Original Item: Only One Available. The Colt Navy Model 1851 Percussion Revolver in .36 caliber was widely used by both sides in the U.S. Civil War. The Colt Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Caliber (i.e., .36 cal), later known as the Colt 1851 Navy or Navy Revolver, is a cap and ball revolver that was designed by Samuel Colt between 1847 and 1850. Colt first called this Revolver Ranger model, but the designation Navy quickly took over. It remained in production until 1873, when revolvers using fixed metallic cartridges came into widespread use.

This very nice example features a shortened 5" barrel and fully matching serial number 85007 on all major parts including the barrel, frame, grip frame, cylinder, and trigger guard! The loading rammer, barrel wedge, and cylinder arbor pin are all marked with shortened number 5007. That makes this a very desirable "ALL MATCHING" example, with no parts swapped out over the years! Colt records indicate that this revolver was produced in 1858, right before the start of the Civil War, so it almost certainly saw service during the conflict.

As mentioned previously, the barrel has been shortened to 5 inches, and this was definitely a field arsenal level repair. After shortening the barrel was re-crowned, and they even cut out a section from the loading rammer and brazed it back together. There is wear and oxidation to the new barrel crown, so it definitely was done during the revolvers service life. This was often done when the muzzle of the gun suffered damage, but the officer may have wanted it a bit smaller to fit better inside his pocket as a secondary weapon.

As with most colt percussion revolvers we see, the original engraving on the cylinder has been completely worn away by age and use. The top of the barrel however still has the Colt "Hartford" address marking:

The revolver definitely looks to have seen service during the war, and there are areas of light rust peppering on the exterior. It does not look to have been refinished at any point, and most of the markings are still crisp. The COLTS PATENT marking is still visible on the left side of the frame, and the trigger guard and grip frame have a lovely mustard patina.

The bore shows clear lands and grooves, with a partly bright finish. There are some areas of fouling and oxidation in the grooves, and the expected wear. The revolver cycles correctly, with good indexing and cylinder lock up, and the mainspring is strong. 5 of 6 cap nipples are clear, and all show wear and oxidation from use. The grip scales are in very good condition, with a lovely finish and color. They definitely do show wear, and were most likely refinished at some point with a standard gun varnish.

A very nice arsenal shortened example of a Civil War issued Colt Percussion revolver, most attractive and ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1858
Caliber: .36cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 5 inches
Overall Length: 10 1/2 inches
Action: Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

History of the 1851 Navy Colt Pistol:

The .36 caliber Navy revolver was much lighter than the contemporary Colt Dragoon Revolvers developed from the .44 Walker Colt revolvers of 1847, which, given their size and weight, were generally carried in saddle holsters. It is an enlarged version of the .31 caliber Colt Pocket Percussion Revolvers, that evolved from the earlier Baby Dragoon, and, like them, is a mechanically improved and simplified descendant of the 1836 Paterson revolver. As the factory designation implied, the Navy revolver was suitably sized for carrying in a belt holster. It became very popular in North America at the time of Western expansion. Colt's aggressive promotions distributed the Navy and his other revolvers across Europe, Asia, and Africa. As with many other Colt revolvers, it has a six-round cylinder.

The cylinder of this revolver is engraved with a scene of the victory of the Second Texas Navy at the Battle of Campeche on May 16, 1843. The Texas Navy had purchased the earlier Colt Paterson Revolver, but this was Colt's first major success in the gun trade; the naval theme of the engraved cylinder of the Colt 1851 Navy revolver was Colt's gesture of appreciation. The engraving was provided by Waterman Ormsby. Despite the "Navy" designation, the revolver was chiefly purchased by civilians and military land forces.

The .36 caliber (.375-.380 inch) round lead ball weighs 80 grains and, at a velocity of 1,000 feet per second, is comparable to the modern .380 pistol cartridge in power. Loads consist of loose powder and ball or bullet, metallic foil cartridges (early), and combustible paper cartridges (Civil War era), all combinations being ignited by a fulminate percussion cap applied to the nipples at the rear of the chamber.

Famous "Navy" users included Wild Bill Hickok, John Henry "Doc" Holliday, Richard Francis Burton, Ned Kelly, Bully Hayes, Richard H. Barter, Robert E. Lee, Nathan B. Forrest, John O'Neill, Frank Gardiner, Quantrill's Raiders, John Coffee "Jack" Hays, "Bigfoot" Wallace, Ben McCulloch, Addison Gillespie, John "Rip" Ford, "Sul" Ross and most Texas Rangers prior to the Civil War and (fictionally) Rooster Cogburn. Use continued long after more modern cartridge revolvers were introduced.

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