Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original U.S. Colt Open Top Pocket Model single action revolver chambered in .22 Short, with a 2 3/8" barrel, nickel plated finish, and matching serial number 96635, dating manufacture to 1877. It is an attractive late production example retaining substantial original plating, figured walnut grips, clear factory markings, and a functional but somewhat finicky action.

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 Open Top Pocket Model was introduced in the early 1870s as one of Colt’s first metallic cartridge pocket revolvers. This example is serial numbered:

96635

with matching numbers on the bottom of the grip and underside of the barrel lug, indicating production in 1877.

The barrel measures approximately 2 3/8" and the revolver is chambered in .22 Short. The cylinder length is consistent with .22 Short rather than .22 Long. The top of the barrel retains the original Colt address between the correct cross pattée ✠ dingbats:

COLT'S PT. F.A. CO
HARTFORD CT. U.S.A.

The left side of the frame is marked:

22 CAL

The barrel wedge remains functional and can be withdrawn to allow removal of the barrel assembly for normal takedown and cleaning.

The revolver retains a substantial amount of its original nickel plating. The barrel shows especially strong surviving plating on the underside near the muzzle, while other areas exhibit cleaned remnants of old peppered oxidation. The brass frame retains more than 80% of its plated finish, with wear through along the edges. The cylinder no longer retains visible plating and may have been left with a different original finish, though its exact original surface treatment cannot be confirmed from the present condition.

The figured walnut grips retain approximately 50% of their old glossy varnish finish and remain in very good condition overall, with no major cracks or chips. The remaining finish and grain give the revolver an attractive period appearance.

Mechanically, the revolver presently cycles and dry fires, but the action is somewhat finicky. When the hammer is drawn back slowly, the cylinder indexes correctly and the cylinder stop engages. If the hammer is cocked more quickly, the hand can advance the cylinder slightly too far before the stop engages. The bore is in very good condition with a mostly bright surface and clearly visible lands and grooves. There is evidence of old fouling and oxidation that has since been cleaned. These observations describe only the present mechanical and bore condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the revolver is safe to load or fire.

With its 1877 production date, matching serial number 96635, .22 Short chambering, 2 3/8" barrel, substantial nickel plated finish, figured walnut grips, clear Colt address, and strong bore, this is an appealing example of Colt’s early metallic cartridge pocket revolver production. The finicky indexing, localized plating loss, cleaned oxidation, and uncertain original cylinder finish are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in a Colt pocket revolver, Open Top, .22 rimfire, early cartridge handgun, or advanced 19th century American firearms collection.

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1877
Maker: Colt's Patent Firearms Mfg. Co.
Model: Open Top Pocket Model .22
Serial No.: 96635
Caliber: .22cal Short
Ammunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 2 3/8 inches
Overall Length: 5 5/8 inches
Action: Single
Feed System: 7 Shot Revolver
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

History and Design of the Colt .22 Open top Revolver:
Designer : William Mason and Charles Brinckerhoff Richards
Designed : 1871
Manufacturer: Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company
Produced: 1871-1877
Number built: 114,200

The Colt Open Top Pocket Model Revolver was a single action pocket revolver introduced by the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company in 1871. Introduced a year before the Colt Open Top (a model from 1872) and two years before the Colt Peacemaker and the Colt New Line (both introduced in 1873), the Colt Open Top Pocket Model Revolver was, alongside the Colt House Revolver, one of the two first metallic cartridge rear-loading revolvers manufactured by Colt's. It also was one of the first pocket metallic cartridge revolvers made by the company.

When the Rollin White patent for metallic cartridges firearms manufacture expired (c. 1870) the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company started working on its own metallic cartridge revolvers (Colt had previously been manufacturing the so-called Richards-Mason conversions). Thus, Colt introduced its first rear-loaders in 1871: the Colt House/Cloverleaf and the Colt Open Top Pocket Model Revolver.

In the 1870s the firearms market was awash with cheaply made knockoffs of the .22 caliber Smith & Wesson Model One which sold for about $2. Colt's president Richard Jarvis decided it would not compete directly with the knockoffs; that its .22 would be of Colt quality. The Open Top Pocket was priced at $8.

The frame was brass and sometimes silver or nickel plated. The barrel and cylinder were either blue or nickel plated. Rosewood or walnut grips on a bird's head style frame made for a comfortable pistol to shoot.

Loading was accomplished via a groove in the frame rearward of the cylinder and early models incorporated an ejector rod until 1874. After that, a shooter would need to remove the cylinder to empty the brass casings.

Cheap copies imported from Spain and Belgium drove down the demand for these revolvers and Colt stopped manufacturing them by 1877.

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 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.