October 30 - November 2, 2018 Firearms, Militaria, & Sporting
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2018
This mid Civil War subcontact 1863 rifle does not appear to have ever been issued or fired. It has the standard features: all metal finished in the white, with the exception of the blued two leaf military sight and the percussion nipple. It has a three bands with the middle band and trigger guard having attached sling swivels. Has original ramrod, post front sight, fore end cap, full length walnut stock, curved steel buttplate stamped U.S. Top of the breech is dated 1863. Left side of barrel flat has the VP Eagle proof, along with Steel and a William Page inspector stamp, who worked as a sub inspector under John Taylor, whose initials are also stamped on the left side of the stock. Dwight A. Perkins, another sub inspector also has initials on left side of stock. Taylor became main inspector at Colt August 17, 1861 until the end of 1864, with as many as ten underinspectors including Perkins and page. Individual inspectors initials can be found about several rifle parts to include: T,M, and J, on the trigger guard assembly, a T on hammer, G on rear tang, J on butt plate, M on all three barrel bands. M,M,J also stamped on top of stock near butt plate, which represents Martin McNary Johnson, whose inspector mark only appears on top of stock in front of buttplate dated 1863. Wood is near mint with a few small handling marks, but you can feel all of the raised grain, which indicates that the rifle has never been sanded. The metal shows no signs of having ever been cleaned, either chemically or with a brush. Overall very light age freckling, further proof of rifle remaining in original state. Has an as new mirror bore. It would be impossible to find a better condition Colt 1863 rifle.