Colt 1871-72 Open Top Revolver in .44 Rimfire

The .44 Open Top Revolver was the first large frame cartridge revolver produced by Colt Mfg. Made for just two years, it was the direct predecessor to the Model 1873 Colt Single Action Army Revolver. Although it incorporated a few components of the Models 1851 Navy and 1860 Army Percussion Revolvers (this particular gun has the 1860 Army sized grip handle), the '71-72 Open Top was not a cartridge conversion from percussion but its own independent model featuring a solid barrel lug w/ pinched rear sight, no recoil plate, and its own dedicated full length cylinder. Most of its parts are unique to this model. It has seen plenty of wear but that's typical of this Model with many sold on the Mexican market. Serial number in the 4,500 range. Made circa 1872. 7-1/2" barrel with six shot cylinder. Caliber is .44 Rimfire...as used in the Henry Rifle and Model 1866 Winchester.

As the direct predecessor to the Single Action Army, the Open Top 44 is highly prized by collectors. Its limited production and the hard use many experienced has made the model one of the more difficult of major Colt revolver types to obtain. Flayderman's Guide, 9th Edition, pg. 100.

Overall Condition NRA Antique Fair with gray-brown metal with scattered pitting. Everything on this gun appears to be original with the following exceptions: 1. The barrel on this gun appears to have been professionally stretched approx. 1-3/4" back to its original 7-1/2 length. "Stretched Barrels are often found on the 1871-1872 Open Tops. This is because of the fact that many of these revolvers were shipped to Mexico and South America, where the original barrels were cut shorter." Pg. 290, A Study of Colt Conversions and Other Percussion Revolvers, by R. Bruce McDowell. 2. Grips are old period replacements. 3. The barrel wedge is also an ancient frontier-made replacement. The rest of the gun in terms of components are basically original including fragile things like the cartridge ejector and loading gate. Markings are a mixed bag so here's a breakdown: Colt's 1871 and 1872 patent dates on the left side of frame are legible...not surprising these remained as the frame was case-hardened. On the other hand, the barrel address is all but gone...the only thing I can see are the letters "HA" in HARTFORD along with the dash mark at the end of the line. The serial numbers are present on the bottom of the frame, trigger guard, arbor pin, and barrel. The numbers on the cylinder and backstrap are pitted over. The sub-assembly numbers on the loading gate and the inside of the frame are matching. Mechanically, the action still functions OK...hammer cocks, cylinder indexes properly and the bolt locks everything up. Hammer notches and trigger sear are worn but they are still doing their job. Forcing cone and cylinder bushing are also worn and will need to be rebuilt. The bore has its original seven groove rifling which is quite visible up to the end where it was stretched. It has not been relined to deceive. All in all, not a great Colt but certainly a rare and historical weapons. In terms of condition, it seems to fall in line with most Open Tops....Very Well Used! Today, your average Open Top in worn but original condition starts at about $5,000 and up. We recently saw a similar example with a stretched barrel for $3,500. A good solid project revolver for someone out there OR a great piece to display. With a decent pair of 1860 Army grips or ivories, a good cosmetic cleanup...and a mechanical tune-up, this revolver would really improve both cosmetically and value-wise. That said, we don't have time at the moment for a project so we're pricing this one to move quickly...with plenty of room to repair and still make a good profit.

Item# 1410

SOLD