Colt 1849 Revolver Circa 1861 w/ Hartford Address & Iron Straps

This is a scarce Model 1849 Pocket Percussion Revolver in .31 cal with iron gripstraps. Standard 4" octagonal barrel. All matching numbers including barrel wedge. It also has a desirable Hartford barrel address with a cracker jack serial number in the 185,000 range. This would have been made in early 1861 just after the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln while state after state in the Southern U.S. seceded from the Union. Times were full of uncertainty except the knowledge that War was this time inevitable. The demand for weapons, especially Colt Revolvers in the months leading up to the Civil War was at an all-time high for Colt Mfg in Hartford, CT. While not all, many of these guns were shipped to Southern states just before the War began...which accounts for the Hartford Barrel Address. The 1849 was very popular with soldiers who fought on both sides during the War (1861-65). From around 1860-61, Colt changed their barrel address from "New York" to "Hartford". The theory behind this is that many of Sam Colt's customers were Pro-Southern and viewed New York City as a hotbed for the abolitionist movement. Fearing lost sales, Colt changed the markings from New York to his factory in Hartford. However, once the war started in the spring of 1861 and Colt's customers were now almost solely Union supporters, the address was almost immediately changed back to "New York".

Overall condition is NRA Antique Very Good with the metal turned mostly to a pleasing plum brown patina. There are traces of silvered out case colors on the frame and evidence of original silver plating in protected areas on the trigger guard. Markings are all in great shape. Very Good screws throughout. Cylinder has 50% of its scene visible. Action is in Excellent working order. Tight barrel-to-frame fit. Good+ bore. Grips are solid with 85% original varnish remaining...some dings on the butt and one minor chip near the toe of the right grip...otherwise Fine+ to Excellent. This gun has a lot of eye appeal especially with the iron straps and clean lines. With the Civil War time-frame, this one could have just as easily stayed in the North or gone South for the Civil War.

Item# 1326

SOLD