founded in 1855
- 1836
- founded by Samuel Colt
- 1847 Colt Walker
- Single Action Army
- Peacemaker
- Colt Python
- Colt M1911
- 2002, Colt Defense was split off from Colt’s Manufacturing Company
– Colt’s Manufacturing Company served the civilian market
– Colt Defense served the law enforcement - 2013 two companies reunited
- lost the US Army M4 contract
- 2015-2016 Chapter 11 bankruptcy
- owned by Cannae Holdings Inc
West Hartford, Connecticut
About Colt’s Manufacturing
Colt’s story begins with Samuel Colt, who applied for a patent on his revolver in 1832 at age 18. The patent was granted in 1836, and Colt opened his first plant, the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company, in Paterson, New Jersey; that venture was out of business by 1842. After the Mexican-American War revived demand for his revolvers, Colt built a new plant in Hartford, Connecticut, and in 1855 the company was incorporated as Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company. Samuel Colt died in 1862, but the company he founded went on to define American handguns.
Colt’s 1873 Single Action Army, a six-shot .45 revolver, became the classic sidearm of the American West, and John Browning’s design became the Colt .45 automatic pistol of 1911, which served U.S. forces for most of the 20th century. In 1959 Colt began developing the rifle that became the M16. The company passed through several owners, including outside investors in 1901 and Penn-Texas Corporation in 1955, and went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy from 1992 to 1994 and again in 2015-2016. Today Colt is part of the Czech-based Colt CZ Group. For gun owners, names like the Single Action Army, 1911, Python and AR-15 keep Colt among the most recognized brands in firearms.
Key Facts
- 1836: Samuel Colt’s revolver patent granted; Paterson, New Jersey plant opens
- 1855: Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company incorporated in Hartford
- 1873: Single Action Army revolver first produced
- 1911: Colt .45 automatic pistol, designed by John Browning, adopted
- 1992-1994: Chapter 11 bankruptcy and reorganization
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Sources
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