Original Spanish-American War Era Excellent U.S. Colt Model 1896 "New Army" D.A. 38 Revolver Serial No. 79796 - Made In 1897

Original Item: Only One Available. The Colt Model 1896 revolver is an important piece of history in the evolution of the modern handgun. This revolver is sometimes called the D.A. 38 for a good reason: they are marked COLT. D.A. 38 on the side of the barrel, as they are a double action revolver chambered for the .38 Long Colt cartridge. There are many similar models of this handgun made by Colt: the Model 1892, 1894, 1895, 1896 and later the Model 1901 and 1903, which represent incremental improvements in the design. The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army primarily used these models, though there were civilian models as well.

This type of double action revolver represented a significant step in the evolution of the revolver, as it was Colt's first swing out cylinder revolver. It was both double and single action, it utilized the spring-loaded ejector rod, and the later models could fire the new (at the time) smokeless powder cartridges. All of these features appealed to the armed forces. The earlier D.A. 38 guns, such as the 1894, were designed to fire black powder cartridges only.

The New Army & Navy model is unique to Colt in that the cylinder rotates counter-clockwise, and the frame's side plate is on the right side. This unfortunately tended to force the cylinder out of alignment with the frame over time, and this was exacerbated by relatively weak lockwork used to "time", or match individual chambers to the barrel. In later Colt revolvers the cylinder rotation is clockwise and the side plate is on the left side of the frame. Also these Colt's have extremely complex actions that get out of order or break easily.

This is a fantastic one of a kind named "private purchase" example, which was not delivered to either the Army or the Navy, who both used the revolver. It definitely looks to have been purchased for personal use, of which it apparently saw very little, as it is in truly excellent condition. The original blued finish is very well retained on most of the metalwork, with only light wear and staining. As this is a commercial model, it features the classic checkered hard rubber grips with the COLT over the "Prancing Pony" logo at the top. These only show light wear, with the checkering still very strong, and there are just a few tiny dents on the bottom rim.

The serial number marked on the bottom of the grip frame is 79796, indicating production in 1897 per Colt factory records. The frame under the cylinder crane, the cylinder crane itself, and the cylinder release are all marked with assembly number 557. The ejector rod and the rear face of the cylinder under the ejector are marked with assembly number 67.

The top of the barrel is still marked with the original manufacture and patent information, correct for the model 1896, and it is the three line version used on the shorter 4 barrels:-

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

PAT. AUG.5.84. NOV.6.88 MAR.5.95

This revolver is stamped with the 1895 patent date, granted for improvements to the revolver, which is why we are calling it a "Model 1896 New Army", though technically that only applies to Army issued examples, which this revolver is not. "Army" revolvers usually had wooden grips, while "Navy" revolvers usually had rubber grips only marked with "COLT". The grips on this have both "COLT" and the Logo, and there is also the "Prancing Pony in a Circle marking on the rear left frame.

As mentioned before, the condition is really excellent on this revolver, and it looks much as it probably did over 100 years ago. The bluing is in great shape, and the markings are all still crisp. It cycles correctly and crisply in both single and double action, without any finicky behavior to note. The cylinder swings out to the left correctly, with a functional cartridge extractor. The bore is in excellent condition, showing a bright finish with clear lands and grooves. Just a bit of wear and a few small spots of very minor staining.

An excellent example of the Colt "New Army & Navy" D.A. 38 revolver. ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1897
Caliber:  .38 Long Colt
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 4 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 10 inches
Action: Double / Single
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver