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COLT MODEL 1861 NAVY "RICHARDS-MASON" CONVERSION REVOLVER .38 CALIBER-RIMFIRE Guns International #: 101651330 Seller's Inventory #: COLT 1861 NAVY -CONVERSION-#908 Category: Antique Revolvers - Cartridge - Colt Revolvers - Antique Seller's Information When emailing or calling sellers direct, please mention that you saw their listing on GunsInternational.com Seller: Vintage Antique Weapons Member Since: 2/8/11 State: Oregon Country: United States Phone: (541) 267-7011 Fax: (541) 267-7011 Number of Active Listings: 0 Total Number of Listings: 399 Seller: Private Seller Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns. 3 days Payment Types Accepted: U.S.P.S M.O. or Bank Cashiers Chk. Personal Check with hold Description:  Colt Model1861 Navy Richards-Mason Conversion Manufactured in 1872 ("A Study of Colt Conversions and Other Percussion Revolvers", McDowell, p246-248), .38 Rimfire Single Action Side-Loading Gate Cartridge Conversion. The top of the barrel is marked "-ADDRESS COL SAMl COLT NEW-YORK U.S. AMERICA-", the left of the frame is marked "COLTS / PATENT". The left shoulder of the trigger guard is marked "36 CAL". The bottom of the barrel assembly is marked "908", the bottom of the frame, the trigger guard, and the backstrap are each marked "908 / 1" (factory inspection mark). The backstrap inlet of the grip has "908" hand-written. The outside of the cylinder is marked "COLT'S PATENT No 908", "ENGAGED 16 MAY 1843" and has a roll-engraved naval scene. The rear face of the cylinder is marked "H", the rear face of the barrel is marked "S". The rear of the loading gate and the bottom of the cylinder arbor have assembly number "2293".   7.5" barrel.The front sight is a german silver blade fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a "V"-notch in the nose of the hammer, visible when cocked.The grip is one-piece smooth walnut. There are small losses at the bottom-front corner on each side. Otherwise, the grip shows some scattered minor marks, some nicks along the bottom edges and thinning finish on the bottom. There are no cracks. Overall, the grip is in about Fine condition as Antique.    The bore is semi-bright and the rifling is sharp. There is some scattered light erosion and pitting in the bore, most in the middle.Original finish to factory conversion. Blue, Case Color and Silver Plated Brass    This very nice  pistol retains about 65% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at most edges. The most notable finish loss is silver plate from the brass grip frame. There is silver remaining at the top of the frontstrap, around and inside the trigger guard ring and at the top of the backstrap around the hammer, with some of this darkened with age. The exposed brass has mostly gone to a mustard patina with the crystalline appearance of old brass. The frame and hammer have generally strong case color with a muted patch in the right frame flat and infrequent minor scuffs and surface oxidation. The barrel has scattered finish loss, most at the top-rear and bottom-rear with other scattered light scuffs and scratches. The cylinder has similar but more evenly dispersed wear with a thin turn-line. The rear face of the cylinder has a nick at the outside edge of each chamber which lines up with the hammer's offset firing pin. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this revolver is in about Fine condition as Antique.   The action functions correctly. The cylinder locks up with little play on each chamber. The barrel has no play to the frame. The trigger is crisp.   In  The latter half of the 19th century saw incredible developments in firearms technology, as various types of self-contained cartridge arms and repeating arms were invented. Some manufacturers and gunsmiths took advantage of the large supply of percussion revolvers, converting them to use cartridges. Colt's was no exception, with their most notable conversion types being the Thuer, Richards and Richards-Mason conversions. This example is a Model 1861 Navy Richards-Mason conversion, and quite a nice example. The revolver has matching serialized parts, much of its original finish, a nice bore and strong mechanics. It is a fairly early model, converted as a rimfire revolver prior to the introduction of .38 center-fire cartridges in the US. The Richards-Mason conversion involved plugging the channel for the loading rod assembly, blending it with the barrel assembly, installing an ejector assembly on the right of the barrel and installing a plate on the recoil shield which housed the loading gate assembly as well as taking up the space of the nipple portion of the cylinder which was not needed for use with cartridges. A firing pin was then added to the hammer, either on the side for rimfires such as this one or in the middle for center-fire conversions. Especially given the heavy use these revolvers typically saw on the 19th century frontier, it is uncommon to find conversions of any type in this high condition. Given that there were only about 3,300 of the 1861 Navy revolvers which were converted at Colt's, and less than half were rimfire conversions, this is a particularly uncommon example and will add to even advanced Colt and early cartridge revolver collections. Buyer  pays $20.00 shipping to lower 48 states.  I accept USPS Money Orders or Bank Cashier's Check. Will accept Personal Check, with shipping hold.   3% Credit Card Fee!  Three day, non-firing, non-disassembly, inspection period. If returned, for any reason, full refund, less shipping.  Layaway Available! One third down, balance on or before end of 90 days. Other reasonable options considered   SOLD Antique: Yes Manufacturer: COLT Model: 1861 NAVY CONVERSION Serial Number: SERIAL #908 Bore: 7.5 Chambers: SIX Ejectors: BARREL ROD Condition: VERY FINE Metal Condition: VERY FINE Wood Condition: Excellent Bore Condition: Excellent Barrels: ONE Barrel Type: ROUND Action: SINGLE ACTION Triggers: ONE Stock: WALNUT Finish: BLUED BRASS, SILVER PATINA Sights: BARREL Manufacture Date: 1872 Engraving: CYLINDER SCENE