Bill Hansen
New member
I have searched the Internet for the answer to this seemingly simple question without any definitive result. I understand that the rounds will not fall out when at full cock, being blocked by the frame; but what happens during the transition between round one and two when the revolver must be cocked again? The early cartridge conversion Colts, especially the Pocket and Pocket Navy models don't have a loading gate, which would in effect hold the unfired rounds in the cylinder during the cocking process. Later models do have-why didn't they think about this??. What kept the rounds from falling out when the pistol was cocked? I have experimented with my 1873 SAA using Snap Caps with an open gate. On cocking the revolver the round either falls out or partially falls out blocking the action. The speed of cocking doesn't seem to matter. How was this problem dealt with, especially with the Pocket models in the 19th century? Was the manual of arms to keep the pistol pointed down when cocking? Seems to have been an issue since later models had a loading gate.