The Colt Cloverleaf Revolver: A Pocket Pistol of the 1870s

When Colt introduced the Cloverleaf revolver in 1871, it was stepping into a changing market. The Civil War was over, metallic cartridges had taken hold, and there was growing demand for compact, concealable firearms. The Cloverleaf was Colt’s first revolver chambered specifically for the .41 rimfire cartridge, a round offering more stopping power than the .22 and .32 rimfires common in other pocket revolvers of the day.

Why and how it was developed

The name “Cloverleaf” came from its unusual four-shot cylinder, which bulged outward in a way that resembled a four-leaf clover when viewed from the front. Colt engineers were looking for a balance between power, capacity, and compact size. The four-shot design gave more punch than a single-shot derringer but kept the revolver slim and short enough to slip into a coat pocket. Mechanically, it was part of the House Pistol series, a family of Colt pocket revolvers designed in the early 1870s to meet the growing urban and frontier demand for small arms protection.

Production ran from about 1871 to 1876, with several variations, including models with 1½-inch “mule’s ear” barrels up to 3-inch barrels, and both spur and conventional triggers. Colt made roughly 7,000 to 10,000 Cloverleafs, making them scarcer today than the more common Colt Open Top or later double-action models.

Who bought it—and why

The Cloverleaf wasn’t meant for cavalry troopers or frontiersmen looking for a heavy-duty sidearm. Instead, it was marketed as a personal defense pistol—a gun for civilians, travelers, and professionals who wanted a reliable and concealable weapon. For city folk in booming towns of the 1870s—merchants, gamblers, shopkeepers, and even ladies who needed a discreet means of protection—the Cloverleaf was attractive.

It also appealed to those traveling westward on stagecoaches or trains, where the threat of robbery or personal assault was real, but a full-sized Colt Army revolver was bulky and impractical. Its .41 rimfire chambering gave it enough power to be respected, and its small frame made it easy to carry without drawing attention.

Legacy

Though the Cloverleaf’s production was short-lived, it marked an important step in Colt’s evolution toward cartridge-firing pocket arms. It bridged the gap between the small pepperboxes and derringers of the 1850s–60s and the more advanced double-action revolvers Colt would roll out in the 1870s and 1880s. Collectors today prize them not only for their rarity but for their quirky cylinder profile, which makes them instantly recognizable in Colt’s 19th-century lineup.