Manhattan Navy Revolver
- Category
- Revolver
- Barrel
- 165 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.19 kg
- Introduced
- 1859
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Manhattan Navy Revolver was a .36-caliber cap-and-ball percussion revolver produced by the Manhattan Fire Arms Co. of Newark, New Jersey, as a close competitor to the Colt Model 1851 Navy. Built after Colt's revolver patent lapsed in 1857, it featured an octagonal barrel, a roll-engraved five-shot cylinder, a brass trigger guard and backstrap, and a case-hardened frame. Roughly 78,000 were made across five production series between 1859 and 1868, and many saw private-purchase service with soldiers during the American Civil War.
Manhattan Fire Arms was founded by New Jersey businessmen specifically to capitalize on the impending expiration of Colt's revolver patent, producing arms that openly imitated Colt's popular designs.
Distinguished from the Colt by its five-shot cylinder (vs. Colt's six) and by safety pins between the nipples that let the hammer rest safely between chambers. Produced in Series I through V with varying barrel lengths.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Manhattan Fire Arms Co.
- Category
- Revolver
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1859 to 1868
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 165 mm
- Overall length
- 305 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.19 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Single action
- Firing mechanism
- Percussion
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Revolving cylinder
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 305 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 240 J
- Effective range
- 45 m
- Maximum range
- 100 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.
Octagonal barrel
Roll engraved cylinder
Brass trigger guard
Loading lever
Case hardened frame
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 | 1.19 kg | 1.05 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 415 revolvers | 305 mm | 260 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 431 revolvers | 165 mm | 127 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 434 revolvers | 5 | 6 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Manhattan Navy Revolver
How much does the Manhattan Navy Revolver weigh?
The Manhattan Navy Revolver weighs 1.19 kg (2.62 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Manhattan Navy Revolver?
The Manhattan Navy Revolver is chambered in .36 Caliber Round Ball (Percussion).
How many rounds does the Manhattan Navy Revolver hold?
The Manhattan Navy Revolver holds 5 rounds, fed from a revolving cylinder.
How long is the Manhattan Navy Revolver?
The Manhattan Navy Revolver is 305 mm (12.0 in) long overall, with a 165 mm (6.50 in) barrel.
Who makes the Manhattan Navy Revolver?
The Manhattan Navy Revolver is made by Manhattan Fire Arms Co. (United States).
When was the Manhattan Navy Revolver introduced?
The Manhattan Navy Revolver was introduced in 1859 and discontinued in 1868.
How does the Manhattan Navy Revolver operate?
The Manhattan Navy Revolver uses a single action, and its firing mechanism is percussion.
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
- Union soldiers (private purchase)
- 1861
Provenance
Confidence in this record
80%
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/manhattan-revolver' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "manhattan-revolver", "name": "Manhattan Navy Revolver", "manufacturer": { "id": "manhattan-firearms", "name": "Manhattan Fire Arms Co.", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1856, "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": "c3c0bb37a85da6587f60bfbfba9e4bb0df4074e44ef3f96c88ea451fa57ca672" }, "category": { "id": "revolver", "name": "Revolver", "description": "Handguns with a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1859, "barrel_length_mm": 165, "weight_empty_g": 1190, "action_type": "single_action"}