cap-and-ball revolver

weapon

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 22, 2026

Quick Summary

A cap-and-ball revolver is a type of repeating pistol that uses a revolving cylinder with multiple chambers behind a single barrel. The term "cap-and-ball" refers to its firing mechanism, which utilizes a percussion cap to ignite a separately loaded charge.12

Early versions, known as "pepperboxes," had multiple barrels in a revolving unit. However, the practical application of a revolving cylinder with a single barrel was successfully developed by Samuel Colt in 1835-36. Colt's design featured a cylinder with several chambers that would successively align and fire into the barrel. His early models were single-action, requiring manual cocking of the hammer to revolve the cylinder, and they used percussion caps.1

By the mid-1800s, double-action revolvers were developed, where pulling the trigger both cocks the hammer and revolves the cylinder. The advent of reliable metallic cartridges around 1870 made revolvers even more practical, and they remained a viable handgun option into the 21st century.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

small arm
Revolvers
…revolver was eventually called “cap-and-ball.” Where earlier revolvers required the shooter to line up a chamber with the barrel and cock the hammer in separate steps, Colt devised a single-action mechanical linkage that rotated the cylinder as the hammer was cocked with the thumb.
Read More
…revolver was eventually called “cap-and-ball.” Where earlier revolvers required the shooter to line up a chamber with the barrel and cock the hammer in separate steps, Colt devised a single-action mechanical linkage that rotated the cylinder as the hammer was cocked with the thumb.
Read More