Original Excellent U.S. Civil War Colt M1849 Pocket Percussion Revolver with 4″ Barrel & Cylinder Scene made in 1856 – Matching Serial 118420 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The Colt “Pocket Percussion” Model 1849 revolvers in .31cal are essentially scaled down versions of the larger Navy Model 1851 in .36cal, and were developed concurrently. This is an excellent example, definitely one of the best that we have EVER had! We only see examples this good every few years, and even then they rarely still have as much of the original finish that this example has. This impressive example features Serial Number 118420 on the barrel, frame, cylinder, trigger guard, and grip frame, with shortened number 18420 on the barrel wedge, and 8420 on the loading rammer and cylinder arbor pin. This makes this a very desirable “ALL MATCHING” example of the M1849 Pocket revolver, without any parts swapped out over the years, and it’s a great one! It even still has a good amount of the nickel plating on the brass grip frame, which we almost never see!

The serial number indicates indicates the year of manufacture as 1856, only a few short years before the start of the U.S. Civil War, so it almost certainly saw service during the conflict. Five shot percussion, .31 caliber with a 4″ barrel, and is in nice tight condition with a very nice worn blued finish on the barrel and cylinder, and some of the case hardening on the frame is still visible. The grip frame and trigger guard show a lovely tarnished patina. Additionally, over 90% of the original “Stagecoach Robbery” cylinder engraving can still be seen, which is usually completely worn away. The COLT’S PATENT marking is almost fully intact as well. Often we see these with the markings completely removed from the cylinder, so this is a real treat!

The Colt early two line address is marked in two lines across the top of the octagonal barrel, and is still crisp with no wear:-

ADDRESS SAML COLT
NEW YORK CITY

It also has the correct crisp COLTS PATENT on the left frame under the cylinder, though there is no “31CAL” marking on the trigger guard, which is not uncommon. The walnut grips are in excellent condition, with a lovely color and very little damage or wear. They still have about 95% of the original “Piano Varnish” finish that was applied to these at the factory, with just some light wear on the bottom corners where usually seen. The plating on the grip frame is still retained at about 40%, which is usually almost completely worn away.

The revolver functions just about flawlessly, with solid indexing and a firm cylinder lockup. We did not notice any of the usual finicky behavior we often see with revolvers of this age. The barrel to frame connection is solid, with no wobble we can detect. The bore is in very good condition, with a mostly bright finish showing clear lands and grooves, with a bit of past fouling and oxidation in a few areas. It’s very rare to see a percussion era revolver with a bore this good! The brass front sight is still present and in very good condition, with just a bit of wear on the top. All five cap nipple cones are clear, showing light oxidation and fouling on the exterior from use.

This is a lovely ’49 Pocket dating from just before the Civil War, a great acquisition for any collection. In excellent condition with a lovely lightly worn look and a great cylinder scene, ready to display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1856
Caliber: .31cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 4 inches
Overall Length: 9 inches
Action: Single Action Percussion
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver

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