Colt New Service
Large-frame double-action revolver, 1898–1941, in many calibers.
The Colt New Service was a large-frame, double-action revolver produced by Colt from 1898 to 1941. It was an enlarged and reinforced version of the M1892, marking Colt’s first large-caliber revolver with a swing-out cylinder and hand ejector. The New Service came in many calibers and barrel lengths, with finishes of blued steel or nickel plating, and grips of walnut or hard rubber.
In 1909, the U.S. Armed Forces adopted a version chambered in .45 Colt with a 5.5-inch barrel, designating it the Model 1909. This decision followed complaints from the Philippines campaign about the .38 Long Colt’s poor stopping power against Moro fighters. The Army had temporarily reissued old .45 Colt Single Action Army revolvers, and the success of that caliber led to the New Service’s adoption. The Model 1909 used a .45 Colt cartridge with a wider rim for better extraction, and it influenced the Army’s later choice of the .45 ACP M1911 pistol.
During World War I, the Colt M1917 revolver was created to supplement a shortage of M1911 pistols. It was simply a New Service rechambered for .45 ACP, using half-moon clips to hold the rimless cartridges. Later production models had headspacing machined into the chambers, allowing them to fire without clips, but empty cases then required a rod or pencil to eject. The .45 Auto Rim cartridge was later developed to avoid clips altogether. After the war, the M1917 became popular with civilian shooters. It saw further use in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
In the 1930s, the New Service was chambered for .38 Special and then .357 Magnum. The .357 Magnum was one of the most powerful handgun rounds of the era, capable of penetrating car bodies and body armor used by gangsters and bank robbers. This made the revolver instantly popular with lawmen, state troopers, and highway patrolmen.
Canada acquired New Service revolvers in .45 Colt for Boer War service in 1899, and the North-West Mounted Police adopted them in 1904–1905. During World War I, the British War Department purchased New Service revolvers chambered for .455 Webley, stamped “NEW SERVICE .455 ELEY” on the barrel. Many British officers privately bought them as alternatives to the standard Webley. British Empire and Canadian forces received 60,000 of these revolvers during the war, and they remained in official service until the end of World War II.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- United States
- Is Ranged
- yes
- Used By
- United States · United Kingdom · Canada · Commonwealth of the Philippines · Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Wars
- Spanish–American War · Philippine–American War · Boxer Rebellion · Second Boer War · World War I · World War II · Korean War · Vietnam War (limited)
- Manufacturer
- Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Co.
- Production Date
- 1898–1946
- Number
- 356,000+
- Cartridge
- .38-40, .44 Russian, .44 Special, .44-40, .45 Colt, .455 Webley, and later .45 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum as well as other less common calibers.
- Action
- Double-action revolver
- Feed
- 6-round cylinder
- Sights
- Fixed blade front, notch rear
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Colt New Service was introduced in 1898 as an up-sized and strengthened Colt M1892, and was Colt's first large caliber revolver with a swing-out hand ejector cylinder. It was made in popular large caliber revolver cartridges of the day, including .38-40, .44-40, .44 Russian, .44 Special, .45 Colt, .450 Boxer, .455 Webley, and .476 Enfield. The revolver was offered with a blued finish or nickel plating, barrel lengths of 4 inches and 5.5 inches, and walnut or hard rubber grips.
In 1909, the U.S. Army adopted the .45 Colt version with a 5.5-inch barrel as the Model 1909, following complaints about the stopping power of the .38 Long Colt during the Philippines campaign. The Model 1909 was also adopted by the U.S. Navy and the USMC. During World War I, the Colt M1917 revolver was created by rechambering the New Service to take the .45 ACP cartridge, using half-moon clips to hold the rimless cartridges. After the war, the .45 Auto Rim cartridge was developed to allow firing without moon-clips. The M1917 saw further service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
In the 1930s, the New Service was chambered for .38 Special and then .357 Magnum. The .357 Magnum was one of the most powerful handgun cartridges available at the time, capable of penetrating automobile bodies and body armor used by gangsters, bank robbers, and fugitives. It became instantly popular with lawmen, state troopers, and highway patrolmen. The New Service was discontinued in 1941 with the onset of World War II.
Reader's Guide
The Colt New Service holds a significant place in firearms history as the largest revolver ever manufactured by Colt and one of the largest production revolvers of all time until the 1990s. Its design directly influenced the Colt M1917 revolver, which was created to supplement M1911 pistol stocks during World War I and later saw extensive use in multiple conflicts. The New Service also served as the basis for the Fitz Special, a custom snubnosed revolver developed by John Henry Fitzgerald in the mid-1920s. The Fitz Special, made by shortening the barrel to two inches, bobbing the hammer spur, rounding the butt, and removing the front half of the trigger guard, became the precursor to the modern snubnosed revolver and the prototype for the Colt Detective Special. Historians believe between 40 and 200 Fitz Specials left the factory. The New Service's chambering in .357 Magnum in 1936 made it a favored sidearm for law enforcement during the gangster era, as the cartridge could penetrate automobile bodies and body armor. The revolver was produced in several generational variants, including the Old Model, Transitional Model, Improved Model, and Late Model, as well as target models such as the Shooting Master and Deluxe Target Model.
Did You Know?
- The Colt New Service was the largest revolver ever manufactured by Colt.
- The Fitz Special, a custom snubnosed revolver based on the New Service, was carried by Charles Lindbergh, William Powell, and Clyde Barrow.
- The .357 Magnum New Service became popular with lawmen and highway patrolmen for its ability to penetrate automobile bodies and body armor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Colt New Service revolver?
It is a large-frame, double-action revolver that Colt produced from 1898 through 1941. The design served as Colt's first heavy-duty, large-caliber platform and featured a swing-out cylinder paired with a hand ejector, a combination the company had not offered before.
What calibers and finishes was the New Service available in?
Shooters could choose from a broad lineup of cartridges ranging from .38-40 and .38 Special up to .476 Enfield and .357 Magnum, with barrel lengths commonly at 4 or 5.5 inches. Exteriors came in blued steel or nickel plating, and grips were offered in either walnut or hard rubber.
What is the Model 1909 and how does it connect to the New Service?
In 1909 the U.S. Armed Forces selected a .45 Colt, 5.5-inch-barrel variant of the New Service as a standard-issue sidearm, designating it the Model 1909. That adoption followed field complaints from troops in the Philippines who found the smaller .38 Long Colt inadequate for the threats they encountered.
How did the New Service improve on the earlier M1892?
Colt took the M1892's basic architecture and scaled it up with thicker frame walls and stronger internal components so it could safely fire much larger cartridges. The addition of a swing-out cylinder and a hand ejector also made cylinder loading and unloading far quicker than the M1892's fixed-cylinder arrangement.
Why do revolver enthusiasts regard the New Service as a milestone?
It established the large-frame, multi-caliber template that defined Colt's heavy-duty revolvers for the next several decades. Its more than forty-year production span and widespread use by military and law-enforcement agencies across multiple countries made it one of the most recognizable sidearms of the early twentieth century.
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