Help identify old colt 5 shot revolver?
 

A friend at work just inherited two pistols. One of them is an older H&R revolver an the other is a colt. I was thinking it might be a dragoon but the pictures don't match up? Any thoughts on what this is and or the value of it? Safe to shoot?

colt 5 shot, 5 inch octagon barrel
horse and carriage artwork on cylinder.
Serial Number: 177078


http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...le/colt2-1.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...le/colt1-1.jpg

Dreiluger, it's an 1851 Colt Navy that looks to be in pretty good shape. If the numbers all match, including the wedge, it looks like a $2500 Colt to me.

I posted it on another board and they think it is a Colt 1849 Pocket Revolver, caliber .31. Did the 1851 have the stagecoach markings?

I think the 1849 does not have the reloading thingy, although i was thinking it was a 1849 also. These vary in price a lot, from $650 for a pretty lousy example to up to $2500 like doc said.


Ed

I agree this is a 1849 pocket model. The 1851 I believe had a 71/2 " barrel. The 49 was made with and without attached loading levers. Nice firearm. Bill

You guys are GOOD! I thought it was an 1849 too... but mike'ing the barrel will tell the story for sure... if its's .36 caliber it is a cut down 1851, if it is smaller than that (.31) then it's an 1849.

I just love that Colt.. would swim over the atlantic if I knew I would get my hands on one of those!
Take good care of it Dreiluger! ..or sell it to me;)

Allen,
You have what appears to be an 1849 model Colt. As John S stated, it would be in 31 caliber. The fact that it is a five shot and has the "stagecoach" scene leaves no doubt as to it's identity. I don't have access to serial number records at this time but believe it was manufactured around 1860. Colt made over 300,000 of this model over about 23 years so there are many slight variations. With the exception of a 3" barreled variation, I believe the rest did have loading levers. At least it was the norm.
Looks to be in pretty good shape, though it appears to be missing the nipple on the chamber closest to the camera.

over 350,000 were made. end of production was 1875. sr# 115711 was made in 1856 so i would guess yours 117078 would have been made in 1856 or 1857. they made a 3 1/2, 5 ,and 6 in barrel. they were used in the Calif. gold rush, the civil war, and in the old west. they all had loading levers as they were cap and ball gun,s. i had one for years. a great looking gun and a big part of our history. if it were mine i would not shoot it.
value? from the pic,s i would guess $800 to $1800. it look,s great from here.

Louis,
Allen wrote that the serial number is 177078, your guess (117078)was for a revolver 60,000 earlier. You may want to check your sources. This model was manufactured in 1850 around serial#12000 and ending in 1873 around #340000. Barrel lengths started with the 3" (collector named "Wells Fargo"model without loading lever) and generally included 4,5, and 6"lengths. There were variations so I would not count out an additional 1/2" on any of the above lengths.

Another forum pointed me to this page with colt serial numbers.

http://proofhouse.com/colt/1849pocket.htm

Rich, Boy did i screw that up, im sorry. i guess my eyes aint what it use to be. you are right. i was thinking sr# 117078. it,s been a while sence i traded my 1849 P/M colt. i was trying go by my memory which is about like my eye sight. and i did forget about the Wells Fargo model. i will try and do better in the future. Thanks.

Louis,
I understand completely. They say memory is the first thing to go, I can't remember what's next :D I'm just glad I could help. I don't often contribute but percussion and early cartridge arms used to be a big interest of mine.

There is "safe to shoot" and then there is "wise to shoot". Even if the gun is safe to shoot (probably not), it is definitely not wise to shoot it.
Any damage that might occur diminishes its value. If you want to shoot such a weapon, buy a replica. They are readily available, made with better materials than the originals and cheap, cheap, cheap! You can get an Italian replica for about $200. If you break it you just buy replacement parts, also plentiful, and you're ready to go again. If you break that original, you'll never forgive yourself.

I own 22 black powder replicas and there is nothing more fun to shoot.

BTW, don't waste any money on the overpriced Colt replicas of their own guns. These are just the same Italian copies with a slightly better fit and finish. Colt buys them from Italy in the white, finishes them and stamps their name on them. Then they add a price tag that would impress J.P. Gotrocks.

Sorry if i'm stealing the thread.. But what is you guys thoughs on this one http://www.qxl.no/accdb/viewitem.asp?IDI=530269640 ?
Tossed in a bid in my eager to get one, but it strikes me now that it might be a repro..

Doesn't look functional to me. That is not Colt. What is it? I do not understand Norwagian

Sorry about not translating the text.. the seller doesn't say that much usefull about it anyway. Just that the trigger and main spring is missing and that it does not require a lisence since it's pre 1870 fabrication. I'm having second thoughts about my bid now.. :rolleyes: My dream would be to find the twin gun to the one posted in this thread some day

Steinar,

It's hard to tell anything from the one blurry picture.
Surest signs it might be a fake: blurry picture and high price.

You should know there are a LOT of fakes out there.

How much does your bid translate to in dollars?

I set a maximum bid of 364 in USD, would be a bargain if it was genuine. But I have no interest in a repro.. so I'm not feeling very smart right now :rolleyes:
The cylinder looks longer on the one I found btw, not sure what that means.

Steinar,

Fortunately you're not out too much if the thing turns out to be a toad. Just pray someone outbids you.
Since there is so much fakery going on with these guns my advice would be to befriend an expert in percussion arms and buy only with his approval... sort of like what I did here on the LF! {grin}