Colts 2

This Colt went to B. Kittredge & Co. , in Cincinnati in April of 1877. This dealer was very important to Colt and helped promote sales for Colt. Not to mention, due to the river systems, shipped to the Western Frontier all the time. Remember it was Kittredge who named many Colt revolvers for heavy advertising. The “Peacemaker “, “Lightning”, “Thunderer” etc… This Peacemaker, Serial No. 2539X has all the early characteristics: two line 1872 frame patent, Donut Ejector and the earliest small font block letter barrel address ! MOST IMPORTANT: letter shows shipped nickel finish. This indicates that this Colt was sent to Adams Plating for a nickel finish then shipped, as Colt was not yet fully established as a nickel finish, blue still dominated. This SAA is ALL original, ALL factory parts are the original, ALL factory markings are clear and present. The finish has about 10% of the original nickel remaining, mostly on the hammer, trigger guard upper back strap, and top of ejector housing. The balance is an UNTOUCHED original plum patina. ALL serial numbers are matching, barrel, cylinder and frame, TG, BS etc… The Walnut grips are smooth and show normal hand wear.
Mechanically: the working actions on this Peacemaker function 100% correctly, as the day it left Hartford for Kittredge. A certainty this Colt shipped to the West and the expanding Frontier.

This is one of the very few factory acknowledged errors in production. This is only found in the mid 40,000 range, and a limited number of about 2,000 before the error was discovered. This is one of them ! WHAT IS THE ERROR ? it is a reverse barrel address roll, reading from frame to muzzle ! just the opposite direction of standard.
Serial No. 44,06X was shipped in November of 1879 to Wexell & DeGress, Mexico City, one of 50. It might be interesting to note: that as shown in the Reference Text by Chris Hirsch, Texas Gun Makers, W&D maintained a few satellite stores on the Border. Locations like Laredo, and Brownsville. The Factory Letter matches the revolver excluding one aspect, the barrel is now 5-1/4 inch, and done “in the day”. Listed as blue, Walnut etc…. Much of the blue remains on the cylinder, the frame has a silvered gray patina, and the revolver has an overall gray patina with some traces of plum peeking through. The working mechanical action is PERFECT. ALL notches, it locks tight, indexes, and releases to fire perfectly, NO mechanical issues. ALL Factory applied markings are present, barrel address, frame patents, etc……
Certainly this Black Powder Single Action .45 served on the Border, either the Mexican side or the Texas Frontier side in hard and fast days of the 1870’s and forward.

This is after examination, a very interesting Single Action, original US/DFC. First, the Serial No. …#9532X , everywhere including barrel and cylinder. Except for the back strap which is #9432X .
IT IS the same number, except for the the 2nd number ! I believe this is a Factory Workman error. Why, all numbers are the same except the 2nd number of the serial number, most IMPORTANT the last three digits are the same !!! Universal fit and wear etc…The odds would be in the billions to one 95329 & 94329. The Military markings are present, the G and K are on all parts and the US is still visible
under a light defacing to block seeing it.

The year 1884 was still a very wild and wooly year on our Frontier, with just 2 years earlier Billy the Kid, and Tombstone were all playing on the stage! of history. Serial No. 10863X has about 25-30% factory nickel plating, the balance is a light to medium gray patina. The finish is all original never having been disturbed. ALL factory applied markings are clear and present: two line barrel address, caliber on TG, frame patents, and Serial Numbers. Regarding Serial Numbers there is a variance. ALL numbers are matching, except the back strap. Then again, the back strap is the same finish (Nickel) and displays identical wear, MATCHING identical wear ! Two numbers are different, BS is 108XX8 only 31 numbers different. There exists only 2 possibilities: the owner had two Colt, upon re-assembly mixed them up: it was a factory oops! in numbering. All other possibilities would be astronomical odds of happening. Observe the wear at frame and back strap juncture to the right , clearly show uniformity.

MECHANICS: the working action functions correctly, cocking, locking, releasing to fire, cylinder rotation and alignment etc… It does show a common use factor. The internal trigger tip is worn and therefore slightly shorter. So, it aligns with the hammer notches causing the trigger to be more forward of it’s normal position in the guard. However, the revolver still functions on all features. This 1884 Colt has the “classic” Eagle Hard Rubber grips. They show hand wear, but have no damage.

This Colt, Serial No. 12638X is a Black Powder Colt, and chambered (according to letter) in .32 Rifle Cartridge, which is 32WCF a.k.a. 32/20. Unusual for EARLY or any Black Powder Single Action. Letter states 4-3/4. Blue, Rubber, and here is what is intriguing:

Shipped to R. STANHOPE, PARIS TEXAS August 8, 1888, ONE in shipment !

As of this writing, R. Stanhope was known to be a Colt Distributor in Paris, Texas. Researching exposes some western history. This Colt was shipped to Stanhope just prior to the Johnson Co. War, and maybe went with Texans who went north to the Johnson Co. Cattle Wars in Wyoming. Stanhope was known to have supplied many participants with their weapons. Being a one of one shipment is intriguing.

Overall the original blue finish is about 45% present, the balance is a blending blue gray patina. It has traces of frame case color on frame and hammer. The Eagle Pattern hard rubber grips show normal hand wear and are in excellent condition with no damage.

There is no question this Ainsworth has been on the raw frontier and shows it’s 149 years of age ! Serial No. 1250X was shipped to the Cavalry, maybe San Antonio Depot, on July 29, 1874. Since then, we can only guess the service it has endured. At that time about 322 were shipped, for issue to select cavalry units. 50 to a crate. I found it fascinating that of the approximate 12,000 Ainsworth revolvers produced, ONLY about 1,600 + or- are accounted for in collections! That means in any condition, not just all original. This Ainsworth , excluding the barrel length, is ALL original. It has ALL the parts it left Hartford with, no replacements. The barrel, in the day ( late 1800’s) was re-sighted and shortened to Six Inches, and shows appropriate matching wear. ALL Serial Numbers are matching, TG, BS, Frame, cylinder, and barrel, even faded in the one piece Walnut grip channel. Many features to the EARLY SAA’s are present: Italic Barrel Address, 1st style ejector housing, long knurled face hammer , the 1872 two line frame patent ,bulls eye ejector head and Inspector marks. Regarding Ainsworth Inspector markings: There are only two visible ones present, one on the trigger guard below serial number and one on the back strap behind trigger notch. This Ainsworth saw HARD use on the Frontier. Even the U.S. ( note: the early smaller size US ) is worn where the S is barely visible, while the U is definitively there. This Colt saw , as I said, unusual hard wear, even the Italic barrel address is hard worn, BUT visible.