Make: Colt

Model: 1851 Navy Original Metallic Cartridge Richards-Mason Conversion

Serial Number: 1192

Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1868-1871

Caliber: .38 Rimfire

Action Type: Single Action Side-Loading Gate Cartridge Conversion Revolver

Barrel Length: 7 1/2”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a brass post fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a "V"-notch integral to the nose of the hammer, visible when cocked.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grip is one-piece smooth walnut. There is scattered finish wear and discoloration, mostly around and on the bottom. There are scattered nicks, scuffs and scratches. There is a small losses at the bottom-front corner on the right. There are no cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition as Antique.

Type of Finish: Nickel (plated brass grip frame)

Finish Originality: Original, observed numbers match. We have not removed the trigger guard or cylinder conversion ring from the frame to inspect for additional markings.

Bore Condition: The bore is gray with well-defined rifling. There is erosion and pitting scattered through the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates about 5/10.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 70% of its metal finish. The majority of the finish loss is on and around the cylinder. There are scattered spots of oxidation and worn areas show some oxidation. There are scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. More notable are impact marks around most cylinder stop notches (see Mechanics). The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to disfigured with usable slots. The markings range from clear to worn, but legible. Overall, this revolver is in Very Good-plus condition as Antique.

Mechanics: The cylinder can be pushed out of lock on the notches with the most notable impact marks. Otherwise, the action functions correctly. We did not fire this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.

Our Assessment: The latter half of the 19th century saw incredible developments in firearms technology, as various types of self-contained cartridge arms and repeating arms were invented. Some manufacturers and gunsmiths took advantage of the large supply of percussion revolvers, converting them to use cartridges. Colt’s was no exception, with their most notable conversion types being the Thuer, Richards and Richards-Mason conversions. The Richards-Mason conversion involved plugging the channel for the loading rod assembly, blending it with the barrel assembly, installing an ejector assembly on the right of the barrel and installing a plate on the recoil shield which housed the loading gate assembly as well as taking up the space of the nipple portion of the cylinder which was not needed for use with cartridges. A firing pin was then added to the hammer, either in the middle for center-fire or on the side for rimfires conversions such as this one.

This example is an 1851 Navy Original Metallic Cartridge Richards-Mason Conversion. The serial number indicates it was factory-built as a cartridge revolver, but likely used some unfinished percussion parts for assembly. It has a desirable factory full-nickel finish and is fairly well preserved, though there are odd impact marks around most of the cylinder stop notches. Especially given the heavy use these revolvers typically saw on the 19th century frontier, it is uncommon to find conversions of any type in high condition. This will make a great addition to a collection of Colt or early cartridge revolvers. Please see our photos and good luck!