Colt 1860 Army Revolver Estate Find!

[huntsman53]

UPDATED with PICS: Colt 1860 Army Revolver Estate Find!

I don't often attend Auctions but there was an Estate Auction today that I just could not resist and I am glad I did! They had an enormous amount of antiques, toys, paintings, tools, guns, coins, watches, jewelry and way many more items that I cannot fathom to list. I lucked out and picked up a Colt 1860 Army Revolver for only $325 plus 10% Buyers premium. The Auctioneer stated that they had checked the Serial Number and that the Revolver was made in 1871. I did not have my' Blue Book of Gun Values but doubted the statement due to the low Serial Number 136,xxx and went with my gut feeling on it. The Revolver was actually produced by Colt in 1863 and was found in a wash cabinet inside the home which I believe dates from the late 1800's and was also being sold. The Revolver has some rust on it and whoever owned it painted over the bluing in an attempt to protect it from degrading. I checked it over as best I could and everything looks 100% original on it with no miss matched Serial Numbered parts. It should not take much to get it cleaned up pretty good and even in working condition and when I have done so, I will post some pics. I will probably take some pics of it as is as well to show the before and after condition, so please don't rag me for pics. The great thing is, I purchased a lot of other stuff at the Auction and a Carlton Ladies Watch with what appears to be Diamonds and a Bulova Ladies Watch that is in it's original case and box, may just pay for everything I purchased today when I sell them. Let's hope anyway!!


Frank

 

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[lockster99]

Can't wait to see them pics! Hey with some research maybe you can find that someone important owned the gun. Good luck.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Be EXTREMELY CAREFUL cleaning any paint off of it. If you lose any original bluing that may remain under it you'll lose a lot of value really quick. I'd be really cautious with any kind of chemicals and definitely not use anything more abrasive than a Q-tip. Can't wait to see pics

 

[huntsman53]

Can't wait to see them pics! Hey with some research maybe you can find that someone important owned the gun. Good luck.

Thanks! The Revolver does fall within the Serial Range that Colt states they have records for but that is not always the case with some Revolvers. I once had 22 Colt SA Revolvers that I was buying from an elderly gentleman under a signed agreement. I won't go into the specifics of the agreement, what happened and that he went back on the deal when he found out that I was getting a divorce, even though I assured him that the Colt Revolvers were not in the Divorce Decree. During the time I had them, I ordered Colt Letters on two of the Revolvers and ordered an replaced non-original parts that some of revolvers had on them. If I could turn back time and knew that he was going to go back on the agreement, I would have kept two revolvers out of the 22. One was an 1873 produced Single Action Army in .45 and the other was an 1874 produced SA .44 Rimfire (.44 Henry) both of which were rare. The 1873 Colt SA was found under the mattress of a Marshall that was shot to death in his' bed in Tucson, Arizona and if the elderly gentleman could have found the Letter of Documentation on this, it would have fetched a very high price and the Colt SA .44 Henry was already valued at $44,000 at the time. The only problem with them, was that Colt did not have records on either revolver.


Frank

 

[huntsman53]

Be EXTREMELY CAREFUL cleaning any paint off of it. If you lose any original bluing that may remain under it you'll lose a lot of value really quick. I'd be really cautious with any kind of chemicals and definitely not use anything more abrasive than a Q-tip. Can't wait to see pics

Thanks! While the paint preserved the condition of much of the metal on the revolver, I worry that the owner may have stripped the bluing before he painted it. I am sure I will find this out once I begin the process of cleaning it up and doing my best to conserve it. I hate to think of the costs involved but the revolver may be a great candidate for total restoration. It is probably best to clean it up, remove as much rust as possible or all of it if possible, get it in working condition and see what offers I may get on it. I haven't really decided whether I will keep it or sell it but will do so once I have done all I can do to preserve it!


Frank

 

[huntsman53]

Original (1st) post updated with pics!

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Man that's a pretty sweet score, doesn't look to have much in the way of original finish left, which is generally the case. I wouldn't be too worried about using chemicals to remove the paint, just start with something mild like denatured alcohol, and work your way up til you find something that will work without losing the patina.

 

[huntsman53]

Man that's a pretty sweet score, doesn't look to have much in the way of original finish left, which is generally the case. I wouldn't be too worried about using chemicals to remove the paint, just start with something mild like denatured alcohol, and work your way up til you find something that will work without losing the patina.

Thanks again! Surprisingly, what appears to not be much in the way of original finish, is actually the gray (probably a primer/rust inhibitor) paint I noted in the first post. Although the paint protected a lot of the barrel, the reloading lever and about half of the cylinder, it did not protect many of the other areas. When they said it was found wrapped in a cloth in a wash cabinet, I believe that this was under a somewhat leaky sink. It is a shame that they did not store it in the top of a dry closet elsewhere in the home. I have had and seen many other Colt 1860 Army Revolvers in worse shape or had 20 to 30% bluing left and the rest brownish patina that were non-shootable rattle traps (in other words, every part on them were loose and it was dangerous to fire them). However and although some rust is keeping the cylinder locked for now, everything seems to be extremely tight on this revolver. Before I took the pics, I sprayed some penetrating oil in every nook and cranny after removing the grips and grip frame and then wiped it down good before re-installing the grips and grip frame. The cylinder still refuses to move probably due to rust but also because the trigger is locked in the fired position due to rust which is also keeping the hammer from full movement. The hammer will move 1/3 of the way back towards full cock and while many of these revolvers have major issues with the reloading lever, the one on this revolver actually works perfectly. Although I did not look to closely, I believe I saw some sort of Cartouche on the grips when I removed them. If there is one, this would be a plus, along with the several Inspector's marks that I also saw! While I hope to get the revolver in great looking and workable (and possibly shootable shape) condition, it may not be possible but I believe that I may be able to sell most of the parts and make more back than what I paid for it!

Do you have any recommendations for a sealed container I can place the revolver in to bath in Acetone? While denatured Alcohol may work, I think that Acetone will work much better for possibly removing the paint and hopefully some of the rust. Of course, this to be done after removing the original wood grips.


Frank

 

[Army of 1]

That's a great score Frank , good luck with the clean up and finding some cool history on the Colt ..cheers Mick