Guns and Hunting
This Iconic US Military Colt Gun Dates Back Nearly 200 Years
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In 1836, Samuel Colt received a patent for the Colt Paterson revolver. It was the first revolving-cylinder handgun ever to be mass-produced. Known then as Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, the company began to sell revolvers around the country. Buyers included the United States military, Gold Rush miners, cowboys, and law enforcement officials everywhere. Colt Firearms has been a major player in the design and manufacture of handguns in the US and is still awarded military contracts today.
To identify the most iconic military firearms built by Colt Firearms, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of Colt Firearms from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, aircraft, arms, and more. We ordered these firearms chronologically and included supplemental data from the Military Factory regarding the year entered service, type, firing action, caliber, and feed. We excluded firearms that were experimental or prototypes.
The Colt .45 Peacemaker is one of the most iconic guns made by Colt. Adopted by the US Cavalry in 1873, it was the most famous sidearm of the American West. Colt became a popular company known in mainstream culture and would continue to innovate the next generations of small arms for decades to come. (This is America’s favorite rifle company.)
The current generation of Colt Firearms includes guns such as the Navy Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle. Introduced in 2002, this designated marksman rifle is chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO rounds like many others produced by Colt. This gun can even be modified to be a sniper rifle. It has seen service across multiple U.S. military branches, including in special forces.
To keep its arsenal well established, the United States spent $142 billion in 2023 to buy weapons and weapons systems, while another $122 billion was spent on research and development. Colt guns continue to play a role in the US military. Recently, Colt’s Manufacturing Co. won a $57 million contract to make assault rifles for the US military.
Here is a look at the iconic guns produced by Colt Firearms over the years.
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