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US Navy Colt Model 1895 DA New Navy with Holster, Just like the one Teddy Roosevelt carried with the Rough Riders in 1898
Guns International #: 101534750 Seller's Inventory #:
Category: Colt Revolvers - Single Action Army - 1st Gen - Colt Revolvers - Antique
Seller's Information
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Seller: Brent Wilburn
Company: Antique Arms, Inc.
Member Since: 11/19/15
First Name: Brent
Last Name: Wilburn
State: Georgia
Zip: 30052
Country: United States
Phone: (678) 471-1432
Phone2: (678) 471-1432
Premium Seller
Number of Active Listings: 36
Total Number of Listings: 580
Seller: Private Seller
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
Payment Types Accepted: Money Order, Certified Check
Description:
Colt 1895 US Navy Revolver & Holster -- Just Like Teddy Roosevelt's--
This is a good US Navy marked Colt Model 1895 with a desirable antique serial number in the 111,000 range that comes complete with its original "USN" marked leather holster. This one was made in 1898, the same year as the Spanish American War. It's just like the one Teddy Roosevelt carried up San Juan Hill with the Rough Riders of the 1st USV Cavalry.. Standard 6" barrel, caliber .38 Colt, blued finish, and checkered hard rubber grips. The original USN marked flap holster which has seen better days, but the leather is good and the snap is intact.
The most famous Colt 1895 issued to the US Navy was the one Theodore Roosevelt used during the charges he made with the 1st USV Cavalry, a.k.a. "Rough Riders", up Kettle and San Juan Hills in 1898. So how did an officer in the US Army get his hands on a Navy issued Colt? Well, prior to joining the US Army, Roosevelt was actually the Assistant Secretary of the Navy and a very active one at that. The Colt was given to Roosevelt by his brother-in-law who recovered it during salvage work on the USS Maine after it mysteriously exploded and sank in Havana Harbor. Roosevelt, who was anxious to get into the war brewing between the United States and Spain over Cuba but he did one very interesting thing during his time as Secretary of Navy which lasted for one single day when the acting Secretary of the Navy was out of the office. This left Roosevelt in charge as acting Secretary and with the Maine already sunk, war brewing with Spain over Cuba, Roosevelt took it upon himself to order the US Navy's fleet in the Pacific to attack the Spanish Fleet in Manila Bay...yes, in the Philippines...that Manila Bay. Of course, by the time the Secretary of the Navy got back in the office, he found all kinds of telegraph wires littering the floor of his office with news that Admiral Dewey and his Pacific Squadron had loaded up coal in Hong Kong and were steaming to the Philippines. There was not a damn thing he could do about it, the Spanish Fleet was destroyed, and the United States ended up with control of the Philippines for the next 40 years until WW2. It's said that when President McKinley found out about the Spanish defeat at Manila Bay, he had to look it up on a map...he didn't even know where it was. Can't you just see Teddy grinning as he resigned his position with the Navy and walked out the door to join the Rough Riders. Roosevelt joined the Army to help his friend Leonard Wood form the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry. As Leonard's XO in the 1st USV Cavalry, Roosevelt carried the 1895 recovered from the Maine with him to Cuba. He used it to kill two Spanish soldiers during the ascent up San Juan Hill. For his actions that day, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001. If you look carefully at the photograph taken of Roosevelt and the Rough Riders standing under the American flag atop San Juan Hill, you'll notice Roosevelt is carrying a gun on his belt in what appears to be the standard US Navy flap holster. In contrast, the second soldier to Roosevelt's right has a standard US Army holster with the Army-style strap going over the handle of his Colt revolver. Roosevelt's Colt was serial number 16,334. In spite of being sunk once, helping win a future US President the Medal of Honor, and having been stolen twice over the past half century, Roosevelt's famous Model 1895 is still in existence and kept on display at his home at Sagamore Hill, New York.
The US Navy ordered the Model 1895 Revolvers in batches and while Roosevelt's came from an earlier lot, this was made a little later towards the end of the year 1898. Overall, the gun grades to NRA Antique Very Good Condition having worn to a light grey patina with good traces of original blue in protected areas. The trigger, hammer, and several screws also show portions of their original fire blue. This nice thing about this revolver is that unlike so many we find today, this one never had its USN property marks ground off the butt of the gun when they were decommissioned and sold as surplus on the civilian market. It reads "USN" over the Anchor, followed by "38 DA", "NO", Naval Registration Number 10884. inspector's initials "JNJ" for Navy Inspector Lieutenant John N. Johnson, and Serial Number 111,096. From there, it has Naval inspector markings in the form of a Trident on the side of the trigger bow (frame), cylinder latch, cylinder, cylinder crane, and underneath the barrel. The assembly numbers are matching on the, inside of the frame, cylinder crane, and cylinder latch. At this point in 1898, Colt was no longer numbering their barrels and cylinders which is correct. The grips are correct US Navy Hard Rubber Grips with the plain "COLT" motif. The inside of the panels are scratched with the number "532" indicating these came off another 1895 which is very common on these US military DA's as they were used from the Spanish American War up until WW2. During that period, many guns had their grips broken and were replaced. Many times, they were switched out by sailors assigned with routine cleaning abaord ship or in Naval Yards. Considering the fact that most 1895 Navy's that had their markings removed with a grinding wheel, the numbers inside the grips become miniscule in comparison but we try to be thorough when writing these descriptions. They fit the gun well, have no chips or breaks, and show the same amount of wear as the rest of the gun. They've probably been with this gun for 100 years or more. The Barrel Address has the correct patent dates running from 1884 to 1895. Action cycles in Double and Single Action Modes but has definitely been used over the past 120+ years. It has a Good Plus Bore. The original US Navy Leather Flap Holster is in Good Condition overal with the exception of a small piece of leather that was removed at the trigger. No sure why? Perhaps so it could be fired by someone if they didn't have time to pull up the flap and draw the revolver from the holster. It could be mended fairly easily. The stitching is nice and the best part of this holster is that the brass snap and the leather plug at the muzzle are both intact. USN". Belt loop is also intact. The leather has never been cleaned or had conditioner added to it. Years ago I talked with a collector who had some ties with curators at the Smithsonian and was told they weren't putting any kind of product on their leather artifacts out of fear that sometime in the future, a substance used to condition the leather could chemically change and begin to harm the material. As a result, I follow that advice as well and the leather may be a little dirty but it's in great shape having had nothing added to it over most of its life.
While we search all over for Colt DA's with early antique serial numbers, one of the most challenging variations to find are these US Navy Model 1895's. The few USN marked 1895's we do come across are usually post Span-Am War with later non-antique production serial numbers. Great opportunity to acquire the same gun Teddy Roosevelt used when he rode with the Rough Riders in Cuba. $35.00 shipping in lower 48 via USPS Priority Mail. Antique, No FFL required. No sales to NY, NJ, or HI unless to an FFL. No sales to NYC, Chicago, or DC. Sorry, no international sales.
SOLD
Antique: Yes
Handgun Caliber: .38 Long Colt
Manufacturer: Colt
Model: 1895 Double Action New Navy