FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Mat 86, 189§. 
The Colt's Patent Fire Arms Hfg. Co., of Hartford, 
Conn. 
In the very center of the Exposition, at the apex of con- 
vergence of two main aisles, and consequently with a fine 
field open in front of it for its view-ground, was one of 
the chief exhibits of the Exposition, that of the Colt's 
Patent Fire Arms Mfg. Co. One of the features of being 
great is to be known, and surely this great firm is known. 
This was proved by the large number of visitors at the ex- 
hibit, all anxious to see the newest things put out by the 
Celt's Co., and to study with interest the evolution of fire- 
arms so typically shown in the display of arms once 
thought perfect, but now held obsolete. In another col- 
umn one of our writers has spoken of gunpowder as the 
great civilizer, and has called attention to the early and 
the later days in the history of that agency. Surely the 
history of firearms, closely connected as that must be with 
the story of gunpowder, has even a greater interest; for 
"Colt automatic guns." The operations of this gun are 
simply wonderful, it being different from other guns of 
this kind, inasmuch as accuracy as well as rapidity is one 
of its main features. In an exhaustive test recently made 
it proved to be all that the manufacturers claimed for it. 
Some 7.000 rounds were fired to demonstrate the durabil- 
ity of its working parts, rapidity and non-liability of foul- 
ing. At 200 yards for accuracy, 100 consecutive hits were 
made in 16 seconds. The gun was then buried in fine 
sand, and, after being taken out, it worked without a 
hitch, showing that it is very much better for actual field 
service than any other gun now made— certainly a most 
important feature, and one that army officers will appre^ 
ciate. 
This gun has one barrel and was mounted on a tripod 
that can be elevated or depressed, and turned in any 
direction; it can also be mounted on a light field carriage 
The automatic action of the gun is effected by the 
pressure of the powder gases in the barrel after the pro- 
EXHIBIT OF THE COLT'd EIRE ARMS COMPANY. 
while the latter has known comparatively few changes, 
the changes and improvements in firearms have been con- 
tinual, unpredictable, apparently impossible as they may 
each once have seemed. 
No greater revolution in the making of arms ever oc- 
curred than the evolution of the idea of the revolver. 
Then, indeed, all men did become equal. Justly, the 
name of the originator, Col. Samuel Colt, became famous 
to all the ends of the earth for all time when small-arms 
shall be used by mankind. Thousands of men have risen 
up out of desperate straits and called him blessed. The 
mines were opened, the West was civilized by men who 
were thus enabled to hold themselves equal to any other 
men, and who had all the dependence in their arms that 
they had in theni3elves. No miner, no rancher, no In- 
dian fighter, ever yet was heard to say his Colt "gun" 
ever "went back on him." The Westerner or the rough 
rider of any outland "packs" a Colt revolver. He 
knows that he can hammer an animal over the head with 
it, throw it down in the sand, lose it, let a herd of cattle 
ran over it, let it soak in the rain, do anything with it, 
and yet can pick it up and go to shooting with it as soon 
as it strikes his hand. This is much to say for a weapon 
whose beauty jand accuracy are equally unquestioned. 
Revolvers, however, are only a very small part of the 
product put out by the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg. Co. 
their great works in Hartford. Certainly the revolvers 
are but part of the articles shown in the exhibit at the 
Sportsmen's Exposition. 
This company is one of the oldest and largest manu- 
facturers of firearms in the world. In connection with 
the manufacture of the "Colt revolver," they also manu- 
facture the lightning repeating rifles, hammerless shot 
guns. Catling guns and the new "Colt automatic gun." 
This company was organized in 1848, and has, since 
that time, continuously enjoyed the patronage of the 
military power of not only our own country, but foreign 
countries as well, their arms having been adopted by 
both the army and navy. 
| |The "Colt revolver," having a solid frame, is psculi- 
arly adapted for police service, and has been adopted by 
nearly every large city in the Union; and was given the 
preference for use by the special police at the World's 
Fair. 
The national guards and naval reserves have adopted 
the "Colt revolver," and this company is now supplying 
large quantities of the arms for the several States. 
The exhibit of this company was very complete and 
consisted of a large standing case, a smaller showcase, a 
gatling gun and their new "Colt automatic gun." 
The large case contained a full line of arms now manu- 
factured by them, including also several of the very first 
revolvers made by Col. Colt in 1835-36. In the center of 
the large case was a picture of Col. S imuel Colt, the in- 
ventor of the modern revolver, and the founder of this 
great concern. A complete series of gold, silver and 
bronze medals, which have been awarded to these arms 
in all parts of the world, were also contained in this case. 
The smaller showcase was filled with rifles, shotguns 
and revolvers, which could be removed for inspection. 
In this collection were two very highly finished hammer- 
less shotguns, which showed the high grade and perfect 
workmanship that has always been the standard in the 
productions of this company. 
In the left hand corner oi the exhibit stood a ten-barrel 
gatling gun. This was a formidable looking arm and was 
mounted the same as they are now furnished to the navy 
by this company. 
In the same corner of the exhibit stood one of their new 
jectile has received its maximum velocity, therefore does 
not decrease the range or penetration. The troublesome 
water jacket for cooling, as used on other guns, is not re- 
quired, which is also a very important feature. 
The cartridges used are of the U. S. standard ,30cal., 
with metal- jacketed ball, and are automatically fed to the 
gun by belts containing either 100, 250 or 500 cartridges 
each. One man only is required to operate the gun, and 
single shots may be fired or a continuous volley at the 
rate of 450 per minute. 
Another important feature of this gun is its small size 
and weight, the whole gun complete, with tripod and 
mount, only weighing about lQOlbs. 
exhibit on which it should be highly congratulated. It 
was simple, rich, elegant and useful, quite above any 
criticism, as might be expected of anything bearing the 
name this did. The exhibit was in charge of Mr. C. E. 
Willard, lately representative of the Colt's Patent Fire 
Arms Mfg. Co.«in the West, but now located at Hartford. 
Mr. Willard is well qualified to conduct the information 
bureau necessary in connection with such a display. The 
"Colt's corner' was one of the show places of the Expo* 
sition and was crowded most of the time. 
The Remington Arms CO; 
The Remirieton Arms Co. , Ilion, N. Y. , made a most 
complete exhibit, A large glass case, extending nearly 
the full length of the space* contained a complete 
line of their hammerless shotguns in all grades from $45 
up to the highest^priced guns, ejector and- non-ejector. 
There was also a full line of their sporting rifles, showing 
three different actions, and made in all grades and cali* 
bers. Two revolving stands served to make a full display 
of their military rifles, magazine and single shot, in all 
patterns and calibers. The penetration of their new 
Navy rifle. .236cal., was illustrated by sectional blocks 
showing the course of a bullet through 64fin. of pine 
boards. The bullet, a nickel-jacketed projectile, sustained 
no apparent injury from the impact. The protection 
afforded by a tree from the bullets of the older styles of 
military arms would be nothing against this modern 
weapon, for the Remingtons claim that, with the smoke- 
less powder used, it will penetrate through an oak tree 
2ft. in thickness. The show of rifles included all the 
numerous models of military arms furnished to all the 
different nations. 
Two case3, one at either end, contained a most inter- 
esting and instructive display of the different parts of 
guns. In one case was shown the rough block of wood, 
then followed other blocks illustrating all the transitional 
stages of manufacture to the complete and finished stock. 
The smaller metal pieces, which are so essential to the 
gun, and yet so little known of by the laymen, and skele- 
ton actions of different systems of guns which this firm 
manufactures, were in a profusion of detail, in all show- 
ing about 700 operations. Another case at the opposite 
end of the exhibit was devoted to a display of gun barrels, 
showing all the different stages of manufacture from the 
bar of steel to the finished tubes; also the barrels were 
shown in different material. About eighty-five frames of 
the hammerless shotguns, showed all the milling opera- 
tions necessary from the first forging of the frame to its 
finish. Each piece having received a little gain toward 
-the finished article at each milling. Other parts also were 
shown in their transitional stages of manufacture. 
Numerous medals attested to the success of the firm in 
its competitions in America and Europe. 
A novel gun is their Life Line gun, one of which was 
on exhibition. It is specially designed for the use of fire 
departments and life saving stations. The projectile is a 
heavy tube, closed at one end, which fits the round barrel 
of the gun closely on its outside, much after the manner 
of an exaggerated thimble. A light line is fastened to a 
ring on the projectile, which will carry 100yds. of line to 
its destination. 
The high degree of excellence of the firm's finished 
arms was brought out in bold refief by contrast with its 
collection of ancient arms, some of excellent workman- 
ship, yet all primitive in model. Two Moorish rifles, 
clumsy in design, but most delicately inlaid with gold and 
mounted with silver, in weight about 701bs., made a wide 
two-fold contrast with the little .236, the latter in its 
superior effectiveness and the former in its much greater 
size. A Spanish arquebus with a wheel lock and a 
Spanish match lock were reminders of the very 
EXHIBIT OF THE REMINGTON ARMS COMPANY. 
The great central case of arms shown in the Colt exhibit 
is characteristic of the "Colt idea" in every particular. It 
is simple, beautiful, excellent and indestructible. One 
can only guess at the cost of the vast case, with its great 
glass front, its pillars of heavy walnut and its frame of 
richly-polished woods, but probably one would not err at 
saying this case alone cost between $1,500 and $2,000. 
The collection of arms it contains is something priceless. 
The scheme of arrangement is circular and the effect is 
very happy. The great case of arms has a history. It 
has visited all the great exposit ons — Paris, Melbourne, 
the Centennial, the World's Fair — and each time it has 
come back with the blue ribbon of surpassing merit. 
To-day the big case does not show a scratch. Anything 
turned out by the Colt concern is indestructible. 
One would have to go to the great factory at Hartford 
to see all the things mado by the Colt's Patent Fire Arms 
Mfg. Co. , and a product so enormous and so varied can- 
not be condensed into representation even typically in the 
limitations of an exhibit. The company showed an 
primitive beginning. The idea of the repeater in 
its first crude stages found expression in a rifle of peculiar 
mechanism. In it the loads of powder and ball were put 
in one on top of another. Small vents at regular inter- 
vals on the side of the barrel, one at each load of powder, 
afforded a means of ignition. A lock traveling in a slot 
could be placed at the vents as desired, and thus each 
load fired in turn. 
The Remington Arms Co. is an old firm and one of the 
best known. The market for their products is the world 
over. They claim for their guns exceeding strength and 
durability, and a simple mechanism which can be readily 
understood and manipulated by all. 
They also manufacture reloading implements, pistols, 
bicycles and sewing machines. Their illustrated catalogue 
contains a full description and price list of their goods. 
The display was most artistically arranged, and was 
most attractive to the many visitors who were constantly 
admiring it and who were interested in the rich collec- 
tion. 
