Tag Archives: Napoleon III

Putting the ‘Navy’ in the 1851 Colt

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Samuel Colt launched his revolutionary revolver business in 1835 but within a decade started to see his products increasingly knocked off and the brand diluted by counterfeit and very much unlicensed clones.

Colt’s solution to helping make said cloning harder to pull off successfully was to introduce a series of scrollwork to his revolvers, specifically around the cylinder. His Model 1851, for example, had a naval scene.

Detail of Colt Model 1851, Serial No. 2, in the collection of the Met, note the naval combat scene on the cylinder. Some 215,348 Colt Navy models were produced. (Photo: The Met/Open Access Image)

But what naval scene was it?

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Poking around the Collector’s Corner

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Part of what I love about the annual NRA meetings is the almost hidden corner of the exhibit floor open to collector groups from across the country. Some of the pieces are so rare its doubtful you would see them repeated in a museum.

How about this pre-NFA Colt Military Model with combination holster stock?

Or this one presented to Adm. Charles O’Neil, head of the Bu Ord?

Just Napoleon III’s matching set of London Colt 1851s

A W.G. Armstrong British Gatling Gun.

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