You folks will enjoy this.
I photographed this for a close friend and he kindly gave me permission post the pics here for your pleasure.
It's a bit of a mystery. The style of the engraving and workmanship makes me think it's of the vintage of a true 'Fitz'.
That and the seller legend of it belonging to a high ranking Philly PD officer. We have been unable to confirm this as of yet.
It is (or was) a Colt New Service (poss. 1917) in .45 ACP. The action is smooth and light. Light to the point of AD in DA!
The top of the hammer is serrated to allow single action shooting.
It's quite a revolver.

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Field Researcher. IGC

Original Fitz or not, that's a beautiful pistol. Thanks for the pix.

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I'm with the banned ...

That is just plain cool! A beautiful representation of a Fitz, original or not!

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Even older, even crankier....

I don't know if it's an ultra rare 'Fitz" but what a fine piece. Last month's NRA magazine did a very thougough article on the original Fitz's and the markings to look for to possibly verify if Fitz modified the guns.

Nicely done and I don't care who done it.

Thanks for sharing.



OK OK It would be nice to know. But I like it.

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Dum vivo cano

That's one classy "Gat", just right for a formal dinner and the Opera afterward.

De Oppresso Liber

Love it.......!!

Very neat revolver. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for sharing the photos. I have been wanting an engraved pocket gun like that for a while now...those pictures just add fuel to the fire

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On the Oak Savannah

If you don't have access to that NRA artticle about original Fitz markings, I could find out out what they are for you. I think certain proofmarks that are normally on the front side of the trigger guard are on the rear since Fitz cut offf the front part. Stuff like that. The difference in value is in the thousands.

That thing is sweet!!!!!

That looks to be an first model New Service. If so, it's production date probably predated the 1917's, making it a rebarreled / recylindered gun.

Neat revolver.That one needs to go on display in a shadow box.

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Blessed be the Lord,my Rock

That right there is "Oh soooo fineeeeeee!"

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45.acp-why shoot twice.

Hey, you're right. Here's my 1917 from 1920, if I remember right, and it has the later frame design with rounder trigger guard area on bottom of frame. But that engraved gun looks to have a 1917 barrel AND the older frame of an earlier model like you said. The difference looks subtle here with that trigger guard cut away. That engraved Fitz is one fine gun.

Wonder if it's seen any action?

Nice piece, thanks for posting.

my fav Fitz pics (not mine)

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Professional Trainer

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!
Sure it's pretty. But it's too much fun to shoot to put it under glass!

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Field Researcher. IGC

Great revolver, my Fitz Army Special is getting engraved in American Scroll by Dale Woody at this time, can't wait to get it back.

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OGCA Member.

Really, really neat old gun.



Charlie

Pilgrim6a, that Colt is beautiful! Very nice engraving.


Here's the Fitz I recently made out of a 1915 Army Special .38
It was a $170 parts gun with a cracked forcing cone. I rebarreled it then had my gunsmith make and install a new front sight and fix the mechanical issues. It now works perfectly. I did all the cutting to turn it into a Fitz.

I think this is your coolest gun that I've seen. I love the way the grip is rounded in a way to perfectly follow the contour of the checkering design.

Question:
When a fixed sight revolver's barrel is shorten, Is the POI lower?

twaits, can I save your Fitz pics in my Fitz album?

VERY nice!!

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Professional Trainer

Absolutely. Can you link me to your Fitz album? I'd like to see it.

Yes, my gunsmith left it high for me to adjust. I filed it down a bit but it still shoots a little low. But I like how it looks so i think I will leave it alone.

Neat looking revolver. The only thing I never cared for was the cut trigger guard,,but that's almost the signature modification for a Fitz.
Front sight is nice too. Looks better than just the plain blade I think.
Might be some marks under the grips indicating who did the work.

The engraving almost has the look of some acid etch work in it. A couple of the photos more than the others make it look like it was used in the work.
Some engravers used acid etch to remove the background in relief work and to lay out the basic pattern all at the same time. A (very)few still use it today.
Some of the early LC Smith high grade engraving has the game scenes on the lock plates done with acid etched background to form relief figures..

Then it was usually gone over with hammer & chisel to sharpen it up and add detail.
(Sometimes not on less expensive work.)
The background could be left as-is, with the matted acid etched surface. Or it can be further textured, looks like it's been hollow punched here.

When employed at a large gun shop for a while, picking over the new inventory was almost a regular thing for the employees.
Restrictions applied of course, but one old chopped 45cal NS Colt caught the eye of one of the guys.
It was for sale in the case for something like $175 retail (this was in the early 90's) .
'Home-made Fitz Special' was marked on the tag.
He saw something in it and bought it with the blessings of the shop owner who was more than willing to part with it,, even with the employee discount taken!
A few months later he showed us the Colt Historians letter on his original Colt 'Fitz' modified New Service cal 45colt.
You never know.

That is one very cool old colt...............

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV