GUN SPRING 2018
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/21/2018
RARE AND FINE COLT MODEL 1875 GATLING GUN ON AN ORIGINAL CARRIAGE. COLT 1875 GATLING GUN 166 45-70 Cal. 45-70. Fine orig Gatling gun with 32″ ten bbl cluster mounted in a brass housing with steel frame. Gun has orig cast iron yoke on an orig field carriage with olive drab painted iron bound wood frame and orig concave wheels with 1/2″ thick steel rims. Carriage is complete with 2 mounted ammunition boxes. Top of the gun housing is mounted with a 3-3/4″ diameter cast brass plate marked "GATLING'S BATTERY GUN / MADE BY COLT'S / PT. FIRE ARMS / MFG CO / HARTFORD, CONN. / U.S.A." which is surrounding patent dates. Gun is equipped with orig actuating unit marked "US WATERVLIET ARSENAL" and elevation screw with brass wheel. Gun has 1-1/4″ trunnions and 2″ cascable. All the bolts are matching and numbered to their respective bbls. Gun is well marked with "MODEL 1875" on right side, orig Bruce feed marked "US SPRINGFIELD ARMORY, JAN. 1888 / PAT. SEP. 20 1880 & OCT. 3 1882". There is an additional unmarked feed in one ammo chest. Gun is inspected in large cartouche on top of ring base "APC" (A. P. Casey). This is one of 44 long Model 1875 Gatling's purchased by the US Army, this being the last SN in that range. This was the model Gatling gun that Custer had left behind at Ft. Abraham Lincoln before his massacre at Little Bighorn. This is among the finest examples you will note with beautiful surface and good collection history. Mr. Bentley won numerous awards with this extremely fine example. PROVENANCE: Val Forgett, Jr. Collection; the spectacular collection of Ray Bentley featuring the finest and rarest deluxe antique Winchesters in the world. CONDITION: Very good to fine overall. Mechanics are functional with clear, clean rifling in bores. Each bolt was pulled and each bolt was properly inspected with matching numbers, except Bolt #10 which is numbered "1", most likely just an arsenal mis-number as it matches perfectly with other nine bolts and bbls. 53091-229 JS (125,000-155,000)