Colt New Line Revolver

This is a medium framed Colt New Line Revolver in caliber .30 Rimfire. Colt built some fantastic little spur trigger cartridge revolvers once the Smith and Wesson controlled Rollin White patent expired in 1871. The only problem was that there were A LOT of folks and the market was flooded with thousands of cheap pistols that were often of such poor quality that they earned the dubious moniker, "suicide specials". As a result of the market flood, Colt dropped the New Line in favor of mostly larger models with better margins. Out of the five different bores (.22, .30, .32, .38, and .41) and frame sizes for the Colt New Line, the .30 rimfire is my favorite one. Aesthetically, it has the most balanced look in my opinion. This particular example is untouched with lots of 140 year old dull unpolished original nickel plating offset by the Colt nitre blued screws. The left side of the barrel has a perfect 1870's era acid etched panel that reads "COLT NEW 30" in an oval border. Top of the barrel has the Colt name and Hartford Address. Top right of frame, just behind the recoil shield is stamped "30 CAL" in tiny font. The serial number is in the 4,6XX range which dates its manufacture to the year 1875. The numbers are all matching which includes the frame, barrel, cylinder, and rosewood grips. See photos. Overall, it is in NRA Antique Excellent condition with 99% original nickel on the barrel, 98% on the frame, while the front of the cylinder has flaked with 65% original nickel remaining. The screws show quite a bit of their original fire or nitre blue giving a nice contrast with the nickel. The hammer profiles retain most of their original bright finish with 80% blue on the rear face and spur. Even the trigger has a bit of its blue remaining. Cylinder pin has perfect knurling and none of those annoying plier marks we find on so many Colt pins. Original rosewood grips are solid with no chips, cracks or repairs. Nice wood to metal fit. Overall, they show between 50 and 60% of their original varnish. Mechanics are in good working order. Bore is Very Good Plus to Fine. How many Colts from the mid-1870's can you buy with etched panels in this condition for under 700 bucks? These are great little Colts and they won't break the bank either!

Item# 1990

SOLD