Original Item: Only One Available. This is an attractive service-worn Colt Model 1851 Navy percussion revolver in .36 caliber, manufactured in 1870 during the final years of the model’s long production run.

Serial number 211198 is correctly marked on the barrel assembly, frame, trigger guard, and backstrap. The revolver retains its standard 7 1/2-inch octagonal barrel, original-style walnut grip, clear New York barrel address, and an appealing untouched patina developed through decades of carrying, use, and handling.

The cylinder and barrel wedge are replacements, reflecting the type of repair and parts exchange commonly encountered on working revolvers that remained in use long after leaving the Colt factory.

The Model 1851 Navy was one of Samuel Colt’s most successful and influential handguns. The Smithsonian describes it as Colt’s most popular percussion revolver, with nearly a quarter of a million manufactured between 1850 and 1873. Its combination of moderate weight, six-shot capacity, good balance, and manageable .36-caliber recoil made it popular with soldiers, civilians, lawmen, sailors, travelers, and frontiersmen.

Although popularly called the “Navy,” the designation referred primarily to its .36-caliber size rather than restricting it to naval service. The revolver was widely purchased by both military land forces and private citizens.

The Model 1851 saw extensive use during the American Civil War but remained in production until 1873, overlapping with the arrival of fixed metallic-cartridge handguns and the introduction of the Colt Single Action Army. This example’s 1870 manufacture places it at the end of the percussion-revolver era and within the period of continued Western expansion following the Civil War.

Serial number 211198 falls within the documented 1870 production range. Published Colt serial tables place the beginning of 1870 production at approximately serial number 210000.

The full serial number is marked on the barrel lug: 211198

The same number appears on the frame, trigger guard, and backstrap.

The matching serial numbers on these principal components preserve the core identity of the revolver as originally manufactured.

The barrel wedge is an unnumbered replacement.

The cylinder appears to be a replacement that was resurfaced or reconditioned before installation. It bears the lightly applied abbreviated number: 198

We do not believe this is the cylinder’s original factory serial marking. It was most likely added when the replacement cylinder was fitted to the revolver in an effort to match the last three digits of the gun’s serial number.

The original Waterman Ormsby naval engagement scene has been completely removed from the cylinder through resurfacing and wear.

Only a faint trace of the original:

COLT’S PATENT No.

Marking remains visible near the added cylinder number.

Several small openings or irregularities are visible in the cylinder wall. These appear more consistent with casting or manufacturing flaws exposed during resurfacing than with later drilled holes, although their precise origin cannot be stated conclusively.

The cylinder arbor number has been worn away.

The arbor itself is split at the lower rear edge of the wedge slot. Despite this damage, the barrel-to-frame connection remains firm and does not appear to have been altered or tightened through later adjustment.

The top of the barrel retains a clear and fully legible Colt address:

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

The left side of the frame retains the original:

COLTS
PATENT

The trigger guard is clearly marked:

36 CAL

This confirms the standard .36-caliber chambering.

The Model 1851 Navy was originally known by Colt as the Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Caliber. The name distinguished it from the smaller .31-caliber pocket revolvers and the much larger .44-caliber Dragoon models.

Its medium frame made it light enough to carry in a belt holster while still providing significantly greater power and capacity than the smaller pocket pistols. This balance helped make it one of the most widely carried American handguns of the mid-19th century.

The revolver displays extensive but attractive service wear.

The barrel, frame, cylinder, and other steel components have developed a mottled gray and brown oxidized patina. There is no visible indication that the revolver has been refinished, apart from the resurfaced replacement cylinder.

The surfaces show scattered peppering, staining, edge wear, and evidence of repeated cleaning. These characteristics give the revolver the appearance of a sidearm that remained in working use for many years.

The original silver plating has worn completely from the brass trigger guard and backstrap. The exposed brass has developed a rich mustard-colored patina with darker coloration in the protected areas.

The walnut grip remains in very good service-used condition.

Portions of the original varnish appear to survive, while the remainder has worn smooth from handling. The grip shows expected dents, edge wear, compression marks, and minor handling damage but no major cracks or significant structural repairs.

Mechanically, the revolver remains functional.

The action cocks, indexes, and dry fires. Cylinder lockup is generally good for a revolver of this age and degree of use.

However, the cylinder can occasionally rotate beyond the proper locked position if the hammer is cocked too quickly or forcefully.

The hammer should therefore be drawn back slowly and carefully.

The trigger can also hang at the half-cock position if it is pulled very lightly. This indicates wear or imperfect engagement within the lockwork.

The barrel wedge can be removed with some effort, allowing the barrel assembly and cylinder to be taken off for cleaning.

The loading lever remains present and functional.

The cylinder base-pin bushing is currently stuck in place, a condition often encountered on percussion revolvers after decades of black-powder fouling, corrosion, and dried lubricant.

All six percussion nipples remain installed and unobstructed. They display wear and powder erosion consistent with substantial use.

The bore is in very good condition for a heavily carried percussion revolver. It retains a mostly bright surface with strong, clearly defined lands and grooves.

Areas of old fouling, staining, and oxidation are present but have been cleaned. The rifling remains significantly better than that found in many surviving black-powder revolvers, whose bores are often severely corroded.

The revolver’s 1870 production date is especially interesting. By that time, metallic cartridges had already demonstrated their superiority in convenience, weather resistance, and speed of loading. However, the Rollin White patent complicated the production of bored-through revolver cylinders in the United States and helped prolong the commercial life of traditional percussion arms.

Colt continued manufacturing the Model 1851 Navy until 1873, producing it alongside newer cartridge developments before the Single Action Army became the company’s dominant large-frame revolver.

This revolver therefore represents the closing chapter of one of the most successful percussion-handgun designs ever produced.

Its manufacture after the Civil War places it within the broader Indian Wars and American frontier period, when large numbers of percussion revolvers remained in civilian and secondary military use. However, no individual ownership history, military marking, or other documentation accompanies this example, so we cannot claim that it was carried in a specific Western campaign or Indian Wars engagement.

The replaced and renumbered cylinder, replacement wedge, split arbor, mechanical wear, faded finish, and worn grip all document a long working life. These are not hidden defects, but important parts of the revolver’s history as a practical firearm that was repaired and kept in service rather than discarded.

With its matching principal components, clear Colt markings, attractive unrefinished patina, strong bore, desirable 1870 production date, and classic 7 1/2-inch profile, this is a compelling late-production Colt Navy with unmistakable Old West character.

A highly appealing example for the collector who values honest use, period repair, and the final years of America’s percussion-revolver era.

Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: 1870
Manufacturer: Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company
Model: 1851 Navy
Serial Number: 211198
Caliber: .36
Ammunition Type: Percussion Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 7 1/2"
Overall Length: 13"
Action: Single Action
Capacity: Six Rounds
Cylinder: Period Replacement, Resurfaced and Renumbered 198
Barrel Wedge: Unnumbered Replacement
Condition Note: Cylinder Can Overshoot When Cocked Quickly; Trigger May Hang at Half-Cock; Arbor Split at Wedge Slot

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