Colt M1892

In 1892, the revolver was adopted by the United States Army chambered for .38 Long Colt cartridges, and was given the appellation "New Army and Navy". Initial experience with the gun caused officials to request some improvements. This would be an ongoing condition, resulting in Models 1892, 1894, 1896, 1901, and 1903 for the Army, as well as a Model 1895 for the Navy and a Model 1905 Marine Corps variant. ==Features==

The revolver featured a counter-clockwise rotating cylinder, which could be opened for loading and ejection by simply pulling back on a catch mounted on the left side of the frame behind the recoil shield. It was easily manipulated by the thumb of the right hand, and upon release the cylinder could be poked out sideways with the shooter's forefinger. Empty cases were removed by simply pushing back on an ejector rod to activate a star extractor. The six-shooter could then be quickly reloaded and the cylinder clicked back into place. The gun was fitted with a long barrel, though it was also available in and lengths. There were also versions chambered in .41 caliber. ==Sights==

Sights were the basic rounded front blade and topstrap notch. The finish on all military revolvers was blue, though civilian guns could be nickeled or with other special finishes and embellishments. ==History and usage==

The M1892's counter-clockwise cylinder rotation tended to force the cylinder out of alignment with the frame over time, and this was exacerbated by relatively weak lockwork used to "time", or match individual chambers to the barrel. This flaw would be corrected in the Colt Army Special model, which used a clockwise cylinder rotation. This revolver was thought of as a decent handgun for its time, but complaints arose from the military concerning the revolver's cartridge chambering. Beginning in 1899, combat reports arose from the Philippines campaign regarding the poor performance of the M1892's .38-caliber ammunition. Specifically, users complained that the .38 bullet repeatedly failed to stop charging Filipino rebels at close ranges, even when hit multiple times. The complaints caused the US Army to hurriedly issue stocks of old .45 caliber revolvers, and played a central role in its decision to replace the M1892 with the .45 Colt M1909 New Service revolver in 1909. In the rush to furnish arms to the rapidly expanding Army and Navy after the United States entered World War I, surplus stocks of these old Colts were inspected, refurbished as needed, and then issued to rear-echelon Army troops and Navy officers as a substitute standard side arm. ==Variants==

• New Army & Navy Model 1892 − First production model. • New Army Model 1896 − An improved M1894 with some modifications on the lockwork system • New Army Model 1901 − A variant with a lanyard ring added on the butt. Some earlier models were modified to this variant in military workshops • New Army Model 1903 − A variant with a narrowed grip and bore diameter reduced from to to improve accuracy • Marine Corps Model 1905 − Virtually identical to the M1903, but fitted with special small rounded-base butts and a barrel chambered for the .38 caliber only. They also have a blued finish while the butts are checkered walnut (as opposed to the smooth ones used on the New Army & Navy models). Only 926 were produced until 1907 primarily for the United States Marine Corps; 125 of these guns were earmarked for the civilian market ==References==