Original Item: Only One Available The romance around Colt "Cowboy" Revolvers never ceases to amaze us. This is fantastic, a truly exceptional offering of a Colt M1877 "Thunderer" Double Action .41 Caliber revolver, complete with a factory letter! This is the same model that was carried by "Billy the Kid", made a year or so before his death, so it was around for some of the most famous gunfights of the "Old West"! Additionally, it comes with an original letter from the Colt Factory, displaying the listed specifications in their records.

The M1877 was offered from the factory in two basic finishes: nickel-plated or a case-hardened frame with a blue barrel and cylinder. The revolver was available in barrel lengths from 2 ½" to 7 ½" and was available with or without the ejector rod and housing. The shorter barreled versions without the ejector rod were marketed as "shopkeeper's specials".

This is a fine nickel-plated example of the Model 1877 "Thunderer" Double Action .41 Caliber Revolver, fitted with fantastic Colt checkered hard rubber grips. It is marked on the bottom of the grip, barrel, frame, and trigger guard with serial number 19139, indicating it was made in 1879, only the third year of production! The back of the cylinder is marked with shortened serial number 139, making this a fantastic "ALL MATCHING" example, with no parts swapped out over the years! It also is marked on the loading gate with assembly number 272.

This revolver came to us with a Colt Factory letter from the office of the Colt Historian Kathleen J. Hoyt! It is dated December 5, 2006, and indicates it is a COLT DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER MODEL OF 1877, with the caliber listed as .41/c with a barrel length of 3 ½". The finish is listed as Nickel, and the type of stocks as Rubber. The gun was shipped on August 23, 1879 as part of a shipment of 25 similar guns to Schuyler, Hartley & Graham in New York City, a very prestigious outfitter founded in 1854. Schuyler had retired in 1876, and in 1880 the name was shortened to "Hartley & Graham", so this is completely correct!

This example is still in the original factory configuration, with a nice "gunfighter friendly" length 3 ½" barrel and nickel plated finish, where the non-plated parts are niter blued. As it has no ejector rod, this counts as a "Shopkeeper's Special". The original factory finish is very well retained, and it is fitted with lovely original "Prancing Pony" Colt hard rubber grips. It is still clearly marked on the top of the barrel with the Colt address:

COLT'S PT. F. A. MFG. Co.
HARTFORD.  CT.  U. S. A.

It also still has all of the original patent markings on the left side of the frame:-

PAT. SEPT 19.1871.
''     ''   5.    '' 74.
''  JAN.19.   '' 75.

As this is an early example, there is no Colt "Prancing Pony" stamped into the left side of the frame.

The M1877 revolvers were marketed under different names such as "LIGHTNING" to appeal to different groups of customers. Although all were of the same basic design, they were also referred to as "THUNDERERS", "RAINMAKERS", and SHERIFF'S MODELS" as well, depending on the caliber and configuration. None of these names were Colt designations, nor used by the factory in any reference materials of the time. All of these terms were coined by Benjamin Kittredge, one of Colt's major distributors. Kittredge was responsible for the terms "Peacemaker" for the Single Action Army, "Omnipotent" for the Colt M1878 double-action (often known as the "Frontier" model), and nicknames for the various chamberings of the New Line models. This example has an oval etched panel on the left side of the barrel reading COLT D. A. 41, so it is definitely a "Thunderer".

We purchased this revolver as a "THUNDERER" and it is in excellent working order and condition, one of the best that we have ever handled. The original Nickel Plated finish is well retained over almost all of the revolver, with some areas of flaking on the cylinder, and some finish loss on the underside of the barrel by the cylinder arbor pin. The trigger, arbor pin release, and screws still retain much of the original niter blued finish, while the hammer has the finish mostly worn off the sides. Its bird's head hard rubber grips bear the Colt prancing horse logo on each side, which show little to no wear. It is really in great unmessed with condition!

The revolver functions almost flawlessly in both single and double action, with very little slop in the mechanics. It indexes great, the cylinder lockup is strong, and it has a crisp dry fire. The cylinder arbor pin pulled out correctly, allowing the cylinder to be removed. The bore is in excellent condition, with crisp lands and grooves and a mostly bright finish. There are just a few spots of oxidation, particularly near the muzzle, and it looks to have seen very little use after being purchased.

The "Lightning" was the favored personal weapon of famous Manchester (UK) Victorian detective and then head of CID, Jerome Caminada. Old West outlaw John Wesley Hardin frequently used both "Lightning" and "Thunderer" versions of the Colt 1877 revolver. Likewise the 1877 "Thunderer" in .41 caliber was the preferred weapon of Billy the Kid and was his weapon of choice when he was killed by Pat Garrett in 1881.

A fantastic example of a Pre-1899 antique Colt "Thunderer" Revolver in .41 caliber, still in the original factory configuration and complete with a factory letter. This is an offering we are unlikely to ever see the likes of again. Ready to research and display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1879
Caliber: .41 "Long" Colt
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 3 ½ inches
Overall Length: 8 ½ inches
Action: Double/Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

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 most US States and most U.S. territories.

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 most addresses within the United States.