And, the World Changed

It was yesterday, January 4, in 1847 that Captain Samuel Walker walked into Sam Colt's shop and asked for a new revolver.  And, the world changed.

Walker’s stipulations, according to Mark Crawford for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers: he wanted an improved version of the revolver that Colt had patented in 1836. It needed to hold six bullets, be simple to reload and “be powerful enough to kill a man with a single shot.”

It was a tall order, but Colt made it, and until the advent of the .357 magnum in 1935, it was the most powerful handgun in existence..  The Walker had its problems, but it paved the way for better revolvers and became an iconic part of American firearms history.

 I've handled one original, at the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco, TX.  If you're ever in the area, you should stop and visit.