{"product_id":"original-u-s-colt-open-top-pocket-model-22-short-revolver-with-2-3-8-barrel-serial-no-36077-made-in-1874","title":"Original U.S. Colt Open Top Pocket Model .22 Short Revolver with 2 3\/8\" Barrel, Serial No. 36077, Made in 1874","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is an original U.S. Colt Open Top Pocket Model .22 Short single action revolver, serial number \u003cstrong\u003e36077\u003c\/strong\u003e, manufactured in \u003cstrong\u003e1874\u003c\/strong\u003e. It retains matching serial numbers on the bottom of the grip and underside of the barrel lug, a 2 3\/8\" barrel, its original style barrel wedge takedown system, walnut grips, and a very good bright bore with clearly defined rifling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Colt Open Top Pocket Model was introduced in 1871 and was among Colt’s earliest metallic cartridge revolvers. Compact and chambered for the .22 rimfire cartridge, it represented an important transition away from the percussion pocket revolvers that had dominated Colt production during the preceding decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe matching serial number:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e36077\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eis stamped on the bottom of the grip and on the underside of the barrel lug, indicating manufacture in \u003cstrong\u003e1874\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe barrel is the shorter 2 3\/8\" length and is chambered for .22 Short. The cylinder length is too short to accommodate .22 Long, confirming the shorter cartridge chambering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe top of the barrel retains the original Colt address, fully legible between cross pattée marks:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e✠ COLT'S PT. F.A. CO ✠\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHARTFORD CT. U.S.A.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe left side of the frame is correctly marked:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e22 CAL\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rotating barrel wedge functions correctly, allowing the barrel assembly to be removed for takedown and cleaning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe revolver has developed an attractive aged appearance overall. Traces of the original blue remain on the barrel and cylinder in protected areas, while most exposed steel surfaces have faded to a gray oxidized patina with scattered evidence of old peppering and service wear. The brass frame has lost nearly all of its original plated finish and now displays a mature mustard colored patina.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe walnut grips are in good condition with expected handling wear but no cracks, major chips, or previous repairs. Approximately 40% of the original piano varnish finish remains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMechanically, the revolver presently cycles correctly with generally accurate indexing and a strong cylinder lockup. It will occasionally over rotate, and there is some mechanical play from wear, but the action remains functional. The revolver can still be disassembled correctly through operation of the barrel wedge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bore is in very good condition with a bright surface and clearly defined lands and grooves. There is evidence of old fouling and oxidation that has since been cleaned, but the rifling remains strong and well preserved. These observations describe only the revolver’s present mechanical and bore condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that it is safe to load or fire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith its 1874 manufacture date, matching serial number 36077, correct .22 Short chambering, fully legible Colt barrel address, surviving original blue in protected areas, functional takedown system, walnut grips, and very good bore, this is a strong example of Colt’s early metallic cartridge pocket revolver production. The occasional over rotation, mechanical play, finish loss, old peppering, and reduced grip varnish are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in a Colt Open Top Pocket, early metallic cartridge, .22 rimfire, or advanced 19th century American revolver collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYear of Manufacture: 1874\u003cbr\u003eMaker: Colt's Patent Firearms Mfg. Co.\u003cbr\u003eModel: Open Top Pocket Model .22\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSerial No.: 36077\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaliber: .22cal Short\u003cbr\u003eAmmunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge\u003cbr\u003eBarrel Length: 2 3\/8 inches\u003cbr\u003eOverall Length: 5 5\/8 inches\u003cbr\u003eAction: Single\u003cbr\u003eFeed System: 7 Shot Revolver\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFederal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory and Design of the Colt .22 Open top Revolver:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDesigner : William Mason and Charles Brinckerhoff Richards\u003cbr\u003eDesigned : 1871\u003cbr\u003eManufacturer: Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company\u003cbr\u003eProduced: 1871-1877\u003cbr\u003eNumber built: 114,200\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the 1870s the firearms market was awash with cheaply made knockoffs of the .22 caliber Smith \u0026amp; 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLoading 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCheap copies imported from Spain and Belgium drove down the demand for these revolvers and Colt stopped manufacturing them by 1877.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCalibers\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Open Top Pocket Model was chambered in .22 Short and .22 Long, both using black powder as the propellant. It was equipped with a 7-shot non-fluted cylinder and two different barrel lengths: 2 3⁄8 in (60 mm) and 2 7⁄8 in (73 mm). \u003cstrong\u003eNOTE: It is highly questionable that any modern .22 ammunition would be safe to use in antique firearms.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45696809959493,"sku":"ONJR26AURA31","price":795.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/8139652F-F261-46A4-9FBC-6AD90EE47C3F.jpg?v=1788632297","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-colt-open-top-pocket-model-22-short-revolver-with-2-3-8-barrel-serial-no-36077-made-in-1874","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}