Handguns I need some help with this one

JW in SC

Private
Joined
Mar 20, 2021
Colt 36 cal percussion. Frame and strap matching serial number 256. Barrel no markings but butchered serial number. Barrel looks totally screwed up and foreign to the gun. The cylinder appears to show Stagecoach scene but hard to tell. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I've had it on a book shelf for years and really haven't paid any attention to it. You guys were such a resource for my Sharps and Spencers I thought I would ask for your help on this one. Colt website has 3 entries for serial number 256 (1) 1851 Navy (2) 1861 Model 1862 Police and Pocket Pistol (3) 1861 Navy with Naval engagement scene. Other than a doorstop, what do I have?

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What you have is a Colt 1862 Pocket Navy .36. Someone has tried to make it appear to be a Colt 1849 Pocket Rammerless .31 by removing all vestiges of the load lever/rammer, pivot pin and filing the barrel round (original was octagon). An 1862 Pocket Police would have a different barrel config and the cylinder would be semi-fluted. What is hugely curious is that the barrel lug has no load aperture. Are you sure that is a .36 barrel and not a .31? The barrel lug SN is a very poor attempt to fit with this gun, with the overstamp and the huge difference in font size. The wood is a terrible fit and must have come from another gun.

It is a doorstop for sure.

Regards,

Jim
 
Don't throw it out just yet. Measure the barrel diameter. It might be .38 cal. Colt made some .38 round barrel Pocket in the 1870's from '49 Pocket parts. The barrel shape looks identical to that .38 from 1870's. Then measure your cylinder bore diameter.

It looks like someone put a .38 cal cartridge Pocket barrel on a .36 cal Pocket percussion frame.

Here's an example of an 1870's Pocket 38 cartridge revolver.

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Well let me go get it out of the trash. Looks just like mine but the caliper shows the barrel and cylinder to be a 36 cal. I appreciate your input. Any more thoughts?
 
Don't throw it out just yet. Measure the barrel diameter. It might be .38 cal. Colt made some .38 round barrel Pocket in the 1870's from '49 Pocket parts. The barrel shape looks identical to that .38 from 1870's. Then measure your cylinder bore diameter.

It looks like someone put a .38 cal cartridge Pocket barrel on a .36 cal Pocket percussion frame.

Here's an example of an 1870's Pocket 38 cartridge revolver.

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Well let me go get it out of the trash. Looks just like mine but the caliper shows the barrel and cylinder to be a 36 cal. I appreciate your input. Any more thoughts?
 
I found these earlier tonight. I had not been able to find leverless barrels in my limited previous research. I had thought the leverless barrel could have been a homemade model.

1849 Pocket Model leverless.jpg


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If it was ground down round (unavoidable, sorry) someone did a good job of it. What I wonder is if so, for whatever purpose for grinding it was, was it a useable weapon after all the 'refinements'?
Lubliner.
 
If it was ground down round (unavoidable, sorry) someone did a good job of it. What I wonder is if so, for whatever purpose for grinding it was, was it a useable weapon after all the 'refinements'?
Lubliner.
I agree. Looking at the photos of other Colts, how would you load a gun with a leverless barrel?
 
The barrel is not ground down. It's from a later .36 Colt cartridge revolver.

I think JW's revolver must be the serial 1861 Police Pocket #256. It was in need of a barrel and some previous owner slapped on the round barrel onto the Colt Police Pocket just to make it whole. That could also explain the sloppy serial number on the barrel.
Either way, I think it's a nice looking gun. I would display it.

Here's a pic of the the other side of that .36 cal cartridge Colt Pocket. Same barrel.

36 cal cartridge colt pocket.JPG
 
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I'd concur that it is a Frankengun. The serial no of the bbl shows signs of alteration to match the rest. Does the hammer actually strike the nipple properly i..e. made for percussion?
The so-called 'Wells Fargo' model and the so-called 'Baby Dragoon' were both made without rammers.
 
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