Original Item: Only One Available. The romance around Colt "Cowboy" Revolvers never ceases to amaze us. This is a very nice example of the Model 1878 Double Action Revolver. This model was manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1878 to 1907, and is often referred to as the "Frontier" or the "Double Action Army" revolver. A total of 51,210 Model 1878 revolvers were manufactured from 1878 to 1907, including 4,600 for the US Ordnance Department. These are also often known as the "Philippine" or "Alaskan" models.

This example quite a bit different from most offerings we have had, not just due to the VERY low serial number, but also due to the barrel address, which indicates it is a British Market revolver retailed at their Pall Mall location. Examples with this marking are very scarce, and this is only the second example that we have ever had. 

Even better, this revolver came to us with a Colt Factory letter from the office of the Colt Historian Kathleen J Hoyt! It is dated April 24, 2008, and indicates it is a COLT DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER MODEL OF 1878, with the caliber listed as .45 Eley and finish listed as Blue. The barrel is listed as 5 ½", and the stocks are Not Listed, however for this period the default stocks were walnut, so this revolver is still completely in the original configuration as shipped from Colt. The gun was shipped on September 26, 1878 as part of a shipment of 56 similar guns to the Colt's Patent Fire-arms Mfg. Company London Agency. 

This revolver looks to have seen long use in service, which has matured the exterior to an overall peppery patina, with some evidence of past oxidation, now cleaned away. This has made some of the markings on the revolver faint, but has also given it a great "been there" look. The original factory address Pall Mall Depot marking is still mostly visible on the top of the barrel:

It is marked on the bottom of the grip, and on the back of the loading gate with serial number 555, indicating it was made in 1878, the FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION! Only about 1500 revolvers were made during this first year! We checked the bottom of the barrel, but any markings were removed by oxidation, and the back of the cylinder looks to be non-matching. Every chamber on the cylinder is marked with the CROWN / V "Viewed" marking of the London Gun Company proof house. We were not able to see any additional proofs on the frame due to the patination.

There is no Colt "Prancing Pony" logo stamped into the frame, as this revolver was made before they started using that marking, and also due to the condition of the revolver it would not be visible anyway. The trigger guard is still marked on the left side with a small 45 CAL / B, indicating that it was made for the early .45" "Boxer" cartridge, which could refer to .450 Adams or .45 "Eley" after the Eley Brothers cartridge company, who did not design the cartridge, but manufactured it and many other cartridges. The very similar later .455 Webley cartridges would be known as ".455 Eley" due to this association.

The revolver is quite lovely, showing an aged peppery patina but no major damage or other issues. It looks like it must have been left exposed to the elements in some way for a long time, resulting in exterior patination, but this did not extend far into the barrel, or under the ejector rod, where the original bluing is still very strong. It has an unshortened 5 1/2 inch barrel, which looks to have been the standard barrel length used with .45 Eley, and we have seen several similar examples in this configuration.

The bore is in very good condition, showing a partly bright finish with strong lands and grooves. There is some wear, and light overall oxidation, but no major wear or corrosion, except for a bit at the very end of the muzzle, which shows some past oxidation. The original Factory installed checkered walnut Colt grips are present, with a lovely color. They are in very good condition, with a lot of the checkering still present, and just a few small dents and chunks missing. The lanyard loop next to this is still present and swivels correctly.

The revolver functions great in both double and single action, with solid accurate indexing and a strong cylinder lockup. There is a bit of slop due to mechanical wear, and the cylinder can turn a bit when the hammer is all the way forward. The original ejector rod is still present, and fully functional with a working loading gate. The cylinder arbor pin can be pulled out when the locking mechanism is pressed in, and the cylinder removed.

A very nice example of a rare Pall Mall Address Colt double action revolver, with loads of patina and a factory letter! Ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1878
Caliber: Originally .450 Eley / Boxer / Adams
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 5 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 10 1/2 inches
Action: Double Action Army
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

Samuel Colt experimented with double-action revolver systems, but he considered them to be unreliable. After Colt's patent expired in 1857, other manufacturers began producing double-action revolvers, but Colt's Manufacturing did not manufacture its own double-action revolver until 1877, twenty years after the patent had expired.

The M1878 was designed by William Mason, Colt's factory manager and Charles Brinckerhoff Richards, Superintendent of Engineering. It was similar in design to the Colt Model 1877. The Model 1878 had a larger frame, and is therefore sometimes referred to as the "large frame" double-action revolver, while the Model 1877 is likewise referred to as the "small frame" double-action revolver. The Model 1878 was considered a more robust and reliable design than the Model 1877.

The design of the Model 1878 was based on the Model 1877, which in turn was based heavily on the design of the earlier Colt Single Action Army revolver. The double-action revolver is not dramatically different in design than the single-action revolver. A strut is added to connect the trigger movement to the hammer. The top of the trigger slips beyond the strut so that the hammer will stay in full cock if it is pulled back manually.

The Model 1878 had a larger frame than the Model 1877, which allowed it to fire larger and more powerful cartridges, such as the .45 Colt and .44-40 and used the same barrel, ejector parts, and a very similar cylinder to the Single Action Army revolver. At one time, the factory modified Model 1878 cylinders for use in single-action revolvers in an attempt to use up spare parts.