Original Item: Only One Available. The romance around Colt "Cowboy" Revolvers never ceases to amaze us. This is a very nice example of the Model 1878 Double Action Revolver. This model was manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1878 to 1907, and is often referred to as the "Frontier" or the "Double Action Army" revolver. A total of 51,210 Model 1878 revolvers were manufactured from 1878 to 1907, including 4,600 for the US Ordnance Department. These are also often known as the "Philippine" or "Alaskan" models.

This example quite a bit different from most offerings we have had, not just due to the VERY low serial number, but also due to the barrel address, which indicates it is a British Market revolver retailed at their Pall Mall location. Examples with this marking are very scarce, and this is the first example that we have ever had.

The original factory address Pall Mall Depot marking is still mostly visible on the top of the barrel:

The frame shows wear and oxidation, and now has a lovely gray oxidized patina, without any major rust or other issues. It is marked on the bottom of the grip, the bottom of the barrel, the loading gate, and on the back of the cylinder (faint) with serial number 217, indicating it was made in 1878, the FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION! Only about 1500 revolvers were made during this first year, and this is also an ALL MATCHING example, with no major components swapped out over the years!

There is no Colt "Prancing Pony" logo stamped into the frame, as this revolver was made before they started using that marking, and there is also no caliber marking stamped onto the barrel. The trigger guard is marked on the left side with a small 45 CAL / B, indicating that it was made for the early .45 "Boxer cartridge, also known as .450 Adams. We can however see that the cylinder chambers may have been lengthened and/or sleeved, possibly to take some other British cartridge like .455 Webley / Eley. Unfortunately we were not able to determine the exact changes made to the cylinder.

The revolver is lovely, showing an aged patina but no major damage or other issues. It has an unshortened 5 1/2 inch barrel, which looks to have been the standard barrel length used with .450 Boxer, and we have seen several similar examples in this configuration. The bore is in very good condition, showing a partly bright finish with strong lands and grooves. There is some wear, and light overall oxidation, but no major wear or corrosion. The original Factory installed checkered walnut Colt grips are present, with a lovely color. They are in very good condition, with a lot of the checkering still present, and no cracks or chunks missing. The lanyard loop next to this is still present and swivels correctly.

The revolver functions in both double and single action, however there is definitely some slop in the mechanics, and it can be finicky at times. To cock it in single action mode the hammer has to be pulled back all the way with a good amount of force. The internal mechanism is somewhat worn, so the indexing is slightly off. The indexing is also not exactly accurate. The original ejector rod is still present, and fully functional with a working loading gate. The cylinder arbor pin can be pulled out when the locking mechanism is pressed in, and the cylinder removed.

A very nice example of a rare Pall Mall Address Colt double action revolver, with loads of patina! Ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1878
Caliber: Originally .450 Boxer / Adams - Now possibly .455 Eley / Webley
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 5 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 10 1/2 inches
Action: Double Action Army
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

Samuel Colt experimented with double-action revolver systems, but he considered them to be unreliable. After Colt's patent expired in 1857, other manufacturers began producing double-action revolvers, but Colt's Manufacturing did not manufacture its own double-action revolver until 1877, twenty years after the patent had expired.

The M1878 was designed by William Mason, Colt's factory manager and Charles Brinckerhoff Richards, Superintendent of Engineering. It was similar in design to the Colt Model 1877. The Model 1878 had a larger frame, and is therefore sometimes referred to as the "large frame" double-action revolver, while the Model 1877 is likewise referred to as the "small frame" double-action revolver. The Model 1878 was considered a more robust and reliable design than the Model 1877.

The design of the Model 1878 was based on the Model 1877, which in turn was based heavily on the design of the earlier Colt Single Action Army revolver. The double-action revolver is not dramatically different in design than the single-action revolver. A strut is added to connect the trigger movement to the hammer. The top of the trigger slips beyond the strut so that the hammer will stay in full cock if it is pulled back manually.

The Model 1878 had a larger frame than the Model 1877, which allowed it to fire larger and more powerful cartridges, such as the .45 Colt and .44-40 and used the same barrel, ejector parts, and a very similar cylinder to the Single Action Army revolver. At one time, the factory modified Model 1878 cylinders for use in single-action revolvers in an attempt to use up spare parts.