This is a nice Colt 1849 pocket revolver with smooth metal, sharp markings, visible cylinder scene, good grips, crisp action, some thin blue and case color, and traces of silver on the triggerguard. It has a four-inch barrel and matching serial number 161709 throughout, giving it an 1860 date of manufacture. The pistol is complete and all original.

The octagon barrel has a correct two-line “Address Saml. Colt / New York City” address used for the serial number range. The front sight is in place. The lettering is distinct. The barrel shows some faint blue mixed with steel gray, and lighter lines along the raised edges on the upper side, with stronger blue evident on the underside of the barrel. The loading assembly is intact had shows some thin faded case color on the lever hinge, which shows on the frame and hammer as well. The stagecoach-robbery scene, Colt patent and serial number on the cylinder are all very good. The cylinder shows faded color, though a little lighter from handling and with a drag line around the stops. The “Colts / Patent” frame marking is sharp. The backstrap shows aged brass with a medium tone from handling, but the triggerguard still shows thin tarnished silver on the bottom of the bow and forward. The screw slots are not gouged up. The grips have nice color, varnish, few handling marks, and a tight fit to the frame.

The Colt pocket revolver was Colt’s most popular percussion pistol and came in standard 4, 5, and 6-inch barrel lengths. A successor to the “baby dragoon,” the .31 caliber revolver was a scaled-down version of the .36 caliber 1851 belt or Navy revolver. Hartford production ran to some 340,000 from 1850 to 1873 and London added another 11,000. The weapon was popular with gold-miners, travelers, and Civil War officers, who found a .31 Caliber revolver effective for their needs and a lot lighter to carry, as did a few enlisted men who brought them from home or received them as gifts from well-meaning relatives and friends, to the consternation of their officers.     [SR]

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