From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Colt New Service
Colt New Service
Colt New Service revolver History
Colt M1917 revolver
Colt had produced a revolver for the U.S. Army called the
M1909, a version of their heavy-frame, .45-caliber, New
Service model in .45 Long Colt to supplement and replace
a range of 1890s-era .38 caliber Colt and Smith & Wes-
son revolvers that had demonstrated inadequate stop-
ping power during the Philippine-American War. The
Colt M1917 Revolver was a New Service with a cylinder
bored to take the .45 ACP cartridge and the half-moon
Colt New Service
clips to hold the rimless cartridges in position. Later pro-
Type Revolver duction Colt M1917 revolvers had headspacing machined
into the cylinder chambers, just as the Smith & Wesson
Place of origin United States M1917 revolvers had from the start. Newer Colt produc-
Service history tion could be fired without the half-moon clips, but the
empty cartridge cases had to be ejected with a device
In service 1898–1946
such as a cleaning rod or pencil, as the cylinder extractor
Used by United States and ejector would pass over the rims of the rimless car-
UK tridges.
CAN During its lifetime, the Colt New Service was the most
North-West Mounted Police/Royal Northwest popular revolver made by Colt, surpassing 150,000 units.
Mounted Police/Royal Canadian Mounted Police After World War 1, the revolver gained a strong following
Wars Spanish–American War, Boxer Rebellion, Secondamong civilian shooters.[3]
Boer War, World War I, World War II, Korean
War, Vietnam War (limited) Fitz Special
Production history John Henry Fitzgerald was an employee of Colt prior to
World War II and was known to carry of a pair of New
Manufacturer Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Co. Service "Fitz Specials" in his front pockets. These re-
Produced 1898–1946 volvers had bobbed hammers, 2" barrels, shortened and
rounded grip frames, and the front of the trigger guard
Number built 356,000 +
was removed. Although less than 30 left the factory, it
Specifications became an after-market conversion for many gunsmiths.
Colonels Rex Applegate and Charles Askins were propo-
Cartridge .45 Colt, .455 Webley, .44-40, .44 Special, .38-40,
.357 Magnum, others
nents of this model.[3]
Action double action revolver Canada and United Kingdom
Feed system 6-round cylinder In 1899 Canada acquired a number of New Service re-
volvers (chambered in .45 Colt) for Boer War service, to
Sights fixed blade front, notch rear
supplement its existing Model 1878 Colt Double Action
revolvers in the same caliber.[4] In 1904/5 the North-
The Colt New Service was a double-action revolver made
West Mounted Police in Canada also adopted the Colt
by Colt from 1898 until c.1940. It was adopted by the U.S.
New Service to replace the less-than satisfactory Enfield
Armed Forces in .45 Colt as the Model 1909 U.S. Army,
Mk II revolver in service since 1882.[5]
Marine Corps Model 1909, Model 1909 U.S. Navy and in
New Service revolvers, designated as Pistol, Colt,
.45 ACP as the Model 1917 U.S. Army.[1] The Model 1917
.455-inch 5.5-inch barrel Mk. I, chambered for the .455
was created to supplement inadequate stocks of M1911
Webley cartridge were acquired for issue as "substitute
pistols during World War I and was dropped from pro-
standard" by the British War Department during World
duction in 1941.[2]
War I.[6] British Empire Colt New Service Revolvers were
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Colt New Service
stamped "NEW SERVICE .455 ELEY" on the barrel,[7] to dif- ON (Canada) and Alexandria Bay, NY (USA): Museum
ferentiate them from the .45 Colt versions used by the US Restoration Service. ISBN 0-919316-92-1.
(and Canada). • Law, Clive M. (1994). Canadian Military Handguns,
The Colt New Service was a popular revolver with Bri- 1855-1985. Bloomfield, ON (Canada) and Alexandria
tish officers, and many of them had privately purchased Bay, NY (USA): Museum Restoration Service.
their own Colt New Service revolvers in the years prior to ISBN 0-88855-008-1.
World War I as an alternative to the standard-issue Web- • Maze, Robert J. (2002). Howdah to High Power: A
ley Revolver. 60,000 Colt New Service revolvers were sup- Century of Breechloading Service Pistols (1867-1967).
plied to British Empire and Canadian forces during World Tucson, AZ (USA): Excalibur Publications.
War I, and they continued to see official service with US ISBN 1-880677-17-2.
until the end of World War II.[7] • Murphy, Bob (1985). Colt New Service Revolvers. Aledo,
Illinois (USA): World-Wide Gun Report, Inc..
See also • Phillips & Klancher, Roger F. & Donald J. (1982). Arms
& Accoutrements of the Mounted Police, 1873-1973.
• Antique Guns Bloomfield, ON (Canada) and Alexandria Bay, NY
(USA): Museum Restoration Service.
Notes •
ISBN 0-919316-84-0.
Gerard Henrotin, Colt New Service Revolver,
[1] Murphy (1985) pp. 25-30. Downloadable ebook published by H&L Publishing
[2] Murphy (1985) p. 31. (HLebooks) - 2008
[3] ^ Taffin, John (2005). "Colt’s New Service". American
Handgunner 30 (4): 109.
[4] Law (1994) pp. 28-30. External references
[5] Phillips & Klancher (1982) p. 21ff. • The Colt Revolver in the American West—New
[6] Chamberlain & Taylerson (1989) p. 54ff; Maze Service
(2002) p. 85. • Guns and Ammo Magazine article on Colt New
[7] ^ Maze (2002) p. 84. Service Revolver
References
• Chamberlain & Taylerson, W.H.J. & A.W.F. (1989).
Revolvers of the British Services, 1854-1954. Bloomfield,
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colt_New_Service&oldid=467806785"
Categories:
• Colt revolvers
• Military revolvers
• .45 ACP firearms
• World War I British infantry weapons
• World War I infantry weapons of the United States
• World War II firearms of the United States
• Police weapons
• Spanish–American War weapons
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police
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