1851 Colt

[IAsoldier]

I bought this 1851 Colt Navy from a gentleman in Missouri at an antique mall. The guy said it was a Colt look a like pistol and been in his family for about 30 yrs and decided to sale it. So I bought for under $ 100 buck thinking its worth more. The only story I got out of the guy from the pistol is that its a battle field pick up in Kansas City on his own family property near the Westport area. From the pics its a Colt from the markings on top of the barrel and the serial #s 76481 3 out of 4 places. Barrel, lower rec, and strap matck but the but strap # is 28503.

Trying to fiqure out the yr it was made and parts to fix it up a bit. The trigger works but the cylinders doesnt rotate and still loaded, 2 out of the 4 remaining. Truthfully I rather have a working one but this will do for now.

 

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[texjim]

Go to the Colts web site and type in the serial number.

 

[mobile miner]

#76481 made in 1857

 

[BosnMate]

What does it say on top of the barrel. If it's a Colt it should say, "Address Sam Colt New York City." The 1851 Colt was manufactured in one caliber, and that's .36. The difference in serial numbers tells us it's been put together from parts. The original gun had all matching serial numbers, including on the cylinder. You are missing the loading lever and the wedge holding the gun together, which is the brass looking thing in front of the cylinder, that doesn't look original either. Keep in mind that there are numerous newly made pistols that are antique Colt knock offs, but to my eye I think you have an original. Also, there were knock offs made in the confederacy during the war, but I can't tell you about them. You can purchase parts to restore the gun from Dixie Gun Works, in Union City, TN. That said, if you have an original Colt and you do any restoration on it, you will ruin the value as a collector. $100 for the gun as is was a good buy, if the gun is an antique Colt it's a very good buy, and to the right person you would probably be able to more than double your money.
Here's what your gun looks like with the loading lever.

 

[Citiboy289]

Interesting piece Looks more like a 1851 colt Navy - It is missing the Loading Lever , Which is why you cant get the cylinder out , Some things to look for , There were several other companies that manufactured very similar guns,, If its a true colt , It should have " COLTS PATTEN " on the left side along with a caliber

The cylinder wont turn because the " HAND " is rusted shut which moves the cylinder

On the top of the barrel should be some sort of address line " Address COL SAMUEL Colt , New York America "

Now over the years there have been many Fakes made out of imports from ITALY , considering that yours is still loaded I doubt that the case The fakes will all have one thing in common -- On the backstrap there are 2 screws that hold the handle to the frame , Just remove one , the screw should be US Measure , Many of the fakes the screws were never changed from METRIC , Thats the most over looked part when they are faked

Just be careful It is still loaded , Black Power lasts a LONG LONG TIME

If you have any questions PM me -

 

[mobile miner]

I sold a 51 conversion about 10 years ago. It had no grips and was in pretty sad shape but all numbers matched. Trigger, sear, hand and hammer were warn beyond use. I could cock it but the slitest movement it would drop the hammer.Still got $800 for it. P.S. was raised in Whiting

 

[IAsoldier]

Says on top of barrel Address SamL Colt Hartford CT. On the left side of pistol says Colt Patent and M on the brass,

 

[Citiboy289]

Either ADDRESS WOULD WORK DEPENDING ON THE SPECIFIC YEAR , The M is a good sign , I think you got a keeper Con Grats If you plan to tamper with it ( which I would not ) You need to invest in a spray can of K OIL , the stuff is amazing , My buddy purchased a 50 ford and the motor hadnt been started in 40 plus years , Frozen solid , Pulled the plugs , poured it in the cylinders ------------------ 3 hours later the pistons broke loose , It is great Good Luck Great buy

 

[BosnMate]

You have a good one. If you mess with the gun and try and add a loading lever, or anything else, you will tube the collector value. If it was me I'd hang it on the wall, or if you are interested in having one to shoot, sell this one for a very good profit and purchase a modern copy for a shooter.

 

[IAsoldier]

I'm not going to touch it. Worth to much to play with. Just wondering what's the value in something like this

 

[The Shamus]

I've sent off to Colt for factory letter before. It takes a few months but they tell you where the gun was shipped when it left the factory as well as some basic info on the gun. It's kind of cool. The cost varies slightly by gun model, but overall it's not too expensive. I would do it for sure if I were you. The form is on the Colt web site.

 

[IAsoldier]

I've called about it said they have no records for it, to old. Serial number from 90,000-130000 they have.

 

[mical66]

contact Rick on Pawn Stars , he has a guy that can tell ya every thing about any thing ....

 

[IAsoldier]

Na been the 2 yrs ago there over priced and rude

 

[mical66]

i hear ya , i have friends that went there for vacation and decided to drop in and see rick and the crew , but were surprised to find they are only in the shop on the couple days a week they film for the show and other then that they never are there .

 

[IAsoldier]

Did they say how small it was

 

[mical66]

no they did not , i think they were still upset about not seeing pops back there behind the counter sleeping or playing solitaire on the computer...lol

 

[IAsoldier]

Yeah I'll take it to them and they will buy it for 100 and sell it for 1500 with a good story behind it

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Normally I wouldn't say this, but since it is LOADED..... If it were mine, I would very carefully remove the copper piece that has been used to replace the barrel wedge, loosen the keeper screw that holds the barrel on, and then remove the barrel and pull the cylinder out. Then, make sure there are no caps on any of the nipples and soak the cylinder in gun oil for a day or two. The oil will saturate the powder so you won't have to worry about it going off. After that, take a coarse thread BRASS screw and slowly run it into the ball until you've got a good bite on it and use a pair of pliers to pull the ball out. Do that for all the loaded chambers, and get rid of the powder and clean them out afterwards.

I say this for two reasons, one it's a safety issue leaving it loaded. While extremely unlikely there is always a chance something could spark it off. Second and more importantly, the old black powder in there will attract moisture and it will cause corrosion. removing the powder and residue will help to prevent any further corrosion. Don't clean the brass at all, just clean the bore with black powder solvent, and gently wipe the outside with a soft cloth and gun oil. You can also oil the internal works, and the "hand" that advances the cylinder and see if it will free up. The hand has a spring on it though, and if that spring is broken it will not advance.

You can get an original period made barrel wedge, loading lever and the screw for it, they are out there for sale. These are not numbered parts, and if you replace them with ones that match the patina of the gun and look right on it, you won't be hurting the value since there is already a mis matched serial number.

As modern miner said, most of your gun was made in 1857, the backstrap was made in 1853

If you want to have one to shoot, good quality repros sell for around 150$ I have one and I love shooting it.

 

[IAsoldier]

Took it to a gun smith today to see if its safe or not. Said it be best to remove the loaded chambers for safety reason. He also told me it might be worth while to fix it to. Might hurt value or add some just depending on the collector. Since I was told to disarm it Ill do my best to get the rounds out. As for now Im trying to sell it at a gun auction web site first then Ill go from there.