Meanwhile Brownells emailed me this AM and told me Colt has a 50 unit Minimum on each of the Springs and I have to order 50 of each. After I got done Laughing, I explained as Colt's Official Part Supplier, it is their job to stock the most basic of parts, in this case recoil springs, and it is NOT my responsibility to meet Colt's wholesale minimums!
Colt New Service revolver | |
---|---|
Type | Revolver |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1898–1946 |
Used by | United States United Kingdom Canada Commonwealth of the Philippines Royal Canadian Mounted Police |
Wars | Spanish–American War Boxer Rebellion Second Boer War World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War (limited) |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Co. |
Produced | 1898–1946 |
No. built | 356,000+ |
Specifications | |
Cartridge | .38-40, .44 Russian, .44 Special, .44-40, .45 Colt, .455 Webley, and later .45 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum as well as other less common calibers. |
Action | |
Feed system | 6-round cylinder |
Sights | fixed blade front, notch rear |
The Colt New Service is a large frame, large caliber, double-action revolver made by Colt from 1898 until 1941. Made in various calibers, the .45 Colt version with a 5½' barrel, was adopted by the U.S. Armed Forces as the Model 1909.[1]
The Colt M1917 revolver was created to supplement insufficient stocks of M1911 pistols during World War I.[2] It was simply a New Service re-chambered to take the .45 ACP cartridge and used half-moon clips to hold the rimless cartridges in position. After World War I, the revolver gained a strong following among civilian shooters.[3] A commercial rimmed cartridge the .45 Auto Rim was also developed, that allowed the M1917 to be fired without the need for moon-clips.
In the 1930s, the New Service was chambered for .38 Special, and then .357 Magnum. As one of the most powerful handgun cartridges available at the time, it was easily capable of penetrating the automobile bodies and body armor used by the gangsters, bank robbers and fugitives of that era. As such, it became instantly popular with Lawmen, State Troopers and Highway Patrolmen.
- 1History
History[edit]
New Service Revolver, lock
The Colt New Service was introduced in 1898. It was an up-sized and strengthened Colt Model 1892 and Colt Firearms first large caliber revolver with a swing-out hand ejector cylinder. It was made in the popular large caliber revolver cartridges of the day: .38-40, .44-40, .44 Russian, .44 Special, .45 Colt, and .455 Webley. It was made with a blued finish or nickel plating, and with a 4', 4½', 5', 5½', 6', and 7½' barrels. It also came with walnut or hard rubber grips.
Early variation .44 WCF made in 1906
Model 1909[edit]
The Colt M1892 revolver was thought of as a decent handgun for its time, but complaints soon arose concerning the .38 Long Coltsstopping power. Beginning in 1899, combat reports from the Philippines campaign showed that the .38 caliber bullets repeatedly failed to stop the fanatical drug-fueled Moro fighters, even when shot multiple times at close range.[4] The complaints caused the U.S. Army to hurriedly re-issue the now retired .45 caliber Colt Single Action Army revolvers with newly shorten 5½' barrels. These old war horses handily stopped the kris and bolo wielding fighters and played a central role in the Army's decision to replace the M1892 with the .45 caliber New Service revolver in 1909.[5] It also played a key role in the Army's decision to adopt the .45 ACPM1911 Colt pistol.[6] The Model 1909 in .45 Colt with a 5½' barrel, was adopted by the U.S. Armed Forces as the 'Model 1909 U.S. Army', the 'Model 1909 U.S. Navy' and the 'USMC Model 1909'.[1]
British .455 Webley Model[edit]
Colt New Service Model 1898 revolver, circa WWI .455 inch calibre
In 1899 Canada acquired a number of New Service revolvers (chambered in .45 Colt) for Boer War service, to supplement its existing M1878 Colt Double Action revolvers in the same caliber.[7] In 1904/5 the North-West Mounted Police in Canada also adopted the Colt New Service to replace the less-than satisfactory Enfield Mk II revolver in service since 1882.[8]
New Service revolvers, designated as Pistol, Colt, .455-inch 5.5-inch barrel Mk. I, chambered for the .455 Webley cartridge were acquired for issue as 'substitute standard' by the British War Department during World War I.[9] British Empire Colt New Service Revolvers were stamped 'NEW SERVICE .455 ELEY' on the barrel,[10] to differentiate them from the .45 Colt versions used by the US (and Canada).
The Colt New Service was a popular revolver with British officers and many of them had privately purchased their own Colt New Service revolvers in the years prior to World War I as an alternative to the standard-issue Webley Revolver. British Empire and Canadian forces received 60,000 Colt New Service revolvers during World War I and they continued to see official service until the end of World War II.[10]
Colt M1917 revolver[edit]
U.S. Colt .45 M1917 Revolver
The U.S. Army Model 1917 was created to supplement insufficient stocks of M1911 pistols during World War I.[2] The Colt M1917 Revolver was a New Service with a cylinder bored to take the .45 ACP cartridge and the half-moon clips to hold the rimless cartridges in position. Later production Colt M1917 revolvers had headspacing machined into the cylinder chambers, just as the Smith & Wesson M1917 revolvers had from the start. Newer Colt production could be fired without the half-moon clips, but the empty cartridge cases had to be ejected with a device such as a cleaning rod or pencil, as the cylinder extractor and ejector would pass over the rims of the rimless cartridges. As a result of these issues, a commercial rimmed cartridge the .45 Auto Rim was developed that allowed the M1917 to be fired without the need for moon-clips. After World War I, the revolver gained a strong following among civilian shooters.[3] The M1917s saw action again during World War II, when it was issued to 'specialty troops such as tankers and artillery personnel.' [11] During the Korean War they were again issued to support-troops.[11] The M1917s were even used by the 'tunnel rats' during the Vietnam War.[11]
Fitz Special[edit]
Fitz Special
John Henry Fitzgerald first came up with the Fitz Special snubnosed revolver concept around the mid 1920s, when he modified a .38 SpecialColt Police Positive Special revolver, whose shortest available barrel length was four inches.[12] He later modified two .45 ColtNew Service revolvers in the same manner,[13] and was known to carry the pair in his front pockets.
Fitz Special revolvers are made by taking any standard size Colt revolver, shortening the barrel to two inches, shortening the ejector rod, bobbing the hammer spur, rounding the butt, and removing the front half of the trigger guard. Reshaping the hammer and the butt allows the gun to be drawn quickly with little risk of the weapon snagging on clothing. The halved trigger guard facilitates quick trigger acquisition, even for shooters with large fingers or gloves.[14]
Historians believe that somewhere between 40 to 200 Fitz Specials left the factory, made from various Colt revolvers, by Fitzgerald himself.[15] The Fitz Special was the precursor to the modern snubnosed revolver and specifically the prototype for the Colt Detective Special the first production two-inch snubnosed revolver. Even after the introduction of the Detective Special in 1927, Fitz continued to make custom revolvers for special clients.
Colonels Rex Applegate[16] and Charles Askins were proponents of the Fitz Special,[15][3] and it would become a popular after-market conversion for many gunsmiths. Charles Lindbergh, William Powell and Clyde Barrow were also known to carry Fitz Specials.[15]
.357 Magnum Models[edit]
Custom Colt Shooting Master .357 Magnum with barrel shortened to 4'
In 1933, the New Service was chambered for .38 Special, and the .44 Russian and other less common calibers were discontinued. In 1936, the New Service was chambered for new .357 Magnum cartridge. As one of the most powerful handgun cartridges available of the time, it was easily capable of penetrating the automobile bodies and body armor used by the gangsters, bank robbers and fugitives of that era. As such, it became instantly popular with Lawmen, State Troopers and Highway Patrolmen. These guns were offered with 4', 5' and 6' barrels. The early models came with checkered walnut grips, while the later models used plastic-like “Coltwood” grips.
With the advent of World War II the Colt New Service was discontinued in 1941. It was the largest revolver ever manufactured by Colt and one of the largest production revolvers of all time until the introduction of the .44 MagnumColt Anaconda in 1990. There are several generational variants including the 'Old Model' (which refers to the first 21,000 units made),'Transitional Model' (which incorporated a hammer-block safety), 'Improved Model' (325,000 units) and 'Late Model' (manufactured from 1928 to 1941). A 'Target Model', 'Shooting Master' and 'Deluxe Target Model' were offered as well.[17]
Notes[edit]
- ^ abMurphy (1985) pp. 25-30.
- ^ abMurphy (1985) p. 31.
- ^ abcTaffin, John (2005). 'Colt's New Service'. American Handgunner. 30 (4): 109.
- ^Linn, Brian McAllister. The Philippine War, 1899–1902 (Modern War Studies (Paperback)). University Press of Kansas. ISBN978-0-7006-1225-3.
- ^James, Gary (1 March 2008). 'Colt New Army & Navy Revolver'. Handguns Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010.Cite uses deprecated parameter
|deadurl=
(help) - ^Poyer, Joseph; Craig Riesch; Karl Karash (2008). The Model 1911 and Model 1911A1 Military and Commercial Pistols. North Cape Publications. p. 544. ISBN978-1-882391-46-2.
- ^Law (1994) pp. 28-30.
- ^Phillips & Klancher (1982) p. 21ff.
- ^Chamberlain & Taylerson (1989) p. 54ff; Maze (2002) p. 85.
- ^ abMaze (2002) p. 84.
- ^ abchttp://www.historic-firearms.com/m1917-revolver.html M1917 revolver
- ^https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2012/4/20/the-fitz-special/ The Fitz Special by Gary Paul Johnston, April 20, 2012
- ^'The FitzGerald Special'. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2009.Cite uses deprecated parameter
|deadurl=
(help) - ^'FindArticles.com - CBSi'. findarticles.com.
- ^ abchttps://www.guns.com/2015/09/02/fitz-colt-snub-nosed-revolver-benchmark/ The Fitz Colt: The snub-nosed revolver benchmark 9/02/15 by Chris Eger
- ^https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2016/12/rex-applegate-fitz-special/ Perfect Fitz: Col. Rex Applegate’s One-of-a-Kind Fitz Special. COL. APPLEGATE'S FITZ SPECIAL IS TRULY A ONE-OF-A-KIND FIREARM WITH DEEP HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE. By MICHAEL JANICH
- ^Taffin, John (13 November 2006). 'Colt's New Service'. The Gun Digest Book of the .44. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. pp. 93–96. ISBN978-0-89689-416-7.
References[edit]
- Chamberlain & Taylerson, W.H.J. & A.W.F. (1989). Revolvers of the British Services, 1854-1954. Bloomfield, ON (Canada) and Alexandria Bay, NY (USA): Museum Restoration Service. ISBN978-0-919316-92-8.
- Law, Clive M. (1994). Canadian Military Handguns, 1855-1985. Bloomfield, ON (Canada) and Alexandria Bay, NY (USA): Museum Restoration Service. ISBN978-0-88855-008-8.
- Maze, Robert J. (2002). Howdah to High Power: A Century of Breechloading Service Pistols (1867-1967). Tucson, AZ (USA): Excalibur Publications. ISBN978-1-880677-17-9.
- Murphy, Bob (1985). Colt New Service Revolvers. Aledo, Illinois (USA): World-Wide Gun Report, Inc.
- Phillips & Klancher, Roger F. & Donald J. (1982). Arms & Accoutrements of the Mounted Police, 1873-1973. Bloomfield, ON (Canada) and Alexandria Bay, NY (USA): Museum Restoration Service. ISBN978-0-919316-84-3.
- Henrotin, Gerard (2009). Colt New Service revolver explained. Belgium: HLebooks.com.
- U.S. Army Ordnance Department (1917). Description of the Colt's Double-Action Revolver, Caliber .45, Model of 1909, with Rules for Management, Memoranda of Trajectory, and Description of Ammunition. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. Official U.S. Army description of the Army Model 1909 revolver and its .45 Colt ammunition.
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colt_New_Service&oldid=905132420'
As teachers express concerns about the way in which new GCSEs in England are being graded from 9-1 rather than A*-G, we answer some key questions about the changes.
When do the new 1-9 grades come in?
The new grades are being phased in, starting with some of this summer's exams.
New-style GCSEs in English language, English literature and maths will be taken by the current Year 11 students - these exams will be graded in the new way, with nine as the highest mark and one the lowest.
A four is broadly being compared to a C grade, although the exams watchdog, Ofqual, warns against 'direct comparisons and overly simplistic descriptions'.
For most other subjects - including biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, French, Spanish, religious education, geography, music and history - the new grades will be awarded from the summer of 2018.
A third wave of 9-1 graded GCSEs - including psychology, ancient history, business, information and communications technology (ICT) and media studies - will be taught from September 2017 with exams in 2019.
So some teenagers will have a mix of GSCEs under different marking schemes?
Yes, that's right. The current Year 11s will get English and maths results under the new numerical grading scheme and the rest of their options will be graded A*-G.
The current Year 10 students will then sit most of their GCSEs under the new system, but they might have some under the old system, for example if they are taking ancient history or ICT, while those pupils now in Year 9 will be fully 'moved over' on to the numerical grading system.
How do the new grades compare to the old ones?
Grades nine, eight and seven are broadly equivalent to an A* and A. Grades six, five and four are in line with B and C grades. A three would be broadly similar to a D grade, with two and one taking in grades E, F and G.
There is still a U (ungraded) mark.
Education Secretary Justine Greening says a grade four will be seen as a 'standard pass' and a grade five as a 'strong pass'.
She also says that for school performance tables, the government will publish 'standard passes' (grade four and above) but also the 'strong passes' (at grade five and above).
Watchdog Ofqual says that, broadly, the same proportion of teenagers will get a grade four and above as currently get a grade C or above.
It also says a formula will be used which will mean that about 20% of all grades at seven or above will be awarded a grade nine.
Chief regulator Sally Collier says students who get a nine will have 'performed exceptionally'.
Won't the first cohort to sit the new exams be disadvantaged?
It certainly feels like this and students in the next two year groups are guinea pigs for the new grading system.
However, Ofqual insists these students will not be disadvantaged.
It says that in 2016, in English and in maths, about 70% of 16-year-old students achieved a grade C or above and so it would expect a similar percentage to achieve a four and above in this summer's exams.
Ofqual also says exam boards will use test results from national curriculum tests (Sats) taken at the end of primary school to predict the likely achievement at the new grades of one, four and seven.
Why are GCSE grades in England being changed?
The new GCSE grading scheme is part and parcel of a new curriculum which was introduced in England's schools in 2014 by the then Education Secretary Michael Gove.
The new GCSEs courses include much less coursework than before, with grades in almost all subjects depending on exams.
Courses are designed to be more rigorous with exams taken after two years of study, rather than in modules with exams along the way.
What is happening in Wales?
Change is under way in Wales as well as in England. The Welsh government has introduced new and revised GCSEs taught from September 2015.
The most significant changes are in English language, Welsh language and mathematics. In all the changed subjects, the new or revised specifications will be the only ones available to state schools in Wales. They will be delivered by the WJEC examination board.
One crucial difference to England is that the established grading structure of A*- G is being maintained.
What is happening in Northern Ireland?
While pupils in England will have results graded 9-1 and pupils in Wales will have A*-G graded results, pupils in Northern Ireland could end up with a mix of A*-G and numerical grades.
Initially, the Northern Ireland government said all exam boards operating in the province must give their results on an A* to G basis. This led English exam boards OCR and AQA to announce they would not offer the new GCSEs there.
But in June 2016, this decision was reversed by new Education Minister Peter Weir and pupils will now be allowed to sit GCSE grades from English exam boards giving results using the 9-1 system.
Approximately three-quarters of GCSEs in Northern Ireland are taken through the NI Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA); the remaining quarter through the AQA, OCR, Edexcel or WJEC exam boards.
What about Scotland?
Scotland has its own system of public examinations: Nationals and Highers.
Nationals replaced the old Standard Grades in 2014 and new Higher exams were introduced in 2015.