Original U.S. Civil War Whitney 2nd Model 4th Type .36 Navy Percussion Revolver - Serial 20881

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice service worn example of a U.S. Civil War issue Whitney Navy .36cal percussion revolver. It was purchased at a recent military auction, looking to have seen much service during the war, and possibly afterwards. The barrel in particular shows clamp marks and other marring that look to be from field armory work. The cylinder also shows quite a bit of exterior wear from oxidation an subsequent cleaning. It really has a worn look that simply cannot be reproduced.

The underside of the barrel still bears original serial number 20881 on the bottom of the barrel, under the loading lever, as well as on both components of the loading lever. This number is also marked on the inside of BOTH grip scales. The Cylinder does not show any of the original engraving, and no serial number can be read. We do not see any signs that the cylinder is a replacement, so we would call this a "mostly matching" example. This puts it securely in the 2nd Model 4th Type range, a change that really involved the engraving on the cylinder. As the engraving is completely worn, cosmetically there is no way other than the serial number to tell which version it is.

The top of the barrel shows a nice worn patina, however the barrel address marking looks to have been poorly struck at the factory, so the lower line is quite faint:-

E. WHITNEY
N. HAVEN

Overall condition is quite nice, showing a lovely aged plum patina on most of the metalwork, with some areas of past peppering on the frame. The revolver is functional, and the action works well, with good indexing, a solid cylinder lockup, and a crisp dry fire. We did not notice any of the finicky behavior we often see from revolvers of this era.  All of the cap nipple cones are present and clear, all showing wear and oxidation from use. 

The bore is in good condition, showing clear lands and grooves, but also wear, oxidation, and past powder fouling, typical of Civil War percussion revolvers, which usually saw long use. The bore is definitely quite a bit better closer to the forcing cone in terms of oxidation, while towards the muzzle it is mostly dark. The small brass trigger guard (correct for this model) has a pleasing aged patina. The original brass-post front site is still intact, and has not been worn down. The original walnut grip scales are in very good condition, with a lovely color. The right side scale is great, while the left side has some past damage and wood filler repairs near the front toe.

Overall this is a very nice service used example of a scarce Whitney Navy that was used in the Civil War. This will be a fine addition to your collection of Civil War arms of a really hard to find revolver with some great research potential! Ready to display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1863-64
Caliber: .36cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 7 5/8 inches
Overall Length: 13 1/2 inches
Action: Single - Percussion Cap
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

More on the Whitney Navy Revolver:

The Whitney Navy is a 6-shot, .36 caliber, single action percussion revolver that was manufactured from the late 1850s through the early 1860s. The revolver went into production after Colt's patent on his revolver mechanism expired in 1857. The first 1,500 or so (aka "1st Model" Whitney Navy revolvers) were manufactured without a loading lever and were of lighter construction than the later 2nd Model revolvers. Between the Whitney desire to improve upon the guns, and the habit of making design changes when parts on hand ran out, both the 1st and 2nd Models were manufactured in a number of different "types" with a clear pattern of evolution that took place throughout their production. Some 33,000 Whitney Navy revolvers were produced during the production run, with many seeing US government use. The US Army acquired 10,587 of the revolvers between 1861 and 1864 and the US Navy purchased an additional 6,226 between 1863 and 1865. The state of New Jersey purchased 920 Whitney Navy revolvers in 1863, but 792 of those guns were subsequently resold to the US Army in 1863 and 1864. Those guns are included in the US Army purchases listed above.

A number of Whitney Navy revolvers also appear to have been acquired by the South and saw service during the American Civil War. Some were purchased prior to the outbreak of hostilities, and these guns tend to early production 2nd Model revolvers produced prior to the spring of 1861. A good example is Whitney Navy #3110, which was owned by Confederate cavalry general J.E.B. Stuart, and is now in the collection of the Virginia Historical Society. However, Confederate forces acquired many more Whitney Navy revolvers after the conflict started. These later production guns were no doubt obtained through a combination of capturing weapons and purchasing the guns surreptitiously from secondary retailers rather than Whitney. At least two-dozen Whitney Navy revolvers are known to have been repaired for use by the 4th Virginia "Black Horse" Cavalry, and a handful of identified Whitney Navy revolvers with Confederate provenance exist was well.

It is not surprising that the revolver found favor on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, as the robust design with a reinforcing top strap, a solid frame with a screwed in barrel and the simple turn of a wing nut to release the loading lever and cylinder arbor were all significant improvements over the open topped frame and wedge-retained barrel of the Colt design. The popularity of the revolvers in the south is further indicated by the fact that the design was copied by Confederate gunmakers Spiller & Burr and T.W. Cofer, both of whom produced Whitney-like revolvers for the south.

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