Here are a few photos of a Colt 1851 army issued revolver. This Colt Navy has inspector cartouches on both stock panels with all numbers matching, including the wedge, and the small US mark on the left side of the frame above the trigger guard. There are hints of original finish in protected areas and the metal edges are sharp with a good cylinder scene. Timing and lock-up are perfect.
Army issued 1851 Navies are not common but can be found. What makes this one potentially a little more interesting are the three notches in the barrel just forward of the cylinder. They are pretty evenly spaced and of depth so they don't appear to be placed there randomly. I suppose they could be tool marks but that doesn't seem to be the case to me.
Without historical documentation I would not normally put a lot of faith in gun notch stories, but since this revolver was manufactured and issued a short time before the war when both sides were rushing to arm their soldiers, I would say this Colt likely saw a lot of service. That doesn't mean the marks were placed on the barrel during the war, the barrel could have been notched many years later.
Wether the notches indicate something or they are just random dents on a revolver that's 166 years old I will never know, either way I like holding this piece of history in my hands.
If any of you have a neat firearm with tally marks of past hunts or historical interest I would appreciate reading about them.
Army issued 1851 Navies are not common but can be found. What makes this one potentially a little more interesting are the three notches in the barrel just forward of the cylinder. They are pretty evenly spaced and of depth so they don't appear to be placed there randomly. I suppose they could be tool marks but that doesn't seem to be the case to me.
Without historical documentation I would not normally put a lot of faith in gun notch stories, but since this revolver was manufactured and issued a short time before the war when both sides were rushing to arm their soldiers, I would say this Colt likely saw a lot of service. That doesn't mean the marks were placed on the barrel during the war, the barrel could have been notched many years later.
Wether the notches indicate something or they are just random dents on a revolver that's 166 years old I will never know, either way I like holding this piece of history in my hands.
If any of you have a neat firearm with tally marks of past hunts or historical interest I would appreciate reading about them.
