Colt Army Richards Conversion c.1871

Smith and Wesson held a patent on the bullet, as we know it today, but apparently it was overturned by the US Government so as not to impede the development of firearms.

Bullets and cartridges did away with the slow, tedious and uncertain method of charging a gun with black powder, wads, balls, caps and using a ramrod.

Many black powder revolvers were converted to use cartridges made for breech loading rifles.

In 1871, Colt employee Charles Richards was awarded a patent for converting Colt percussion models to breech loading cartridge revolvers.

When converted to fire cartridges the 1860 Colt .44 became the most formidable weapon used on the frontier and the ready availability of .44 cartridges used in rifles made the Richards Conversion of the 1860 Colt Army an instant success.

Then in1872, William Mason another Colt employee, was awarded a patent for an improvement to the original Richards patent. This applied to the 1851 Navy, 1860 Army, and other Colt percussion guns. Original parts had become scarse so eventually new parts, particularly longer sleeker barrels, were fabricated and used.

A Richards-Mason conversion revolver was half the price of other cartridge models on offer at the time, which further increased its popularity.