176 Years Ago, Samuel Colt Changed Everything

It was on this date, February 25, 1835, inventor Samuel Colt took out his first patent and founded the Patent Arms Company in Paterson, New Jersey.

His pistol was different from others; its design allowed several shots to be fired in succession without reloading. It was said that he came up with the idea for the revolver on a trip to India, while watching the ship's paddlewheel turn.

Colt's US revolver patent gave him a monopoly on revolver manufacture until 1857.[14] His was the first practical revolver and the first practical repeating firearm due to progress made in percussion technology. No longer a mere novelty arm, the revolver became an industrial and cultural legacy as well as a contribution to the development of war technology, ironically personified in the name of one of his company's later innovations, the "Peacemaker". - Wikipedia

A slogan from Colt's Arms Company read, "God made man. Sam Colt made them equal.", referring to the ability of the Colt Revolver to be used to protect oneself from one or several attackers.

This year Colt was awarded the contract by the Marine Corps for a '$22,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract July 18, 2012 for production, delivery and logistical support of the Close Quarter Battle Pistol.'

The Close Quarter Battle Pistol is modeled after earlier versions of the semi-automatic 1911 pistol. The contract is for 400 to 12,000 pistols as part of a contract worth up to $22.5 million, according to Marine Corps Systems Command. That means the price per pistol is $1,875. Sources tell us the Marine Corps is ordering 4000 pistols.

Do you know the history between Colt and the Texas Rangers?