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LOT 3213
Highly Desirable
Colt Paterson Model 1839
Military Pattern Percussion
Revolving Carbine with Extremely
Rare Cavalry Sling Bar - Serial no. 761, 525 cal.,
24 1/4 inch part round bbl., blue finish, walnut stock.
Only around 950 of these important early Colt Model
1839 carbines are estimated to have been manufactured
in total by Samuel Colt’s Paterson, New Jersey, factory
c. 1838-1841. Of those, the U.S. Navy purchased 360, and
they are known to have been used during the Mexican-
American War. This Colt Paterson Model 1839 “Saddle Ring” or
“Slide Bar” carbine certainly fits the description of a military pattern
carbine that was adapted for a sling bar, secured to the plate on the left of
the wrist. At the time of writing, this carbine is one of only three known examples of
this type with the saddle bar, with the only other known examples, serial numbers 766 and
770 previously sold by Rock Island Auction, close to this example offered. In “Paterson Colt Pistol
Variations” by Philip R. Phillips with James E. Severn and R.L. Wilson, 100 Model 1839 Carbines are noted
as ordered in March of 1841 by the U.S. Ordnance Department (see page 93), and on March 29, 1841, a letter
from Pliny Lawton, Superintendent of the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co., wrote, “If these Carbines are to have
slides put on them for the belt I would advise that the inspection be deferred until that is done say one week
hence when all will be ready or say by Tuesday week Let me hear from you immediately.” (sic on page 177). The
authors also note, “No Paterson Colt arms have come to the attention of the authors equipped with belt hook
or slide devices.”The option of a carbine with a sling bar would help Colt compete with its main competitor for
innovative cavalry arms at the time: the breech loading Hall carbines which featured sling rings on the early
models, including a ring mounted on the left side of the wrist on the Model 1836 which was manufactured up to
1840, and then sling bars and rings on the left sides starting with the Model 1842. Pages 108 and 176 of “Paterson
Colt Pistol Variations” specifically discuss the fact that Colt’s revolving carbines were up against the Hall carbines in
government trials. In February 1841, multiple U.S. Navy officers provided glowing testimony concerning Colt’s patent
carbines in revolvers, and the carbine received especially favorable reviews after trials. Lieutenant Cicero Price, for example,
wrote, “I have only to say that the advantages of Colt’s carbine and pistol over the ship’s musket and pistol are so manifest, and so
great, that I hope soon to see them adopted altogether in the service. . .” However, once actually in service, the Patersons did not receive favorable reviews, and government orders ceased and thus brought about the termination of Colt’s first firearms business. The navy and army of the Republic of Texas purchased and utilized Colt’s advanced carbines, and these purchases led to Colt’s use of the Naval Battle
of Campeche as the scene on the Model 1851 Navy and subsequent models. R. L. Wilson wrote this model was “The most practical and popular of all Colts longarms from the Paterson period” and also indicated that Samuel Colt continued to sell and display this model into the 1850s. The Model 1839 is featured in multiple paintings by famous frontier artist George Catlin that were used to promote Colt’s early firearms. On top of being the best of the Paterson long guns, this model is also significant as one of the first practical repeating long
gun designs. There had been other repeating firearms in the past, but none of these were remotely as useful and many were unsuited to production on a large scale. This carbine is marked with matching serial number “761” on the inside of the loading lever, wedge, rear face of the barrel lug, back of the cylinder, cylinder arbor, hammer, hammer stirrup, trigger spring, rear face of the recoil shield, bottom of the upper tang, inside the upper stock channel, and inside of the saddle bar plate. Blade front and dovetail mounted notch rear sight. The right of the barrel is marked with the one-line legend “*Patent Arms M’g. Co. Paterson N.J.- Colt’s Pt.*” with snake terminals at either end of the marking. “COLT’S PATENT ARMS MAN’Y Patterson JERSEY” marked on the cylinder along with “W L ORMSBY”. The buttstock is fitted with a crescent iron buttplate.
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