June 9-10, 2017 Premier Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/10/2017
Commonly referred to as the Colt Open Top, it is important in Colt history in that it was the first large caliber holster pistol made to fire self-contained cartridges and was a direct result of the earlier and simultaneous Colt conversions. The majority of these short-lived revolvers saw extensive and hard use on the Western Frontier. It would fire the same round as the Henry rifle and the 1866 rifle. Has a Navy sized frame with a longer Army grip strap. Rear sight is part of the barrel breech and has a small knife blade front sight. Bulls-eye ejector rod head, Mason S curve style barrel, newly made non-fluted cylinder. Matching numbers on barrel, frame and cylinder. Brass trigger guard is stamped 781. Steel backstrap is stamped 337. Traces of nickel on backstrap and ejector rod housing. Balance of gun is dark. Two line Colt patent on left side of frame and Colt New York barrel address. Visible rifling. Indexes but timing is off. Very good grips are slightly shy to metal with chip at right toe. Previous owner's initials "GS" carved on right grip panel. Good representative piece of the link between Colt's percussion era and the Single Action Army. Approximately 7,000 open top revolver were manufactured in 1871 and 1872 only.