2nd generation Colts

centerfireman

I am interested in a 2nd generation Colt 1862 Pocket Police revolver with a 6.5" barrel. I have only been able to find them with the 5.5" barrel. Does anyone know if Colt produced their 2nd generation revolvers with a 6.5'' barrel? (I know Uberti makes a reproduction with a 6.5" barrel). Thank you.

steg

The 2nd gen. M1862 Police Revolver was made only with a 5 1/2 inch round barrel. You might be able to get a UBERTI barrel in the size you want that will fit a 2nd generation gun, but it will not have the Colt markings on it. Likewise, the 3rd gen Colts do not have a barrel in the size you want. They do have a 3 1/2 inch "Trapper" Model with a 3 1/2 inch barrel, but it doesn't have a loading lever. This barrel has a hole in it to accommodate a separate brass loading rod.

centerfireman

Thank you!

v35

Their 1999 catalog describes both the 1862 Pocket Navy and Pocket Police as having 4,5 & 6" barrels but only lists the 4" barreled 1862s for sale @ $429,95.
They also intended to produce a line in stainless but sales didn't pan out so they only made the 44 Army and 36 Navy in stainless.
CVA produced these guns in 5 1/2" and I have what I believe to be an
Uberti stainless sample in 5 1/2".

steg

From wide experience with 3rd gen. Colts, you can't believe that they produced everything they listed in their catalogs. An excellent case in point is that they listed shoulder stocks for their Dragoon models, The '60 Army and the '51/'61 Navy's. None of them were ever produced. Likewise, the nickel plated Walker listed in their last sales sheet as well as a slew of other things I could mention. Don't ask me shy, it is just one of the mysteries of Colt collecting and the Imperato management style of Colt Blackpowder, Inc.

v35

I enquired about advertised ss production and received a letter from Colt stating they weren't going to produce the ss 1862 PP as planned.
Soon after, I bought the Uberti ss, Pocket Police display model off the wall.
Colt was still in Hartford at the time and their salesperson knew as much about guns as I do about nuclear fission.

steg

The reason for ignorance at Colt about both 2nd and 3rd generation guns is that there was massive internal corporate opposition to these guns. The original opposition to the second generation cap and ball Colts was concentrated in the Accounting Department, followed by elements in the Marketing Department. When the Accountants (the bean counters) got control of Colt, the first thing they did was drop the percussion line. This left Lou Imperato in the lurch and came close to bankrupting him. So he sued and won. This forced the Colt administration to issue Lou a license to make and sell percussion revolvers and the right to use the Colt name for them. However, this did not mean that the Colt administration had to aid the Imperatos in any way. In fact, several key Colt officials actively bad mouthed the 3rd generation line behind the scenes, which ultimately led to Colt refusing to renew the license once it ran out.

v35

Following Colts' letter I bought a cased 36 Pocket Police set with flask , mould and tool. The "case" was cheesy and far from being a copy. The mold closed with about a 1/64" gap and the flask didn't seal at the cutoff. To cap it off the hammer wouldn't reach the nipples.
Their reply was the set was made for display only but accepted a return.
The replacement gun problem was fixed but the rest wasn't.
The box of junk was sold shortly thereafter.