Starr revolver

Lore & Background

Starr received patent number 30843 on December 4, 1860, for the double-action revolver. Three models were produced: the 1858 Double Action .36 Caliber Percussion Navy Revolver (produced 1859–1860, 3,000 made), the 1858 Double Action .44 Caliber Percussion Army Revolver (produced 1862–1863, about 23,000 made), and the 1863 Single Action .44 Caliber Percussion Army Revolver (produced 1863–1864, 23,000 made). The double-action Army revolver was used in the western theater of the American Civil War until the United States Army Ordnance Department persuaded the Starr Arms Co. to create a single-action variant after discontinuation of the Colt. The company eventually complied, and the Union acquired 25,000 of the single-action revolvers for $12 each. The price paid by the government for the DA army revolver was $25. The State of Ohio purchased 500 of the .36 Caliber Navy version for $20 each. In total, 47,454 Starr revolvers were manufactured, making it the third most issued of Civil War era revolvers; 6,352 Starr DA Navy and Army revolvers were purchased on the open market. The Starr DA .44 cylinder holds in each chamber 33 gr of powder, and the bullet weighs 138 gr.

Reader's Guide

The Starr revolver's significance lies in its role as a major Civil War sidearm and its distinctive double-action mechanism, which allowed the user to fire by simply pulling the trigger without manually cocking the hammer. This feature is visible in the 1992 film Unforgiven, where William Munny (Clint Eastwood) handles the revolver. The gun also appears in the 1994 film Wyatt Earp, carried by young Wyatt Earp (Kevin Costner), and is shown in its case in the 1982 film First Blood. The Starr is often compared to other double-action percussion revolvers of the era, such as the First Model Adams of 1851 and the Beaumont–Adams of 1855. Some sources claim that Starr and Beaumont did not produce enough revolvers to be considered major players in the market, and that the first widely used DA revolver (sometimes called the first 'modern' revolver) was the Colt M1889 .38 Government (.38 Long Colt) used by the Navy, and/or the improved version for the Navy and Army, the Colt M1892. For a time, the Pietta company manufactured a modern-day replica of the Starr double-action and single-action models.

Did You Know?

• The Starr DA .44 cylinder holds 33 gr of powder and a 138 gr bullet per chamber.
• The Union acquired 25,000 single-action Starr revolvers for $12 each.
• The Starr revolver is featured in the films Unforgiven (1992), Wyatt Earp (1994), and First Blood (1982).