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Colt Model 1851 Navy Revolver Made in 1860 with HARTFORD Barrel Address, Nice with All Matching Numbers
Guns International #: 101627803 Seller's Inventory #:
Category: Civil War Revolvers - Colt Revolvers - Antique Percussion
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:
This is a very respectable example of an early 4th Model Colt 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver in .36 Caliber. Standard 7 1/2" Octagon Barrel and correct large bow 4th Model trigger guard and non-grooved capping channel. 100% all matching numbers which includes the frame, barrel, cylinder, trigger guard, backstrap, arbor pin, wedge, and grips. Serial number is in the 92,000 serial range and has a rather scarce and desirable "Hartford" barrel address. This is an intersting marking for a number of historical reasons but it is particularly associated with Civilian Navies that shipped to the Southern States from late 1859 to early 1861 just prior to the Civil War in the 90,000-101,000 range are found with this marking . I think a fellow Civil War dealer Damon Mills who has many more years experience and has seen quite a few Hartford Navies over the years while living in Alabama and traveling throughout the South addressed the subject of these Hartford Addressed Colt's rather succinctly when he stated
:
"The old school explanation was that Sam Colt changed the address so as not to offend his Southern customers............Otherwise, why would he have changed back to the New York address after the war got started? When it came to making a dollar, Sam Colt was nobodies' fool and he knew that by 1860 his bulk sales were going to the South. At any rate, these Hartford addressed Navies in the 90,000 range were heavily purchased by southern states and commercial importers throughout the South. So much so that in my experience, the majority of guns in this range went to the South as it was arming up just prior to the American Civil War. I have long considered them to be virtually a secondary Confederate arm. There are Alabama purchased Navys in the 92,000 range and guns in the 99,000 range purchased by James Conning in Mobile." Damon Mills
Having lived in Georgia for over 30 years, I have personally found a number of these 1851 Navies here in this state which are often in 96,000 and 97,000 ranges as state governments along with dealers ordered them in various ranges from 90,000-100,000. There is also a great deal of photographic evidence of Confederate soldiers posing with the distinctive large bow trigger guards of these 4th Model Navies which had just been introduced prior to the war. See photo below. Unfortunately, the surviving records at the Colt Archives are mainly between 98,000 and 135,000 making it difficult to know where the majority of the 90,000 range Navies shipped....but given their propensity for showing up in the South, sometimes with known Confederate history and some degree of correspondence found in state records, we know that many shipped below the Mason Dixon line.
Overall Condition of this 1860 is NRA Antique Very Good plus. It's overall appearance is a smooth brown patina with nice edges and sharp markings but upon close inspection, there is still QUITE A BIT OF ORIGINAL BLUE speckled and streaking throughout the entire length of the barrel.....almost like rain drops falling on concrete driveway during the first moments of a storm. It's somewhat difficult to assess the percent of finish remaing but I'd estimate it falls between 25-35% original blue. The frame has mostly turned patina as has the loading lever but there are some faint hints that it formed over what was left of some original case colors if you get it in the correct lighting. The cylinder has turned completely to a smooth patina with a good 80% of the original roll engraved Naval Engagement scene still visible and some light oxication around the nipple channels and leading edge just off the cylinder face...no doubt from black powder residue. The trigger guard still shows 50-60% original silver plating remaining while the backstrap has thinned down to about 40%. The American Walnut grips are just fantastic minus a few handling marks with 95% original varnish intact. The last four digits of the serial number can be found hand-written underneath the backstrap on the wood. Nice wood to metal fit with some minute natural shrinkage along the front strap of the trigger guard. We also found a very small pair of initals on the butt of the grips lightly scribed "A. B." in letters slighly under 1/4 of inch in height. They're not much deeper than thickness the original varnish and they hardly distract. Upon taking photos for this ad, we also discovered this same set of initial on the right side of the grips just behind the frame...almost imperceptible until we looked at the enlarged photos. These initials could be those of the original owner who given the date of manufacturer, likely served in the Civil War. The mechanics on this revolver are very smooth and crisp...cylinder indexes and locks into place. You can still hear 4 discernable clicks when you pull the hammer back. The rear face of the cylinder still has all 6 safety pins remaining on the lugs between the chambers. Wedge is nice and tight and holds the barrel snugly to the frame with no play. It even has a nice bore with strong lands and grooves that are semi-bright with just a few minor pits. Original Screws all have very good slots. Markings are all nice and legible throughout with good hammer checkering. Original brass front pin sight and rear V notched hammer....no extra dovetails or modifications. This is just a nice clean all original 1851 with a Southern-leaning pre-war Hartford Address and 100% all matching numbers.
Antique, No FFL required. This can be shipped directly to a buyer in most states with the exceptions of NJ, NYC, and Chicago. Buyer must be at least 21 years of age. 25.00 shipping via USPS Priority Mail with 3 day inspection.
SOLD
Antique: Yes
Manufacturer: Colt
Model: 1851 Navy
Manufacture Date: 1860