Description
I think this is the earliest Savage I have yet to see. Untouched and in pure untampered with condition, the action on this very interesting looking Civil War handgun is crisp and tight. All markings are clear and legible. The military inspector mark in the grip is likewise very clear.
The Savage Navy Model, a six shot .36 caliber revolver, was made from 1861 until 1862. This unique military revolver was one of the few handguns that was produced only for Civil War use. Its design was based on the antebellum Savage-North “figure eight” revolver.
The U.S. government first contracted with Savage on October 16, 1861, to buy some of the revolvers and eventually purchased 12,000 of them. They were issued to 26 Union cavalry regiments, including units from Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the Potomac Home Brigade. Even some Confederate cavalry regiments from Texas and Virginia were issued Savage Navy models privately bought and secretly shipped south. One of the first deliveries to the US government in 1861 went to the Navy, who purchased 1,126 Savage Navy revolvers. At this time, no database is known showing where the actual weapons went, but for sure, this one saw it ALL!
