The “Colt Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Caliber,” as the 1851 Navy was originally called, was Colt’s first practical revolver, coming after its 4-lb., 8-oz., .44-cal. Dragoon and the less ...

However, it was collectors and historians who later dubbed it the Navy Model of 1851. Colt himself never used dates to define new weapons; factory records simply described it as the Navy or Belt ...