Make: Colt

Model: 1861 Navy Percussion Range Richards-Mason Conversion

Serial Number: 26960

Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1872-1873

Caliber: .38 Centerfire

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

Barrel Length: 7 1/2”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a german silver blade 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. The bottom-right has a couple of small losses and a notable scrape, the bottom-left has a loss at the rear. There are small losses on each side behind the trigger guard. There are scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. There are no cracks. Overall, the grips are in Good condition as Antique.

Type of Finish: Blue, Case Color & Silver-Plated Brass

Finish Originality: Original, numbers match. The cylinder was force-matched at time of conversion.

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with sharp rifling. There is scattered light erosion in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 7+/10.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 40% of its metal finish. There is scattered blue finish, mostly in protected areas or around raised features, with other areas going to a light patina. The frame has surprisingly strong case color. Most of the silver plate has worn off the grip frame, primarily remaining around the top. There are scattered nicks, scuffs and scratches. There is scattered light surface oxidation and infrequent minor erosion. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings range from clear to worn and incomplete. Overall, this revolver is in Very Good-plus condition as Antique.

Mechanics: 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 on the side for rimfires or in the middle for center-fire conversions such as this one.

This example is an 1861 Navy Percussion Range Richards-Mason Conversion. The revolver is in quite good shape for its age, especially mechanically. As more modern cartridge guns became available, many of these conversions made their ways to parts of the world which were less advanced, and they typically saw rough use and poor maintenance once they got there. 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 is a nice find for collectors and will add to Colt and early cartridge revolver collections. Please see our photos and good luck!