Adams Revolver
- Category
- Revolver
- Barrel
- 159 mm
- Weight, empty
- 850 g
- Introduced
- 1851
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Adams Revolver, patented by Robert Adams in 1851, was the world's first successful double-action (self-cocking) revolver and the chief British rival to Samuel Colt's single-action designs. Built on a solid one-piece frame - stronger than Colt's open-top construction - it fired a heavy .442 (54-bore) percussion ball from a five-shot muzzle-loaded cylinder. Its rapid self-cocking action made it deadly at close quarters, and British officers prized its stopping power during the Crimean War and colonial campaigns. The later Beaumont-Adams development added a single-action option.
When Robert Adams demonstrated his solid-frame double-action revolver against Colt at London's Great Exhibition of 1851, its single-pull rapid fire and superior strength so impressed observers that it is credited with helping drive Samuel Colt's British factory out of business by 1857.
Available in .442 (54-bore) and a larger .500 (38-bore) Dragoon caliber. The original 1851 Adams was double-action only; the 1855 Beaumont-Adams added selective single-action capability via Frederick Beaumont's patented lockwork. Adams' solid-frame design is credited with driving Colt's London factory out of business.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Deane, Adams & Deane
- Category
- Revolver
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1851 to 1867
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 159 mm
- Overall length
- 292 mm
- Weight, empty
- 850 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Double action
- Firing mechanism
- Double action only
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Effective range
- 30 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Solid frame
Self cocking action
Percussion cap ignition
Muzzle loading chambers
Five shot cylinder
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 404 revolvers | 850 g | 1.05 kg | Lighter than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 415 revolvers | 292 mm | 260 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 431 revolvers | 159 mm | 127 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 434 revolvers | 5 | 6 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Adams Revolver
How much does the Adams Revolver weigh?
The Adams Revolver weighs 850 g (1.87 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Adams Revolver?
The Adams Revolver is chambered in .442 (54-bore) Percussion Ball and .500 (38-bore) Percussion Ball.
How many rounds does the Adams Revolver hold?
The Adams Revolver holds 5 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Adams Revolver?
The Adams Revolver is 292 mm (11.50 in) long overall, with a 159 mm (6.26 in) barrel.
Who makes the Adams Revolver?
The Adams Revolver is made by Deane, Adams & Deane (United Kingdom). It was designed by Robert Adams.
When was the Adams Revolver introduced?
The Adams Revolver was introduced in 1851 and discontinued in 1867.
How does the Adams Revolver operate?
The Adams Revolver uses a double action, and its firing mechanism is double action only.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- British Army
- 1856
- Confederate States Army
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/adams-revolver' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "adams-revolver", "name": "Adams Revolver", "manufacturer": { "id": "deane-adams-deane", "name": "Deane, Adams & Deane", "countryCode": "GB", "foundedYear": 1851, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "37cf9a9bbf3deee574eb37276580f16cd073533cab9b73e4dd975939a4cc845e" }, "category": { "id": "revolver", "name": "Revolver", "description": "Handguns with a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers" }, "country_of_origin": "GB", "year_introduced": 1851, "barrel_length_mm": 159, "weight_empty_g": 850, "action_type": "double_action"}