Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good and particularly attractive example of the classic Colt Model 1860 Army .44 caliber percussion revolver, manufactured in 1863 during the height of the American Civil War. Serial number 122505 is matching across the major numbered components, and unlike many surviving Model 1860 Army revolvers, this example retains a significant portion of its original cylinder markings and approximately 25% of the famous Naval Engagement Scene. Combined with its tight, crisp action, excellent bore, handsome walnut grip, and honest service patina, this is a highly appealing wartime Colt that retains considerable collector character.

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 defining American military sidearms of the Civil War. Developed as a lighter and more practical successor to Colt's large Dragoon revolvers, the Model 1860 combined the basic frame dimensions of the .36 caliber Model 1851 Navy with a rebated cylinder capable of handling the larger .44 caliber charge. The result was a comparatively streamlined six shot cavalry revolver that became the primary Colt revolver purchased by the United States Army during the conflict. Approximately 200,000 Model 1860 Army revolvers were manufactured between 1860 and 1873.

This example has the standard 8" round barrel and six shot rebated cylinder. The barrel, frame, trigger guard, and grip frame are all marked with matching serial number:

122505

The cylinder, cylinder arbor pin, and barrel wedge are marked with the matching shortened serial number:

2505

The matching numbers across these major components are an important feature on a Civil War era revolver and indicate that the serialized parts described above have remained together rather than being assembled from mismatched replacements over the years.

Serial number 122505 falls within 1863 production, placing this revolver squarely in the middle of the Civil War and during the period of large scale U.S. government procurement of the Model 1860 Army. While its exact original shipment or military issue cannot be established from the markings alone, it is unquestionably a wartime manufactured example of the principal Colt Army revolver then in U.S. service.

The Colt single line address on the top of the barrel remains fully legible:

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

The left side of the frame also retains the clear marking:

COLTS PATENT

Particularly desirable is the survival of the cylinder markings. On many service used Model 1860 Army revolvers these markings and the rolled cylinder scene are almost completely worn away. Here, the following remains readily visible:

COLT'S PATENT №
PAT. SEPT 10th 1850

Approximately 25% of the original Naval Engagement Scene is also still visible on the cylinder. This rolled scene depicts the 1843 naval engagement between forces of the Republic of Texas and Mexico and was a distinctive Colt trademark carried over to several of the company's percussion revolvers.

Several single letter military inspector or inspection type stamps are present on the revolver. A W is stamped on the rear of the cylinder and on the right side of the barrel near the breech. A C is present on the cylinder beside the serial number, with another C visible on the right side of the barrel near the barrel wedge. There is no "44CAL" marking on the trigger guard, which is not unusual for revolvers of this period.

The revolver is complete and displays a very attractive, honest service patina. The original blued finish has faded largely to gray over much of the surface, with evidence of past peppered oxidation, particularly near the muzzle. Additional old oxidation from black powder residue is visible on the rear of the cylinder and front of the flash guard. The cylinder safety pins are mostly worn away, another condition commonly encountered on percussion Colts that saw substantial handling and use.

The one piece walnut grip has developed a particularly attractive dark red brown color and displays excellent natural grain, including areas of flame style figuring that show noticeable chatoyancy as the grip moves in the light. The wood is worn somewhat around the bottom from handling and service, but remains quite attractive. We did not observe any military inspection cartouches or other military inspection markings on the grip.

Mechanically, the revolver functions extremely well in its present condition. The cylinder indexes accurately and locks solidly with very little looseness or slop. We did not encounter the finicky or inconsistent operation sometimes seen in percussion revolvers of this age, and the action remains notably tight and crisp.

The revolver also disassembles correctly with removal of the barrel wedge. The barrel to frame connection is rock solid and shows no indication of having been adjusted or tightened in the past.

The bore is in excellent condition, retaining a mostly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. Colt's progressive, or gain twist, rifling remains clearly visible, with the rate of twist increasing toward the muzzle. The central portion of the bore shows very little evidence of use and has a smooth surface with no oxidation present. There is some evidence of past fouling just inside the muzzle and for approximately two inches near the forcing cone, which has since been cleaned away. The condition suggests that the revolver may not have seen especially extensive firing, although it appears that powder residue was left in the bore after at least some period of use, resulting in the localized oxidation now visible.

All six percussion nipples remain intact and clear. Their exterior surfaces show wear along with evidence of past oxidation and powder residue corrosion that was subsequently cleaned away.

With its matching wartime serial number 122505, 1863 manufacture, well preserved barrel and frame markings, unusually strong surviving cylinder legends, approximately 25% of the original Naval Engagement Scene, military inspection type letter stamps, handsome figured walnut grip, exceptionally crisp action, solid barrel fit, and excellent bore, this is a particularly appealing Civil War Colt Model 1860 Army. It retains the honest appearance of a revolver that saw period handling without suffering the severe wear found on many surviving examples, making it an excellent choice for an advanced Colt collection, a Civil War cavalry or sidearm display, or a broader collection of original U.S. martial percussion arms.

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1863
Manufacturer: Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company
Model: 1860 Army Percussion Revolver
Serial No.: 122505
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.