82 [Assembly 



The case of revolving pistols exhibited by Samuel Colt, Hart- 

 ford, Connecticut, was deemed to be decidedly superior, and 

 unsurpassed in workmanship. This arm is too well known to 

 require at this time a particular description. 



SJiarji's Patent Breech Loading Gun. 



Ordnance Department, ) 

 Washington, December 17, 1850. ) 



Hon. C. !Vf. Conrad, Secretary of War: 



Sir — When the Board of Ordnance Officers was convened to 

 examine and try repeating pistols under the resolution of the 

 Senate of the 30tli of September last, there were various arms, 

 other than those specially mentioned in the resolution, which 

 had been presented to the notice of the War Department by their 

 inventors, who claimed for them many advantages over those in 

 use. The meeting of the Board presented a good opportunity 

 to make trial of such arms : they were accordingly directed to 

 do so, and to report the result of their examinations and experi- 

 ments. I respectfully enclose a copy of that report from which 

 it will be seen that but one of the arms tried, viz: Sharp's with 

 Maynard's primer, is considered suitable for public service. 



My opinion of Sharp's gun, formed from an examination of its 

 construction, is favorable to its superiority over all other breech- 

 loading arms which have come to my notice, especially wlien 

 combined with Maynard's improvement for priming, and I think 

 it may prove a valuable arm for the military service. But the 

 only sure way to establish or refute this opinion is practical trial 

 of the arms, in the hands of troops in active service in the field. 

 I therefore recommend that tlie purchase of a small number of 

 these arms, say two hundred, be autliorized, and that they be 

 issued to the troops on the Western frontier ; after they shall 

 have been in use by them, for a sufficient length of time, to test 

 their practical utility, an arrangement may be made for intro- 

 ducing them regularly into the military service to such an extent 

 as experience may render advisable. * * f « * 

 Respectfully your obedient servant, 

 (Signed) G. TALC0T1\ 



Brevet Btigadier GenH, Col. of Ordnance. 



