Adams Revolver 1851

The Robert Adams 1851 English 5-shot revolvers can be cocked and fired simply by pulling the trigger. This would allow an officer or cavalryman to hold the revolver in his left hand while still holding a sword in his right. However, trigger cocking means a heavy trigger pull, not good for long range accuracy but - hey - ideal for close range fighting at sword distance. Early Adams revolvers used lead bullets that could be pushed into the chamber by hand. They had a leather disk to hold them in place, so they were quick to load but risked the balls falling out if jolted. As with all English revolvers of the time, they required a lot of skilled hand finishing, consequently parts were not interchangeable.