Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver

This old Colt '60 Army walked into a show we attended recently. The owner said he had found it in the wall of a house with another old gun and it sure looked like it. At any rate, it wasn't in the best of condition, but it was all there, untouched, and had pretty nice grips for a 150 year old Colt that saw use in the Civil War. The serial number is in the 45,000 range which dates its manufacture to roughly the middle of 1862. The serial numbers are matching on the barrel, frame, trigger guard, backstrap (faint but visible), and arbor pin. The grips are also numbered to the gun under the backstrap....I was really surprised to find this number still visible as it was done in ink which is often washed out by oil and dirt. The number on the cylinder is very faint but from what I can see, it does not appear to match...nor is there a number visible on the wedge. So this one is six out of eight on numbers. Note: cylinders were often swapped when reloading or cleaning during the war so this is fairly common as are the wedges, which were frequently replaced in the field. The good news here is that these two components were done during the war and are worn to the same degree as the rest of the gun. Judging from the number of small dings and tap marks on the side of the barrel lug, my guess would be this was issued to an enlisted man in a Union cavalry unit. You can see the numerous little dings where he was removing the wedge to gain access to the cylinder for reloading. These little dings are all over the map which makes me think he's either very nervous, on horseback, or both, as he's missing the wedge by over an inch at times. The left side of the frame is marked "Colt's Patent". Barrel address has mostly worn away with just traces remaining. Cylinder scene is also worn away....this is generally due to chafing inside a leather holster. Just imagine a horse bouncing up and down at a trot or gallop...and a pistol sliding up, then down thousands of times. Overall, the metal has a heavy brown patina with some scattered light pits. Grips are in Very Good Condition with nice fit to the straps and frame...very solid with a few tap marks on the bottom. One bit of good news is that both gov't inspector cartouches although faint, are still visible on the left and right sides of the walnut grips. Our gunsmith went through the action and got it working perfectly. The wedge seats the barrel tightly to the frame and the bore is still in good shape with strong lands and grooves. Very Good screws overall. All in all, a well-used but solid representative of a Colt 1860 Army that saw action in the Civil War.

Item# 1610

SOLD