Colt Rifles

Colt is primarily known for their famed line of handguns, be it the 1911, the SAA, or the Snake series of revolvers. However, Colt has a history of producing rifles going back to 1855.

The Colt Model 1855 Revolving rifle was a combination of a revolver mechanism with a stock and longer barrel. The Model 1855 was used on both sides of the Civil War and served well in combat.

Colt later produced the Colt 1883 Burgess rifle. This firearm was their entry into the successful lever-action rifle market. The revolving rifle was a fine weapon, but the lever-action rifle was more dependable, quicker to load and cheaper to manufacture. Colt even produced a pump-action rifle known as the Lightning Rifle. Today, Colt produces numerous rifles for the military including the M4 carbine. They produce AR-15 rifles for civilian use and have remained a popular rifle brand in the AR-15 market.

Quick Facts

• The Colt Revolving rifle was issued to men guarding the Pony Express lines
• The Colt Lightning was heavily used by the San Francisco Police Department for a short period of time
• Colt’s long history of military contracts continues today with an M4 contract