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alright Old Colt experts
sharpshooter039
Member Posts: 5,897 ✭✭✭
Buddy has a revolver, asked for information on how bad this hurt value and just a rough guestimate on value,
Colt letter says it is a Colt .45 /c Bisley Model with a 7.5" barrel and was shipped to Dickinson Arms Company in Little Rock Arkansas on September 20, 1899.
Problem is as you can see from the picture, somewhere in its past the barrel was cut down to 4 3/4 inches, I also question from the picture if its been reblued, maybe the same time barrel was cut
Colt letter says it is a Colt .45 /c Bisley Model with a 7.5" barrel and was shipped to Dickinson Arms Company in Little Rock Arkansas on September 20, 1899.
Problem is as you can see from the picture, somewhere in its past the barrel was cut down to 4 3/4 inches, I also question from the picture if its been reblued, maybe the same time barrel was cut
Comments
The cylinder beveling appears correct for an 1899 shipped gun and the stocks look original to the gun. The picture just isn't good enough to tell anything else, but the front sight looks like it has been filed. And, the finish doesn't look original.
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
$350.00
Where oh Where,,might I get that for 350,,[:o)]
I guess the barrel has been replaced as it does have the 2 line address but I am afraid he is still going to be disappointed, other people have him convinced its a 5K gun, I just don't see it on a reblued rebarreled gun
Thought OldColts said if it had a two line address it wasn't cut down.
As for a value of $5,000? Your friend,like most non-colt, non-antique gun people, has horrendous dilusions of grandeur!!!! Tell him to dream on, although there is something to be said for "There's a sucker born every minute".
If the barrel work was done by the Colt Factory, it should have appeared in the letter.
In any case my remarks about value stand.
I guess the barrel has been replaced as it does have the 2 line address but I am afraid he is still going to be disappointed, other people have him convinced its a 5K gun, I just don't see it on a reblued rebarreled gunOkay, that's step one, the barrel hasn't been cut since it has a two line address. So, either the letter is wrong or the barrel has been replaced. If your buddy is up for answering a few more questions, maybe we can find out what happened to this gun.
1) How is the left side of the barrel marked? A 45 Colt Bisley from 1899 would be marked; (BISLEY MODEL) 45 Colt.
2) Is there a stamp on the right rear trigger guard bow? If there is an asterisk "*" or an ampersand "&" (sometimes mistaken for an 8); then it has possibly been back to the Colt Factory for rework.
3) Are there any rework numbers on the gun? This would be numbers similar to "123 B" and might be located on the face of the cylinder around the cylinder bushing and/or on the grip flats underneath the stocks. If so, this suggests it has possibly been back to the Colt Factory for rework.
4) Is there a Verified Proof Stamp (VP in a triangle) on the left front trigger guard bow? Since an 1899 Bisley would not have this marking, if it does this suggests it has possibly been back to the Colt Factory after 1905 for rework.
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
Gents: Sorry for my last. I should have read the initial question on this thread more thoroughly-about the Colt Leter,
If the barrel work was done by the Colt Factory, it should have appeared in the letter.
In any case my remarks about value stand.Actually, you will rarely encounter a Colt Factory Letter on a prewar Single Action that denotes it went back for rework. It isn't impossible, but it is really rare to find those notes in the shipping ledgers. The best way to determine Colt Factory rework is by finding the markings I've mentioned above. The notable exception would be US Single Actions returned by the government during the two refurbishment periods.
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!