Make: Colt
Model: 1851 Navy Conversion
Serial Number: 92786
Year of Manufacture: 1859. Later Conversion.
Caliber: .38 Centerfire Short Colt (Converted from .36 Cal Cap & Ball)
Action Type: Single Action Revolver, 6-Shot Cylinder
Barrel Length: 7 1/2"
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a flat brass bead at the muzzle. The rear sight is a v-notch in the top of the conversion plate.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grip is one piece wood. There is modest handling wear throughout. There are repaired losses at the edges. There is intermittent finish loss. The grip rates in Fair condition as repaired and refinished antique.
Type of Finish: Blued / Case
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is dark with corrosion and pitting down the length, concentrated at the muzzle. The rifle is defined but loses some definition toward the muzzle. In this writer's opinion the bore rates 5/10.
Overall Condition: This revolver retains approximately 0% of its metal finish. Most of the finish has worn to a mottled patina with scattered pitting and erosion throughout. The brass has some heavy tarnish. There are nicks and dings throughout, especially on the brass. The rollmark on the cylinder is completely removed. The loading gate is loose. The barrel to frame fit is solid with no play. The screw heads are tool marked but retain serviceable slots. The remaining markings range from legible to very faint. Overall, this revolver rates in about Fair condition as antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly though is a bit stiff. We did not fire this revolver. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: The Colt Model 1851 Navy was one of the most successful percussion revolvers of the 19th century, combining a six-shot .36-caliber action with a comparatively compact belt-pistol frame and 7 1/2" barrel. It saw extensive use through the antebellum period, Civil War, and western expansion, remaining in production into the early metallic-cartridge era. Serial number 92786 dates this revolver to 1859, after which it was altered from its original cap-and-ball configuration to fire .38 Short Colt centerfire ammunition. The .38 Short Colt was closely associated with metallic-cartridge conversions of .36-caliber Colt Navy revolvers, making this old non-factory alteration an interesting example of how otherwise serviceable percussion arms were adapted as cartridge technology became dominant.
This revolver now retains essentially 0% of its original metal finish, with a mottled patina, scattered pitting and erosion, and heavily tarnished brass giving it the well-used appearance expected of an extensively altered 19th-century sidearm. The repaired and refinished one-piece wood grip rates in Fair condition, while the bore rates 5/10 with defined rifling beneath considerable corrosion and pitting. The barrel remains solid to the frame and the action functions, though it is somewhat stiff and the loading gate is loose. While this should not be confused with one of Colt’s considerably more collectible factory cartridge conversions, it remains a genuine 1851 Colt Navy that was adapted during its working life to the emerging metallic-cartridge system - an evocative survivor of one of the most important transitional periods in American handgun development.
