Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original U.S. Civil War Colt Model 1860 Army .44 caliber percussion revolver, serial number 92760, manufactured in 1863. It is a classic six shot cap and ball service revolver with an 8" round barrel and rebated cylinder, retaining extensive matching or correctly abbreviated serial numbers, approximately 25% of its Naval Engagement cylinder scene, a strong functioning action, and a very good rifled bore.

This is an antique black powder firearm manufactured before 1899. Under federal law, it may generally be owned within the United States without a special license or permit and does not require transfer through a Federal Firearms Licensee. However, state and local laws may vary. This firearm is sold solely as a historical collector’s item and has not been test fired or inspected for firing safety by a professional gunsmith. Any mechanical or bore observations provided below describe only its present condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the firearm is safe to load or fire. The purchaser is solely responsible for complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

The Colt Model 1860 Army was one of the principal .44 caliber percussion revolvers used by Union forces during the Civil War. It succeeded Colt’s larger Dragoon revolvers with a lighter frame and more streamlined profile while retaining a full size military caliber and long barrel. Approximately 200,000 were manufactured between 1860 and the early 1870s.

The barrel, frame, and trigger guard are all marked with serial number:

92760

which means that it was produced during Colt’s 1863 production, which ran from approximately #85,000 to #150,000. The cylinder and barrel wedge are marked with the abbreviated number:

2760

while the arbor is marked:

276

with the final digit apparently worn away. The grip frame is also numbered 92760, though in a noticeably larger and different font, indicating that it was likely renumbered to match the remainder of the revolver. Overall, the revolver is substantially matching while this discrepancy is fully disclosed.

The top of the barrel retains the one line Colt address:

- ADDRESS COL. SAML COLT NEW-YORK U.S. AMERICA. -

The left side of the frame is clearly marked:

COLTS
PATENT

The cylinder markings are unusually well preserved for a service used example. The COLT'S PATENT № marking remains mostly visible, and the PAT. SEPT 10th 1850 marking is fully legible beside the serial number. Approximately 25% of the original Naval Engagement Scene remains visible around the cylinder.

Additional single letter inspection or assembly marks are present on various components, including a C on the left side of the barrel near the breech, an F on the opposite side, and another C on the top of the arbor. There is no "44 CAL" marking on the trigger guard, which is encountered on some examples and absent on others.

Overall condition is very good with an honest service worn appearance. The original blue finish is essentially gone from the exposed surfaces, leaving a peppered gray patina with evidence of old oxidation and subsequent cleaning. On the left side of the barrel there are areas where some metal appears to have been ground or otherwise removed long ago.

The brass trigger guard and grip frame have lost their original plated finish and now display an attractive mustard toned oxidized patina. The walnut grip remains in very good service used condition with dents, scratches, and handling wear. The lower edge shows heavier wear, and a chunk is missing from the left front toe.

The revolver functions well in its present condition, with accurate cylinder indexing and solid lockup. There is some general mechanical play consistent with age and service. The revolver also breaks down correctly by removing the barrel wedge, and the barrel to frame fit remains very solid.

The bore is in very good condition with clearly visible lands and grooves and portions of bright surface. The progressive rifling remains readily visible, with the rate of twist increasing toward the muzzle. There is evidence of old fouling and oxidation that has since been cleaned, leaving scattered dark areas and small pits, but the bore remains notably strong for a Civil War era percussion revolver.

All six percussion nipples remain present. They show exterior wear, fouling, and oxidation, and one appears to have been replaced because it is in noticeably better condition than the others. Five of the six nipple passages are clear, while the remaining nipple is obstructed by a piece of metal.

With its 1863 manufacture date, serial number 92760, substantially matching numbered components, well preserved cylinder markings, surviving Naval Engagement Scene, strong action, correct 8" barrel, and very good progressive rifled bore, this is a strong service worn example of the Colt Model 1860 Army revolver. The likely renumbered grip frame, missing grip toe, old barrel metal removal, cleaned oxidation, general mechanical play, replacement nipple, and one obstructed nipple are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in a Colt Model 1860 Army, Civil War cavalry sidearm, Union martial revolver, or advanced U.S. firearms collection.

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1863
Maker: Colt's Patent Firearms Mfg. Co.
Model: 1860 Army Percussion Revolver
Serial No.: 92760
Caliber: .44cal
Ammunition Type: Percussion Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 8 inches
Overall Length: 14 inches
Action: Single
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

The Colt Army Model 1860 is a muzzle-loaded cap & ball .44-caliber revolver used during the American Civil War made by Colt's Manufacturing Company. It was used as a side arm by cavalry, infantry, artillery troops, and naval forces.

The Colt 1860 Army uses the same size frame as the .36 caliber 1851 Navy revolver. The frame is relieved to allow the use of a rebated cylinder that enables the Army to be chambered in .44 caliber. the barrel on the 1860 Army has a forcing cone that is visibly shorter than that of the 1851 Navy, allowing the Army revolver to have a longer cylinder. Another distinguishing feature of the Colt 1860 Army, first introduced on the Colt 1855 Sidehammer Revolver, is the "creeping" loading lever.

More than 200,000 were manufactured from 1860 through 1873. Colt's biggest customer was the US Government with no less than 129,730 units being purchased and issued to the troops. The weapon was a single-action, six-shot weapon accurate up to 75 to 100 yards, where the fixed sights were typically set when manufactured. The rear sight was a notch in the hammer, only usable when the revolver was fully cocked.

The Colt .44-caliber "Army" Model was the most widely used revolver of the Civil War. It had a six-shot, rotating cylinder, and fired a 0.454-inch-diameter (11.5 mm) round spherical lead ball, or a conical-tipped bullet, typically propelled by a 30-grain charge of black powder, which was ignited by a small copper percussion cap that contained a volatile charge of fulminate of mercury (a substance that explodes upon being subjected to a sharp impact). The percussion cap, when struck by the hammer, ignited the powder charge. When fired, balls had a muzzle velocity of about 900 feet per second (274 meters/second), although this depended on how much powder one loaded it with.

The unfluted cylinder was 'rebated,' meaning that the rear of the cylinder was turned to a smaller diameter than the front. The barrel was rounded and smoothed into the frame, as was the Navy Model. The frame, hammer, and rammer lever were case-hardened, the remainder blued; grips were of one-piece walnut; and the trigger guard and front grip strap were of brass while the backstrap was blued."

A distinguishing feature of the Model 1860 was that its frame had no top strap, or no component running above the cylinder. Instead, its strength came from the lower frame and the massive fixed cylinder pin. This made the gun slimmer and lighter than its main competitor, the Remington Model 1858, but with a possible loss of strength. The fixed cylinder pin also meant that the barrel had to be removed in order to remove the cylinder, unlike the Model 1858, which only required you to remove the cylinder retaining pin.

History

By April 1861, 2,230 of Colt's earliest production went to dealers south of the Mason-Dixon line. The United States Navy ordered 900 fluted cylinder revolvers in May 1861 later issued to ships enforcing the Atlantic and Gulf blockade. United States Army orders also began in May, and 127,157 had been delivered before a 5 October 1864 fire put Colt's factory out of operation for the duration of hostilities.

Operation

Loading is a somewhat lengthy process, with each of the six chambers drilled into the revolving cylinder being loaded from the front, or "muzzle" end. A measured amount of black powder is poured into a chamber. Next a lead ball is placed at the opening of the chamber and seated by firmly pressing it in with the pivoting loading lever which is attached beneath the barrel of the revolver. For sealing each chamber, an over-size 0.454-inch-diameter (11.5 mm) lead ball is trimmed slightly by the rim of the chamber as the rammer forces it inside. Cap and ball shooters also often place a lubricated wad between balls and powder, or, alternatively, pack lard or a commercially-sold bore lubricant at the mouth of each chamber in an attempt to prevent powder in an adjacent chamber from being ignited by when the gun is fired, which is known as a chainfire.

When the Colt Model 1860 was used by 19th century soldiers, they most often loaded the gun using paper cartridges. These cartridges consisted of a pre-measured load of black powder and a ball, wrapped in nitrated paper (paper that had been soaked in potassium nitrate and then dried, to make it more flammable). To load each chamber, one only had to slip the cartridge into the front of the chamber and seat the ball with the loading lever ram. Then a percussion cap was placed onto the raised aperture, called a nipple, at the back end of the chamber.

The Colt 1860 cost approximately $20 per revolver. This was rather expensive during the 1860s, both for the United States Army and private citizens. Colt had been criticized by this high price, and by 1865 the revolver was reduced to $14.50.

The Colt "Army" revolver is to be distinguished from the Colt "Navy" revolver of which there were two models, the octagonal barrel Model 1851 Navy, and the round-barreled Model 1861 Navy, both Navy models being in the smaller .36-caliber.

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IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.