Make: Colt

Model: 1851 Navy, London Model "Hartford-London"

Serial Number: 40762

Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1855-1857 (“’51 Colt Navies”, Swayze)

Caliber: .36 Caliber Cap and Ball

Action Type: Single Action Percussion Revolver

Barrel Length: 7 1/2″, Octagonal

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a metal post threaded to the barrel at the muzzle. The rear sight is a “V” notch in the nose of the hammer, visible when cocked.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grip is one-piece antique ivory, showing discoloration from age. The grip is generally shy to the metal, it is not clear if this is from shrinkage or fitment. There is some scattered cracking, most notable on the left toward the top-front. There are small losses at some corners, most notable at the bottom-rear on the right. Overall, the grip is in Good-Very Good condition as Antique and not original to the gun.

Type of Finish: Blued & Case Color

Finish Originality: Original. Numbered parts match, the cylinder arbor is not serial marked.

Bore Condition: The bore is gray with well defined rifling. There is light-moderate erosion and pitting scattered through the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates about 4 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This revolver retains about 3% of its metal finish. The surfaces have mostly worn to white or gone to a light patina. There is a little case color on the top of the loading lever and infrequent blue in very well protected areas. The wedge-screw hole is stripped, the screw is retained by the wedge. The left barrel indexing stud is broken off the front of the frame. One of the safety studs is present on the rear of the cylinder, the other five are worn or sheared off. The cylinder arbor shows polishing and tool marks. There are tool marks around the wedge on each side of the barrel and on each end of the wedge. There is scattered light oxidation and erosion. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly disfigured with usable slots. The markings are generally clear, the naval scene on the cylinder is worn and incomplete. Overall, this revolver is in Good condition as Antique.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The barrel has some play to the frame. We have not fired this revolver. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.

Our Assessment: The Colt 1851 Navy revolver was produced by Colt until 1873 when Colt introduced cartridge revolvers. It got its name from the Navy battle scene on the cylinder that Colt added to commemorate the victory of the Second Texas Navy at the Battle of Campeche in 1843. The 1851 was also part of Colt’s plan to expand sales overseas. Samuel Colt himself took several hundred revolvers with him to the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London. In an effort to make it more cost-effective, and less tax-intensive, to sell his revolvers in England, he would establish Colt’s London Armory which would produce 1851 revolvers from 1853 to 1857.

The earliest examples, known as "Early Londons", were assembled from parts produced in Hartford. This allowed fitters and finishers to be trained more quickly as the London factory tooled up to actually begin producing parts. The middle production guns were all London-made, known as "London-Londons". The latest guns, such as this example, are known as a “Hartford-Londons” among collectors, with a mix of parts produced in Hartford and in London. There is some speculation as to the reason for this, likely because Colt didn't believe that they would see long-term success in the English market, so they wound down London production while still assembling and selling the guns as "English" made revolvers.

This revolver's Colt’s London barrel address has the same text as the London-made barrels, but has straight dashes to each side rather than arrows, indicative of a Hartford-made barrel for the London factory. The barrel and cylinder have British proof marks, but the gun otherwise appears to have been made with Hartford-produced parts.

This example shows its age, but retains matching serialized parts, though the cylinder arbor's serial marking is missing. The scarcity of this revolver is enhanced by the fact that there are certainly fewer in America today than were originally produced for the London market, and possibly fewer than remained in Europe. This example would make a great addition to a Colt collection, especially if it is focused on Colt’s Model 1851 variations. Please see our photos and good luck!