Original U.S. Indian Wars Colt Model 1860 Army .45 Richards Centerfire Converted Revolver Made in 1869 - Serial 184550

Original Item: Only One Available. The expiration of Rollin White's patent on revolvers with bored through cylinders in 1869 was a true watershed moment for the U.S. Firearms industry. Now all firearms manufactures would be able to directly manufacture cartridge revolvers without having to risk lawsuits or pay royalties. Colt was no exception, especially considering that Samuel Colt himself had PASSED on the chance to purchase exclusive rights to the patent in the 1850s. Additionally, with the large surplus of percussion revolvers post war, many systems were designed to convert these to take brass cartridge ammunition. Most of these early conversions were to rimfire, which required less modification, however later on towards the Indian Wars Era, centerfire conversions became the norm.

Colt itself became involved in these, as there was definitely a large market. Colt revolvers however did not have a solid frame that allowed easy removal of the cylinder such as the Remington design, so they required more involved conversions. The first system they used in house was developed by Charles Brinckerhoff Richards, an engineer employed by Colt given the task of designing a conversion. As originally designed, it involved installation of a ring or "shoe" at the back of the cylinder, which held a captured firing pin, and also had a loading gate as seen on later revolvers. The cylinder would altered by having the cap nipple cones machined off, and the ratchet adjusted, or sometimes replaced outright. The loading rammer was removed and the channel filled with an insert that held an ejector rod on the right side of the barrel. The right recoil shield was also inlet to allow spent cartridge ejection.

During the 1870s many percussion revolvers were converted at the Colt factory itself, and they also appear to have made kits to supply gunsmiths. Even after the Colt "Single Action Army" was introduced, conversions continued, as it was far cheaper than purchasing an entirely new revolver. Colt also made the decision circa 1873-1874 to use left over parts from percussion revolvers to make some early rimfire cartridge revolvers.

This revolver reeks of History, starting life as a late production Colt Model 1860 Army Percussion Revolver, and then being converted to use .45 caliber centerfire cartridge ammunition using the RICHARDS Conversion system. It really looks the business, with a fantastic polished steel patina, and still retains the full length 8" barrel, with an overall length of 14". We have checked it thoroughly and all signs point to having been altered at the factory. The original serial numbers on some conversions were removed and replaced with assembly numbers, however others such as this example are marked with original number 184550 on the barrel and frame, indicating original production in 1869, two years before production officially ended. These have also been stamped with matching number 322, which we also see stamped on the trigger guard and grip frame (faint).

The barrel wedge is also marked with 322, but there it is also marked with shortened serial 4550 as well as a large 6457. We also noted that the insert for the loading rammer slot / ejector rod is marked 322 on the end. The cylinder arbor pin is stamped 4550 as well, while the cylinder itself has shortened serial number 519 on the side, next to another 322 marking, and is marked 4550 on the rear. The loading gate is stamped with 187, which does not match any of the markings on the revolver. We assume it was sent back to the factory several years after it was sold, but it is always possible it was an unsold example that they received a custom order for. Definitely some nice research potential in this revolver!

The Colt single line address marking is still partly legible on the top of the barrel, with past pitting making it very hard to read in some areas:-

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

The left side of the frame looks like it was updated when converted to list the new patents granted to Colt:

PAT. JULY. 25. 1871.
PAT. JLULY 2. 1872.

The cylinder still has a clear COLTS PATENT № marking present, over what looks to be a D.A.P. inspection cartouche. There is no caliber marking, but we have measured both the bore and the cylinder chambers, and the measurements come out to .45"-.46". However we tried a .45 "Long" Colt cartridge, and it is definitely too big, as the case dimensions are actually 0.480" at the base and neck, so we do not know what round this is chambered for, and it may be for some variety of 0.44 cal. cartridge. We tried a .44-40 WCF cartridge in the cylinder, and it was rather loose.

Overall the revolver shows a lovely polished steel patina from years of service and subsequent cleaning. We can see areas of past pitting on the barrel and elsewhere, and the geometry on some parts is now a bit soft due to repeated cleanings. It also looks like some areas may have had past repairs, but due to how much the parts were cleaned, it can be difficult to see. The original walnut grip is still in good condition, showing a lovely color with light wear, so we assume it was replaced at some point. There is a very nice copper shield on the top of the grip frame, which is marked with LT. / P. J., however we do not know if this is original or added later.

The pistol is complete and still functions, however the mechanics are definitely worn. The cylinder lock is not functional, so the cylinder can still spin freely when at full cock. This also prevents it from being able to index accurately at all, and the hand seems to miss the ratchet at times. The frame mounted firing pin moves freely with an intact and functional spring. The barrel to frame connection is solid, and the ejector works great. The bore is in good condition, still showing a partly bright finish with clear lands and grooves, however it also shows overall past oxidation and fouling, with some areas of pitting. Still, it's well above what we often see on revolvers from this era, particularly ones that were converted post war for frontier use. The arbor pin can still be removed to take down the revolver, and the barrel to frame connection is mostly solid.

This is a lovely example of the classic side arm as used during the U.S. Civil War and later Indian Wars, converted to Centerfire using the Richards system during the Indian war era for use on the frontier. Ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Years of Manufacture: 1870s with some older parts
Caliber: .45cal - Unknown Type
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 8 inches
Overall Length: 14 inches
Action: Single
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

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.