Original Item: Only One Available. These are extremely rare, and this is the first example of a Colt Revolving Shotgun that we have ever had! We originally had thought that these were only made as rifles and carbines, but when we received this example we noticed that there was not a trace of rifling in the bore. It also measured out to about .600" bore, far larger than the .56" the rifle is supposed to have. Further research showed that in addition to the rifles as carbines, Colt also produced about 1,100 New Model 1855 Shotguns, which were made in 16 gauge (.60 caliber) and 10 gauge (.75 caliber). Usually these would be considered closer to 20 and 11 bore, but this is the nomenclature that Colt used.

This is one of only a handful of revolving long arms of any type that we have seen! While hand held revolvers caught on in a HUGE way, the same could not be said for the revolving shotguns and rifles. They remain an interesting footnote in firearms history.

The Colt New Model Revolving Shotguns were early repeating smoothbore arms produced by the Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1860 until 1863. The design was essentially similar to revolver type pistols, with a rotating cylinder with 5 chambers for shot and powder, in either .60" (16 gauge) or .75" (10 gauge) sizes. They were mainly based upon the Colt Model 1855 "Side hammer" Pocket Revolver developed by Elisha K. Root. Colt revolving pistols, rifles, and shotguns were attractive mainly because of their high rate of fire. However, they tended to have issues with cleaning and use, as well as a tendency to "cook off" if they got hot enough, which was definitely detrimental.

This is a wonderful example of a Colt New Model 1855 "Root" Revolving Military Shotgun, in the smaller 16 gauge chambering, with a 5 shot cylinder. It has the correct full length stock and cleaning rod of the military shotgun, and is still fitted with its original sling swivels. It also still has its original cleaning rod, and even has the brass cleaning jag still present in the butt trap! It definitely shows signs of cleaning and wear from its long life, but still presents beautifully.

The top of the cylinder strap still has a partial Colt address marking present:

The patent markings on the left side of the frame are also still mostly present, a real rarity:

COLT'S PATENT

NOV. 24th 1857

The shotgun still has the serial number 2963 marked on the bottom of the frame under the cylinder as well as on the trigger guard tang, which indicates manufacture in 1861. Colt records list two "1855 SIDEHAMMER (ROOT MODEL)" entries, the first of which is the Model 1855 Revolver, and the second is the Model 1855 Revolving Carbine, Rifle, and Shotgun.

Condition of the rifle is just lovely, with the metalwork showing an aged gray patina, and traces of the original case hardening in places. The stock is also quite attractive, with a lovely red brown color, having been fully restored by our expert antique gunsmiths. We did notice however that there are expertly executed square wood graft repairs on either side of the butt stock, which we do not quite understand the reason for. There are also some cracks and pins on the right side near the receiver tang.

As far as we can tell, the rifle functions well, cycling well through all 5 chambers, with good cylinder movement and indexing. The "Sidehammer" revolving action can get worn, however we have not detected any issues. The loading rammer works perfectly as well. The barrel is fitted with a 100 yard rear sight, which has flip up leaves on either side for 300 or 500 yards, though both leaves are currently relatively loose. The bore of the shotgun shows past oxidation and fouling, so this definitely did see some use, though we don't know if this was during the war, or after.

A fantastic opportunity to pick up an extremely rare revolving shotgun in great condition, one of only 1,100 ever made!. Chances like these do not come by often at all!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1861
Caliber: .60" - "16 gauge"
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 31 inches
Overall Length: 49 ¼  inches
Action: Single Action
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver

History of Colt Revolving Rifles & Shotguns:

Revolving rifles were an attempt to increase the rate of fire of rifles by combining them with the revolving firing mechanism that had been developed earlier for revolving pistols. Colt began experimenting with revolving rifles in the early 19th century, making them in a variety of calibers and barrel lengths.

Colt revolving rifles were the first repeating rifles adopted by the U.S. government, but they had their problems. They were officially given to soldiers because of their rate of fire. But after firing six shots, the shooter had to take an excessive amount of time to reload. On occasion Colt rifles discharged all their rounds at once, endangering the shooter. Even so, an early model was used in the Seminole Wars in 1838.

In March, 1836, Colt formed the Patent Arms Company and began operation in an unused silk mill along the banks of the Passaic River in Paterson, New Jersey. His first product was a ring-lever revolving rifle, available in .34, .36, .38, .40, and .44 caliber, in which a ring located forward of the trigger served to cock the hammer and advance the cylinder for each shot. This was soon followed with a revolving pistol. These five-shot "Paterson" revolvers featured folding triggers, and were available both with and without loading levers in .28, .31 and .36 caliber.

Patent Arms produced smoothbore revolving carbines and shotguns. The outbreak of war between the U.S. government and the Seminole tribe provided Colt with his first break. Seminole warriors had learned that soldiers were vulnerable while reloading their single-shot firearms, and they developed a tactic of drawing fire, then rushing the temporarily defenseless soldiers and wiping them out before they could fire a second volley. Colt's revolving rifles were quite effective against this, and the army purchased his products for use by troops in the Florida campaign.

In 1855, with his Model 1855 patent, Colt introduced a spur-trigger revolver that featured a fully enclosed cylinder. These handguns were officially named Sidehammer revolvers, but they also were known as "Root" revolvers after Elisha K. Root, who at that time was employed as Colt's factory superintendent and Chief Engineer.

Based on the Sidehammer design, Colt produced the Sidehammer Model 1855 rifles and carbines for military and sporting use, as well as a revolving shotgun. In failing health, Colt expanded his factory on the eve of the Civil War, and began production of a new, lightweight .44 caliber Army revolver, followed a year later by a .36 caliber Navy version.

This was produced in a rifle version as well as a shortened carbine. In 1855 it became the first repeating rifle to be adopted for service by the U.S. Military, but problems with the design prevented its use until 1857. The principal problem was that gunpowder would sometimes leak from the paper cartridges in field conditions, lodging in various recesses around the firing cylinder. Hot gas leaking from the gap between the firing cylinder and the barrel would ignite this powder, which would in turn, ignite all of the powder in the chambers waiting to be fired. This is known as a "chain fire" and was a relatively common failure with early percussion revolving firearms. When this happened with the Colt Revolving Rifle, a spray of metal would be sent forward into the left arm and hand of the user.

A distrust in the weapon developed as a result. Commanders attempted to get around the problem in a number of ways. The rifle had to be properly and thoroughly cleaned, since sloppy cleaning would leave residue behind that would increase the risk of a chain fire. Some commanders instructed their men to fire the weapon only while supporting it directly in front of the trigger guard or by holding the lowered loading lever, which moved their left hand out of the path of danger during a chain fire. Other commanders instructed their men to load only a single chamber, preventing any chain fires from occurring. Loading a single chamber at a time also reduced the weapon to a single shot weapon, and effectively defeated the entire purpose of having a repeating rifle.

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IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

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Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.