Here is a seldom-seen, original Model 1861 Colt Navy Revolver in good overall condition that became the successor to the ever popular 1851Colt Navy Revolver.  One of only some 39,000 such sidearms ever produced by Samuel Colt’s firm, the .36 caliber Model 1861 Navy was the streamlined version of the Colt M1851 Navy, a premier medium caliber handgun. Sam Colt designated the term ‘Navy’ to imply the caliber (.36) of the weapon.  The ‘1861 Navy’ is considered by many to be the most attractive of all the Colt percussion handguns made.   

Manufactured sometime in the 4^th quarter of 1865, this model is a good example of a personal sidearm that saw just limited use during the very last months of the American Civil War. A handsome pistol, it bears no government cartouches or inspector stampings on the body, as usually found. Entire sidearm has seen cleaning, especially the barrel. Serial number #26875” is marked on all components, i.e. barrel, frame, triggerguard, butt strap, cylinder, wedge and spline. With a .36 caliber, six-shot cylinder capacity, this type of cap and ball percussion revolver was produced in Colt’s NYC facility from 1861 through 1873. Revolver features a round 7½” long barrel with attached creeping style loading lever.  Barrel has a thin maker address marking that reads “ADDRESS COL SAM’L COLT NEW YORK U.S. AMERICA CT.” Mechanics are tight with strong half cock and full cock positions. 

Unrebated cylinder scene has a light roll-engraved naval engagement scene between the Republic of Texas Navy and the Mexican Navy. Cylinder exhibits a light gray patina with a light sheen and a number of small dings.  All cylinder pins are flat and hammered down as normally found. The six original nipples are strong with no breaks or broken sections. A nice, clear “COLTS PATENT” appears on the left side of frame while the trigger guard exhibits “.36 CAL” on the left shoulder of the trigger guard strap. Original screws are good with a few just slightly buggered.  Original, one-piece unvarnished walnut grips are in very good condition with just very slight shrinkage at the bottom edge corners. Brass butt strap is in good condition but does have a number of dents and dings to its surface.  Butt plate has no notch to accommodate a shoulder stock. Exterior surface of the metal exhibits a dusky gray coloring with scattered patches of light peppering overall. A scarce Colt Model 1861 Navy .36 caliber revolver.

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