This is a very nice example of the Colt 1860 Army .44 Cal. percussion revolver that was fully restored by the Colt factory in Hartford, Conn. during the late 1940's.  This gun was originally standard issue to the US military during the Civil War. The serial number is in the 116,000 range and was manufactured in 1863 with military inspector markings and cartouches.  It is my understanding that Colt began its restoration service for all models of Colts around 1946 and continued up to the year 1955.  After this, they only restored Single Action Army revolvers.

Overall, the gun is in NRA Antique Excellent Plus to Mint condition as restored.  It has 100% cylinder scene with Naval engagement dates present at the front edge of the cylinder.  All matching numbers throughout.  Grips have excellent military cartouches while metal parts bear military inspector markings.  The barrel, cylinder, and backstrap retain 99+% mirror polished Colt blue with very excellent markings.  Frame, hammer, and loading lever have 99+% Colt Case Color hardening.  The screws and trigger have all their bright Colt fire blue which really accents the gun nicely.  The triggerguard has all of its silver plating intact....technically speaking however, only Civilian Model 1860's had silver plated triggerguards over the brass while the military ones were left natural.  Nonetheless, this is as nice of a restoration as I've seen.  It was done over 50 years ago by the factory using long-lost original finishing techniques.  Today, if you were to find a Colt 1860 Army in original Mint condition, it would probably cost around $20,000+.  This 1860 revolver looks to have been in superior condition before it was refurbished.  It looks just as nice but is priced at a fraction of the cost for an untouched original.

Item# 9080

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