Guns International #: 100666684
Seller's Inventory #: 16-8

Category - Starr Arms - Civil War Revolvers

Category
Starr Arms
Civil War Revolvers

Starr Arms Co.D.A. 1858 Civil War Army Revolver

Description:
Starr Arms Co. D. A. 1858 Civil War Army Revolver 16-8
 
Condition: 50-60% Original bright blue finish on barrel, loading lever, trigger guard, hammer, metal is clean with no corrosion, some  letters from military inspectors marks on various parts frame and BBL. Bore has 70% of rifling and a little corrosion; grips are excellent. Actions works perfectly and locks tight. Over all very fine condition.
 
Starr Arms Co., New York City. Double Action Model 1858 Army Revolver. Made c. late 1850 s early 1860s; totally quantity about 23,000.44 Caliber. 6-shot round barrel. Walnut grips. Blue, with casehardened hammer, trigger, and lever. Frame marking: STARR ARMS CO. NEW YORK and STARR’S PATENT JAN.15, 1856.  Starr Arms Co., New York City. Single Model 1863 Arm Revolver. Made c. 1863-65; total quantity about 32,000. 44 caliber .6-shot round cylinder, the nipples partially protruding from the back section. 8” round barrel. Walnut grips. Blued, with case hardened hammer and lever. Frame Jan. 15, 1856. The Starr Single Action was designed as an improved and less costly successor to their D.A. model 1858 Army. Next to colts and Remington, this was major model of revolving handgun bought by the U.S. government in the Civil War period.
(16-8) $1,650.00
 
FUNCTIONING OF STARR DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVERS
The Starr .36 caliber Navy and the first model .44 caliber Army are both double action revolvers. The Navy was the first to be produced. A total of approximately 3000 were made from 1858 to August of 1861. On August 31, 1861, The Starr Arms Company proposed to deliver 12,000 of their 44 caliber double action Army models to the United States Government. A total of approximately 23,000 were produced from February 1862 through the year 1863.
 
Both revolvers have similar actions, with only minor differences between them. Both employ a double trigger mechanism. The front or main trigger (referred to in Starr’s literature as the firing-lever) is used for cocking the hammer. The rear trigger is a small set trigger (referred to in Starr’s literature as the sear) which, when depressed, releases the hammer after it is cocked by the front trigger. The front trigger also has an adjustable slide attached to the rear. This slide, when positioned properly, makes contact with the rear set trigger at the end of its cocking travel. This causes the set trigger to release the hammer in a single motion like a straight double.
 
The cylinder locks is an integral part of the front trigger rather than a separate part. It releases and locks the cylinder as the front trigger rocks back and forth during its cocking action. Because of this feature, if someone tries to cock the hammer with their thumb instead of employing the front trigger, the cylinder lock remains in contact with the cylinder thus jamming the action. If enough force is exerted on the hammer when the lock is in contact with the cylinder, damage to the rotator hand, ratchet assembly on the rear of the cylinder or the cylinder lock itself can and usually does occur. This appears to be the main weakness of the Starr double action design. It accounts, in my opinion, for the reason so many Starr double actions are encountered with damage or missing hands and the cylinder lock projections. 

SOLD

Antique: Yes