Colt M1878 operated while wearing gloves, so "Alaskan Model" is a misnomer. Colt M1878 The Colt M1878 is a double-action revolver that was manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1878 to 1907. It is often referred to as the "Frontier" or the "Double Action Army" revolver. A total of 51,210 Model 1878 revolvers were manufactured from 1878 to 1907, including 4,600 for the US Ordnance Department. These are known as the "Philippine" or "Alaskan" models. Samuel Colt experimented with double-action revolver systems, but he considered them to be unreliable. After Colt's patent expired in 1857, other manufacturers began producing double-action revolvers, but
Colt House Revolver them a recognizable "bird's-head" grip. These features (spur trigger, "birds-head" grips, etc.) were common on many small pistols and revolvers during that era, such as the classic 2-shot "derringer" pistol. Finally, both models, House and Cloverleaf, were chambered with .41 caliber rimfire cartridges, available in both long and short sizes. The main differences between the two models were the following: The Colt New Line (1873) inherited the general shape of the Colt House: a bird's head grip and a solid spur-trigger frame. Colt House Revolver The Colt House Revolver (also called, in its alternate 4-round capacity model, the Cloverleaf) was