Odd orig. '51 Navy Colt

[kaac1221]

I found an unusual (to me) original '51 navy colt in an antique shop the other day.

The owner told me it was a gun sent to England in 1866 to be finished and assembled there and was then to be sent to Russia.

I didn't have a camera with me and the gun is going to a show in Louisville next week so no pics are available.

S/N 106xxx on barrel, triggerguard and backstrap.
Cylinder worn with no engraving or S/N visible.

Triggerguard and backstrap are brass.

Circular stamp on the grip thats supposed to be an Enfield stamp. But its not legible to me.

Top of barrel marked: Address Col. Colt London

On the left side of the frame is a large "Colt's Patent" in one line. The capitol C in Colt is much larger than the rest of the lettering.

"36 cal" on left rear of trigger guard in the usual place.

The gun has been cleaned to bright metal so no original finish can be seen.

I don't know much about all the Colt variations let alone any that were to be sent to Russia by way of England. Maybe one of you more knowledgable folks out there can shed some light on this gun. Is it for real or someones "pet" project.

Dryball

 

[rebel727]

I don't know a lot about the London Colt's but Colt did have a factory there. I didn't think they were marked Col. Colt. From what I remember about the few I've seen they were just marked Colt, London and had British proofs. They're worth a pretty penny if original.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I agree about the markings on the Colt revolver. From photos and articles I have seen and read, I don't recall any genuine London Colt being marked in such a way. If the finish has been removed, I would stay clear of it because it is possibly a faked piece.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I think most of the London Colts had steel backstraps and trigger guards. The London factory was closed by the mid 1850s.

 

[Zonie]

The Colt London factory stopped manufacturing Colt Pistols in 1856 however they had a rather large number of unshipped guns and parts that had not been assembled at the time.
The serial numbers were in the 35,000-36,000 range. As the barrel was marked "Address Col. Colt London" and the S/N was in the 160,xxx range something seems amiss.

As the seller was saying the gun was " a gun sent to England in 1866 to be finished and assembled there" and the serial number being in the range of guns that were made in Hartford in 1864, again, things don't seem to add up.

In the book COLONEL COLT LONDON by Joseph G. Rosa, Lionel Leventhal Limited, London NW3, 1976 there are a number of photos showing the left side of the frame on these London Colts.
The text is, "COLTS" over "PATENT" with all of the text being of equal size.

 

[kaac1221]

Thanks guys for the replies. It looks like we're all of the same opinion about this gun; something not quite "right" about it.

That's why I asked the question. Knew I'd get some good info. Thanks again!


Dryball

 

[Geraldo]

I can't add anything on the Colt, but a good rule in gun buying is to buy the gun, not the story. Even disregarding the discrepancies, if there is no letter from Colt, there is no story.