Original Excellent U.S. Civil War Colt M1849 Pocket Percussion Revolver with 4″ Barrel & Cylinder Scene made in 1857 – Matching Serial 131258 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! This impressive example features Serial Number 131258 on the barrel, frame, cylinder, trigger guard, and grip frame, with shortened number 31258 on the barrel wedge, and 1258 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 nickel & silver plated brass grip frame, which shows no wear through at all!

The serial number indicates indicates the year of manufacture as 1857, 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 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 shows just a bit of peppering, and we cannot see any areas where it has flaked 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 closer to the forcing cone. 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 polished patina and a great cylinder scene, ready to display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1857
Caliber: .31cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 4 inches
Overall Length: 9 inches
Action: Single Action Percussion
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country’s antique gun laws prior to ordering.