Description
This is a fine example of one of the most popular handguns of the Civil War and one of the best engineered ever manufactured. This massive handgun is chambered in .44 caliber and has a percussion ignition system. It is fully functional and incredibly tight! The cylinder scene is very strong but there is no serial number stamped—actually common on 1861 production models. All other components are matching.
This weapon surfaced at an estate auction in eastern Massachusetts a few months ago with no known family history other than it had been on display many decades ago in a Grand Army of the Republic Union soldier veteran post. The frame backstrap has been modified to add more support to the detachable shoulder stock and there are two filled holes in the right grip, perhaps having something to do with the shoulder stock support. The bottom of the left side of the grip has an old repair that was very well done.
Another interesting feature is that the entire metalworks of the weapon have been plated in bright nickel, a practice most common in the 1870-1880s era. Even though plated, the barrel marking and serial numbers are still extremely crisp and visible—meaning the weapon must have been in very fine condition when it was plated.
Often this indicates it was presented as a gift or meant to be displayed—the plating at the muzzle is relatively strong, indicating it wasn’t fired a great deal after plating. Even the percussion nipples were plated!
Unfortunately whatever history it had is lost now—the serial number is not listed in the Springfield Research database and the Colt archives has little information on percussion revolvers—but that may be a good thing to check! This weapon was important to somebody and clearly very special—but I have no way to find out much more. It is a beautiful and impressive weapon to display and one that was around for the ENTIRE Civil War!
