Guns International #: 103232851
Seller's Inventory #: 250089

Category - Colt Revolvers - Thunderer - Colt Revolvers - Antique

Category
Colt Revolvers - Thunderer
Colt Revolvers - Antique

ENGRAVED Antique COLT M1877 “THUNDERER” .41 DA Revolver PEARL GRIP Hartford Made Double Action Revolver Mfg. in 1882

Description:
ENGRAVED Antique COLT M1877 “Thunderer” .41 DA Revolver PEARL GRIP

Hartford Made Double Action Revolver Mfg. in 1882

Here we present an antique Colt Model 1877 Thunderer Double Action Revolver, made in 1882 in Hartford, Connecticut. This example was likely New York retailer engraved with Nimschke’s shop style scrollwork and stars. 

The Model 1877 was Colt’s first venture into double action revolvers. It was quite successful, selling 166,849 from 1877 through 1909. Nonetheless, there was some hesitation to move away from the single action mechanism, which had so proven itself. Famous adopters of the Lightning were William “Billy the Kid” Bonney and John Wesley Hardin, along with “Doc” Holliday. Doc’s weapon of choice early in his western career was an 1851 Colt Navy revolver. Later, Doc carried a nickel-plated .41 caliber Colt Thunderer or the .38 caliber Colt Lightning.
This revolver was likely engraved by Nimschke. Louis Daniel Nimschke was one of the nineteenth century’s most talented and prolific firearms engravers. His professional career spanned from around 1850 to around 1900. Nimschke’s firearms engraving style generally employed the use of neat, broadly-formed foliate scrollwork with rounded terminals accented with curved or straight hashmarks, against a punch-dot background on more expensive commissions, often surrounding blank panels and ribbands. Sometimes his designs incorporate animal figures, portrait heads, and sophisticated panel scenes, and only occasionally signed his work.

The Model 1877 was designed in 1876 by William Mason and was offered in three different calibers with production beginning in January 1877, which led to the three unofficial names. The first production model was the “Lightning”, in .38 Long Colt caliber. Later that year, Colt came out with the .41 Long Colt caliber called the “Thunderer”. The .32 Long Colt caliber, called the “Rainmaker”, didn’t go into production until sometime in 1887. Benjamin Kittredge, the largest Colt Distributor in Cincinnati, Ohio, coined the nicknames for these guns as a marketing tool. He was also responsible for calling the Model 1873 Single Action Army the “Peacemaker”. None of the nicknames were ever used by the factory in any reference materials. The 1877 "Thunderer” in .41 caliber was the preferred weapon of Billy the Kid and was his weapon of choice when he was killed by Pat Garret in 1881.

The overall condition is good+. Some original period nickel finish remains. The action is strong. The bore is dim with decent rifling. The mother of pearl grips show use. The numbers on the frame, cylinder, and trigger guard match, while that on the grip frame is not legible. An attractive Colt “Thunderer” with floral scroll engraving!

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 4-1/2 inches.

Caliber: .41 Long Colt

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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ancestryguns

$5000

#250089
 

Antique: Yes

Price: $5,000.00
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