July 12-14, 2022 Collectible Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/12/2022
Approximately 2000 Austin T. Freeman patent army percussion revolvers were manufactured at the height of the Civil War circa 1863 to 1864 by Hoard's Armory of Watertown, New York. This fantastic example features a brilliantly blued .44 caliber 7 - 1/2" round barrel with blade front sight and frame notch rear. The blued 6-shot cylinder with partially recessed nipples is easily released from the frame with an innovative switch that is pushed forward on the right side. Frame marked on top "FREEMAN'S PAT. DECR 9. 1862 / HOARD'S ARMORY, WATERTOWN, N.Y". Fitted with smooth walnut 2-piece grips. CONDITION: Excellent. A fine example retaining nearly all of the original blued finish on the barrel, with frame retaining vast majority with some areas of toning and thinning. Cylinder likewise retains most of its brilliant blue finish excluding a drag line and losses at cylinder stops. Hammer and trigger retain significant amounts of their case colors with light wear and fading. Loading lever exhibits a silvery patina with traces of case color. Some scattered handling marks throughout with a small nick in the trigger guard. Grips are very fine showing only a few handling marks. Sharp bright bore with a few light oxidation spots. Crisp mechanics. Matching "613" serial number found on frame, barrel, lever, cylinder, cylinder arbor, grip frame, and inside of grips. A great example of a scarce Civil War era revolver! BAS