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Info-Colt-Made New Black Powder Guns
Wolf.
Member Posts: 2,223 ✭✭✭✭✭
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-I am interested in picking up one of these Colt-made black powder revolvers.
There are plenty of these new Colt BP revolvers, new and in-the-box on Gun Broker at any given time. However, I am unfamiliar with the manufacture of these guns, so I have some questions for those who know about them.
I have these specific questions, but if there are other significant points of consideration and interest that I don't know enough to ask about please let's hear them.
--Did Colt actually manufacture these guns or did another company, such as Uberti, manufacture the guns and apply Colt's own markings on them?
--Are these new guns made to original Colt specifications and are all the measurements the same as the originals?
--What is the general quality of workmanship on these new guns?
--Are there any mechanical problems common to these new guns generally or by individual model?
--Anything else to consider when buying these guns?
-I am interested in picking up one of these Colt-made black powder revolvers.
There are plenty of these new Colt BP revolvers, new and in-the-box on Gun Broker at any given time. However, I am unfamiliar with the manufacture of these guns, so I have some questions for those who know about them.
I have these specific questions, but if there are other significant points of consideration and interest that I don't know enough to ask about please let's hear them.
--Did Colt actually manufacture these guns or did another company, such as Uberti, manufacture the guns and apply Colt's own markings on them?
--Are these new guns made to original Colt specifications and are all the measurements the same as the originals?
--What is the general quality of workmanship on these new guns?
--Are there any mechanical problems common to these new guns generally or by individual model?
--Anything else to consider when buying these guns?
Comments
You'll be paying extra for the Colt name, but in the long run, resale should be greater too.
And they're FUN to shoot!
-Thank you. If anyone has information regarding whether the reproductions made by Colt are exactly faithful to the measurements and specifications of the originals, I'd like to know that as well.
I already have several Italian reproductions that I am very, very pleased with. I very much enjoy shooting and handling them. The two .36 caliber 1851 Navy revolvers that I have are both exceptionally well balanced and are dead-on accurate. In fact all the BP reproductions I have are very accurate guns. I have been thinking of getting another Navy, either the 1851 or the 1861 model, and getting a .38 S&W Special conversion cylinder kit for it.
I just didn't know anything, really, about the Colt-branded guns. From reading the G&A article (thanks, Spider) they might be a good buy.
Showroom sample Stainless 1863 36 Pocket Police which I believe didn't go into production by either company. These were bought when they came out in about 1982.
I had a cased Colt comemmorative set in 36 Pocket police where the hammer didn?t reach the nipples, the mould didn't come together properly and the powder flask didn't seal. Colt replaced the pistol but wouldn't make good on the other defects. I sold the set because
of low quality of the case and accessories but the replacement pistol was good.
Colt was going to produce the Pocket Police and others in stainless but changed their minds. I have a letter on that.
I think they also produced some Navies in stainless.
As to dimensional differences, I have a few 36 Pocket Navy cylinders whose spindle bore is too small for the Uberti but the cylinder length is ok so I suspect there may be other minor differences between repros and between repros and originals.
I don't know where I saw it, but supposedly Uberti bought the original Colt factory machinery for making the cap and ball revolvers. Emery
That's an old legend. The original equipment was destroyed by a fire at the Colt factory in 1873 along with many of the 1851 Colt Navy records among others.