Fosbery commented about an incident during the Indian Rebellion of 1857:

An officer, who especially prided himself on his pistol-shooting, was attacked by a stalwart mutineer armed with a heavy sword. The officer, unfortunately for himself, carried a Colt’s Navy pistol, which, as you may remember, was of small caliber, and fired a sharp-pointed picket bullet of 60 to the pound and a heavy charge of powder, its range being at least 600 yards, as I have frequently proved. This he proceeded to empty into the sepoy as he advanced, but, having done so, he waited just one second too long to see the effect of his shooting, and was cloven to the teeth by his antagonist, who then dropped down and died beside him. My informant, who witnessed the affair, told me that five of the six bullets had struck the sepoy close together in the chest, and had all passed through him and out at his back.^[4]

Criticism

However, early Adams revolvers had three widely reported deficiencies, which were resolved in later models:

No recoil shield on the breach behind the cylinder, which was common for all early British revolvers (Tranter, Beaumont-Adams). It left the shooter exposed to the hot gasses and percussion cap fragments during firing. In this point Colt's massive standing breech was much better.
Low accuracy on the long distance, as the hammer could not be cocked by hand. That problem was addressed by Tranter revolvers (in 1853) and Beaumont-Adams revolvers in 1856.
No loading lever on the early models: the slightly smaller balls were pressed in the cylinder chambers by fingers, which made them flimsy and prone to fall out on their own. Loading lever mounted on the left side of frame was added in later models.^[4]

Breachloading revolvers

Adams breechloading 6-shot revolver Mark II, made in 1869. The most visible difference is the addition of the loading gate and the ejector rod with it's sleeve.

The same revolver, from the top. Ejector rod and the loading gate are clearly visible.

The same revolver, from the back. Bored-through, breechloading cylinder and the loading gate are both clearly visible.

Beginning in 1867, Adams Patent Small Arms Company of London started the conversion of the existing percussion revolvers into the breechloaders using .450 Boxer centerfire cartridges, and simultaneously, the production of new breechloading revolvers began.^[5]^[6]

Mark I

The adaptation of the old percussion revolvers included several operationsː

replacing the cylinder (with a bored-through, five chambered breechloading cylinder)
replacement of the hammer (adding a hammer with a firing pin)
adding a loading gate behind the cylinder on the right side
removal of the rammer
addition of a simple ejector rod in a horizontal sleeve (tube) attached to the front of the revolver frame, in front of the cylinder. By pushing this rod back, the empty cartridges were ejected one by one through the loading gate.^[5]^[6]

Mark II

Along with the adaptation of the old ones (so called Mark I), the production of new breechloading revolvers, named Mark II, began in 1867. The main difference compared to the conversion revolvers was the 6-shot cylinder and a somewhat improved cartridge ejector.^[6]

Mark III

British Army Mark III Model of 1872.

In 1872 a new model was produced, named Mark III. It was very similar to its predecessor, but had a shorter cylinder and a more durable cartridge ejector. New ejector rod was mounted on a yoke under the barrel and mostly housed in the hollow cylinder arbor, so it could be pulled out and swung to the right when needed. From 1868 to 1880, all these revolvers (conversions and new breechloaders) were adopted as official sidearms of the British Army and Navy and were in use until the 1880s.^[5]^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Myatt, Major Frederick (1981). An Ilustrated Guide to Pistols and Revolvers. London: Salamander Books Limited. p. 32. ISBN 0861010973.
^ Roberts, Frederick Sleigh Roberts (1924). Letters written during the Indian mutiny. Harold B. Lee Library. London: Macmillan and Co., limited. p. 81.
^ ^a ^b Kinard, Jeff (2003). Pistols, An Illustrated History of Their Impact. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc. pp. 72–74. ISBN 1-85109-475-X.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Kinard, Jeff (2003). Pistols, An Illustrated History of Their Impact. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc. pp. 74–77. ISBN 1-85109-475-X.
^ ^a ^b ^c Myatt, Major Frederick (1981). An Ilustrated Guide to Pistols and Revolvers. London: Salamander Books Limited. pp. 49–51. ISBN 0861010973.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Zhuk, A.B. (1995). Walter, John (ed.). The illustrated encyclopedia of HANDGUNS, pistols and revolvers of the world, 1870 to 1995. Translated by Bobrov, N.N. London: Greenhill Books. pp. 59–61. ISBN 1-85367-187-8.