...Thanks for the reply, Kevin...
Your welcome, Jim.
...I know (historically) of the Walker failures, but I had not heard of Dragoon failures until your post here. I had thought Colt had it all remedied with the Dragoon shorter cylinder (to limit the powder charge) and the longer forcing cone on the barrel, as Colt produced these for several years and were very much in demand with the cavalry units as saddle pistols. With 3 or 4 Dragoons in holsters on a pommel, a cavalryman must have seemed a one-man army to any infantryman...
Even the 1860 had some cylinders blow up. The first several hundred were issued with full fluted cylinders and they were found to burst. So, Colt would replace the cylinders as they were returned to the factory. One of the reasons not many full fluted originals show up. Colt should have learned, the first dragoons with full flutes also had a problem. It wasn't until the 1861 that the full fluted cylinder was found to be strong enough to survive firing.
I know that a pair was the common number and gave the rider 12 shots of what was unheard of power in a handgun. With practice those Dragoons, the riders, were capable of hitting out to rifle ranges. Just a side note, cavalry, prior to the CW, was very similar to Dragoons and fought more as mounted infantry. They rode to the battle, dismounted, fought, and rode away. The gallant sabre charge came about during the CW, at least in the US.
...I have also read that Colt used that term "Silver Spring Steel" as purely an advertising term to sell more pistols and it was only a slightly better Bessemer Steel imported from England...
Absolutely! Colt was nothing if not a great adman. But, in fairness, others also used the term Silver Spring Steel.
...It seems the more one gets into this discussion, the less one really knows, on my part...
Same with me, each day, I learn something new.
...Sorry about the loss of your books. Been there, done that in another book world universe with my ex...
I did not know they were missing until I found a box of them at a book store I frequented. The owner bought them and then called me. Unfortunately, there were several book sellers and I missed getting some of them back.
Kevin