Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very attractive post Civil War Colt Model 1860 Army .44 caliber percussion revolver, serial number 183689, manufactured in 1869. It retains the classic 8" round barrel, six shot rebated cylinder, matching numbered barrel, frame, trigger guard, and backstrap, matching abbreviated numbers on the cylinder and arbor, and a very good original style walnut grip. The revolver shows the honest dark patina, handling wear, and mechanical use expected of a percussion Colt that survived the opening decades of the postwar American frontier.

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 handguns of the Civil War. More than 200,000 were manufactured between 1860 and 1873, with the U.S. government purchasing well over 120,000 during the war. Production continued for years afterward, and percussion Model 1860s remained in circulation throughout the postwar period as the American West expanded and metallic cartridge revolvers gradually replaced cap and ball arms.

This example is serial numbered:

183689

which falls within accepted 1869 Model 1860 Army production. Colt serial tables place approximately 177000 through 184999 in that year.

The full serial number 183689 is present on the barrel, frame, trigger guard, and backstrap.

The cylinder and arbor carry the abbreviated matching number:

3689

making this a very desirable mostly matching example.

The barrel wedge is unnumbered and appears to be a later replacement, most likely fitted during the revolver's long working life.

The top of the barrel retains Colt's single line address:

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

The marking remains readily identifiable, although several dents near the center interrupt portions of the lettering.

The left side of the frame retains the:

COLTS PATENT

marking. It is somewhat faint from oxidation and surface wear but remains visible.

The left shoulder of the trigger guard is crisply marked:

44 CAL

The cylinder originally carried Colt's well known Naval Battle of Campeche scene together with its patent legend and serial information. On this example the scene and other cylinder markings have been almost completely worn away through extended handling, use, oxidation, and cleaning.

The metalwork has developed an appealing dark gray and brown oxidized patina overall. Small traces of original blue remain in protected areas, but most of the exposed surfaces have aged naturally.

There is scattered old peppering, with somewhat heavier oxidation on the left side of the frame. The cylinder shows several areas of older pitting, but we do not see evidence of major structural damage.

The brass trigger guard retains very little of its former plated surface and has developed a lightly oxidized golden patina.

The one piece walnut grip remains in very good service used condition and retains its proper shape. It shows numerous dents, scratches, abrasions, and other evidence of long handling.

There is damage to the forward toe on both sides. The lower surfaces also carry several small dents consistent with the butt having struck hard objects at some point during its working life.

Of particular interest, the grip carries faint inspection style cartouches on both sides. The left cartouche is now too weak to identify, while the right is somewhat clearer but has suffered enough denting that its second letter cannot be read with confidence.

These marks are intriguing, but we would not use them alone to claim that this particular 1869 revolver was originally purchased or issued by the U.S. military. Most documented federal contract Model 1860 Army revolvers and their inspector cartouches fall considerably earlier in the serial range. The grip may have been replaced with an earlier inspected military grip during the revolver's service life, or the markings may have another explanation. Without factory or issue documentation, its precise history remains open.

Mechanically, the revolver is in very good working condition during careful manual inspection. The cylinder indexes correctly and locks positively, with only a small amount of wear related movement.

The barrel assembly can still be removed in the normal manner after withdrawing the wedge. There is some movement at the barrel to frame joint when assembled, which should be noted.

The bore is in good condition. The rifling remains clearly visible, including Colt's characteristic progressive or gain twist pattern. Portions of the interior remain partly bright, but there are also areas of old fouling, active looking rust staining, and possible pitting where the bore was evidently left uncleaned for an extended period in the past.

All six percussion nipples remain present and clear. They show considerable firing wear and oxidation, and the ends have become mushroomed from repeated hammer impact and dry firing.

The revolver's postwar manufacture places it directly in the period of westward expansion, Reconstruction, and the Indian Wars. Model 1860 Army revolvers certainly remained in civilian and military circulation during this era, especially before metallic cartridge revolvers became universally available. However, we have no surviving documentation connecting serial number 183689 to a particular soldier, cavalry unit, frontier post, lawman, or Western event.

With its 1869 production date, mostly matching serial numbers, matching cylinder and arbor, crisp .44 caliber marking, surviving Colt barrel address, strong action, original style walnut grip, and deeply aged service patina, this is a particularly appealing post Civil War Colt Model 1860 Army. It has the honest look of a revolver that lived well beyond the Civil War era and would be an excellent addition to a collection of Colt percussion arms, Reconstruction and Indian Wars era firearms, or classic weapons of the American frontier period.

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1869
Manufacturer: Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company
Model: 1860 Army Percussion Revolver
Serial No.: 183689
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.

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

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.