Lot 3000
Documented Civil War U.S. Contract Washington Arsenal Colt Model 1860 Army Percussion Revolver with Colt Factory Letter. The accompanying factory letter lists this revolver with an 8 inch barrel in .44 caliber, blue and brass finishes and "wood" stocks when shipped to Lt. Col. G. D. Ramsay, Washington Arsenal Washington, D.C. on July 3, 1862, as part of a 1000 gun shipment. Also sated on the letter this piece was sold to the United States War Department. Factory records for Model 1860s are rarely found. Top of the barrel is marked "Address Col. Saml Colt New York U.S. America". Matching serial numbers "50669" marked on the bottom of the barrel, frame, trigger guard, butt, and cylinder. On the left side of the frame above the trigger guard is marked "Colt Patent". The cylinder is marked "Colt's Patent 50669 / Pat Sept 10th 1850". The back strap is faintly etched "Col. S. C. Taylor". The Colt Army Model 1860 is a muzzle-loaded cap & ball .44-caliber revolver used during the American Civil War made by Colt's Manufacturing Company. It was used as a side arm by cavalry, infantry, artillery troops, and naval forces. The Colt 1860 Army uses the same size frame as the .36 caliber 1851 Navy revolver. The frame is relieved to allow the use of a rebated cylinder that enables the Army to be chambered in .44 caliber. the barrel on the 1860 Army has a forcing cone that is visibly shorter than that of the 1851 Navy, allowing the Army revolver to have a longer cylinder. Another distinguishing feature of the Colt 1860 Army, first introduced on the Colt 1855 Sidehammer Revolver, is the "creeping" loading lever. More than 200,000 were manufactured from 1860 through 1873. Colt's biggest customer was the US Government with no less than 129,730 units being purchased and issued to the troops. The weapon was a single-action, six-shot weapon accurate up to 75 to 100 yards, where the fixed sights were typically set when manufactured. The rear sight was a notch in the hammer, only usable when the revolver was fully cocked. The Colt .44-caliber Army" Model was the most widely used revolver of the Civil War. It had a six-shot, rotating cylinder, and fired a 0.454-inch-diameter (11.5 mm) round spherical lead ball, or a conical-tipped bullet, typically propelled by a 30-grain charge of black powder, which was ignited by a small copper percussion cap that contained a volatile charge of fulminate of mercury (a substance that explodes upon being subjected to a sharp impact). The percussion cap, when struck by the hammer, ignited the powder charge. When fired, balls had a muzzle velocity of about 900 feet per second (274 meters/second), although this depended on how much powder one loaded it with. The unfluted cylinder was 'rebated,' meaning that the rear of the cylinder was turned to a smaller diameter than the front. The barrel was rounded and smoothed into the frame, as was the Navy Model. The frame, hammer, and rammer lever were case-hardened, the remainder blued; grips were of one-piece walnut; and the trigger guard and front grip strap were of brass while the backstrap was blued." A distinguishing feature of the Model 1860 was that its frame had no top strap, or no component running above the cylinder. Instead, its strength came from the lower frame and the massive fixed cylinder pin. This made the gun slimmer and lighter than its main competitor, the Remington Model 1858, but with a possible loss of strength. The fixed cylinder pin also meant that the barrel had to be removed in order to remove the cylinder, unlike the Model 1858, which only required you to remove the cylinder retaining pin. The Colt Factory Letter it states it was shipped to Lt. Col. G. D. Ramsay. George Douglas Ramsay, one of the oldest officers to serve the Union in active service, was born in Dumfries, Virginia, February 21, 1802; he was the son of a Scotsman who had established himself as a merchant in Alexandria. The family later moved to Washington. George was graduated from West Point in the class of 1820 and was commissioned a second lieutenant of artillery. In 1835 he transferred to the staff and was made captain in the Ordnance Department—a grade in which he would languish for more than a quarter-century, despite distinguished service in the command of a dozen arsenals. Ramsay was finally promoted major a few days after the fall of Fort Sumter and lieutenant colonel on August 3, 1861. He commanded the Washington arsenal from 1861 to 1863; during this time he became a favorite of President Lincoln because of his rectitude, breadth of intellect, and experience. Shortly after his promotion to colonel on June 1, 1863, a controversy developed concerning the appointment of a successor to Chief of Ordnance General James W. Ripley, who was about to retire after a half-century in the service of the United States. Lincoln favored Ramsay, but Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who had been irritated previously by Ramsay's independence (an attitude impossible for Stanton to tolerate), urged the appointment of a certain Captain George T. Balch. A compromise was eventually struck by the two without Ramsay's knowledge: he was installed as brigadier general and chief of ordnance to rank from September 15, 1863, but Balch called the signals. This humiliating arrangement came to an end a year later on September 12, 1864, when Ramsay was retired "for age." He continued to serve by special appointment, however, as inspector of arsenals and on other related duties until 1870, and was brevetted major general, U. S. Army, on March 13, 1865, for "long and faithful services in the army." After his retirement General Ramsay continued to make his home in Washington and was an active church member until his death on May 23, 1882. He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown. One of his sons, a graduate of the Naval Academy, rose to rear admiral, and two other sons were officers of the army. Caliber/ Gauge: .44 cal; Serial Number: 50669 Working Order: Firearm has not been tested; Background Check: Not Required; Keywords: Firearms, Guns; Ref: BD1433
- Provenance: Includes Colt Factory Letter.
- Dimensions: 8 in. barrel;
- Exhibited: ***FFL Required For All Firearms Manufactured After 1898: Out-of-State Buyers Firearms must be shipped through our 3rd Party Shipper Westside Mail Center and ALL Firearms Manufactured After 1898 must be shipped to a valid holder of a Federal Firearms License. BEFORE PLACING BIDS ON FIREARMS, CHECK YOUR STATE AND COUNTY LAWS TO VERIFY THE FIREARM IS LEGAL IN YOUR STATE. It is the Bidders responsibility to know or verify the legality of a specific Firearm or Magazine prior to placing any bids. FIREARMS UNABLE TO BE SHIPPED TO YOUR STATE WILL RESULT IN A REFUND MINUS A 25% RESTOCKING FEE AND SHIPPING COSTS IF APPLICABLE; Local Arizona Buyers MUST have a Valid ARIZONA ID with a Current Physical Address and MUST complete all necessary background and registration forms at Bradford's Auction Gallery Firearms Manufactured After 1898. ANY DENIED BACKGROUND CHECK WILL RESULT IN A REFUND MINUS A 25% RESTOCKING FEE ****;
- Circa: 1862
- Notes: George Douglas Ramsay was born in Dumfries, Virginia, on 21 February 1802,the son of a Scottish merchant who had been in business in Alexandria, Virginia, for some time. The family subsequently moved the short distance into Washington, D.C., and George entered the Military Academy in 1814 at the unusually early age of l2. He graduated six years later as the 26th man in the 31 man Class of 1820. Commissioned in the Corps of Light Artillery, he was assigned to the lst Artillery in 1821 when that branch was reorganized in to regiments. He served in various garrisons in New England and at Fort Monroe, Virginia, and on assignment with the Corps of Topographical Engineers. He was promoted first lieutenant in 1826 and became the adjutant of his regiment in 1833. In February, 1831 Ramsay was promoted captain, in which grade he was to serve for twenty-six years while commanding several arsenals and during his subsequent service in the Mexican War. He won a brevet majority for gallantry in the Mexican War and served as Chief Ordnance Officer of the Army commanded by Major General Zachary Taylor. He returned to peacetime responsibilities as the commandant of several arsenals until assigned to serve on the Ordnance Board on the eve of the Civil War. With the coming of that conflict, his rise, heretofore glacial, was relatively meteoric. He was made a major in April 1861, a lieutenant colonel in August of that same year, and a colonel in June 1863. When in September 1863, Ramsey was named to replace General Ripley, he was serving as Commandant of the Washington Armory. A friend of President Lincoln's, he was selected for his new post over the objections of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who had previously been irritated by Ramsay's independence, and who preferred the appointment of Captain George T. Balch (USMA 1851). A compromise was reached, though without Ramsay's knowledge. He was promoted to brigadier general and Chief of Ordnance, but Balch was given substantive charge of the Office, Chief of Ordnance. This increasingly unhappy arrangement continued for a year, during which time the policies of Ramsay's predecessor were followed virtually without alteration. Ramsay was a pleasant person, hopeful of providing satisfaction to his superiors and not unreceptive to new ideas in the weapons field. His tenure, however, was too short, and he could take little decisive action in this area. Emphasis continued to be placed on seeing to it that adequate supplies reached the soldier on the fighting front. Following continuing difficulties with Secretary Stanton and Capt. Balch, Ramsay was relieved of his post in September, 1864. He then was made Inspector of Arsenals, a post he held until June 1866. (Captain Balch was soon transferred to West Point as an instructor in ordnance, and resigned from the service as a brevet lieutenant colonel in 1865.) Ramsay's last assignment was as commander of the Washington Arsenal, from which post he retired in February 1870, at the age of 68. In 1865, he was brevetted a major general for long and faithful service to the Army. Following his retirement, he lived in Washington, and died there at age 80 in May 1882.
- Condition: This stunning Colt Model 1860 Army is in great condition for being 161 years old. This revolver shows signs of wear commensurate with age and use. Has an attractive mottled brownish grayish patina over most of the iron components, mixed with some very lightly flecked traces of original faded blue finish, mixed with prominent flecks of light surface oxidation and age discoloration. The case hardened frame has a dusky bluish-gray patina. The hammer and loading lever both have similar dark bluish gray patinas that match the frame well. The iron backstrap retains none of its original blue, and has a slightly grayer patina than the balance of the iron parts of the revolver. The brass grip strap and trigger guard have an attractive mustard patina. Barrel wedge does not have any visible markings. Grips do not show any signs of cartouches. Of particular note are 7 notches carved into the right grip, was this soldier keeping score? Please review the photos for full details and all markings.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $99 | $5 |
| $100 | $199 | $10 |
| $200 | $999 | $20 |
| $1,000 | $4,999 | $50 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $100 |
| $10,000 + | $200 |