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and cylinder. The trigger, top of the hammer, loading gate, and screw heads have a fire blue finish. The sides of the hammer and trigger are polished bright. The lanyard loop is casehardened. The checkered walnut grips have the bird’s head profile and have a piano varnish finish. Colt factory cutaway revolvers are extremely rare.
CONDITION: Excellent with 85% plus of the bright original high polish blue finish. Most of the finish wear consists of light scratches on the ejector housing, top strap, bottom of the trigger guard and back strap; the frame, cylinder and barrel show only light finish wear. Nearly all of the fire blue finish is present on the hammer, loading gate, and trigger. The grips are also in excellent condition with sharp checkering and retain nearly all of the original varnish. Mechanically
excellent. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own only the second production Colt Model 1878 DA revolver in exceptional condition!
Provenance: The David Woloch Collection; Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 18,000 - 30,000
142
LOT 126
Exceptional, Historic, Documented Factory Cut-Away Colt Model 1878 Double Action Revolver Serial Number 2 -
Serial no. 2, 45 Long Colt cal., 5 1/2 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. This revolver is referenced by R.L Wilson in
“The Book of Colt Firearms” where he notes: “Cutaways appear on the M Hammerless gun, page 330 (B) and on Serial #2,
#3, #1248, #3033, and #30327 in the Connecticut State Library collection”. In “Colt’s Double-Action Revolver Model of 1878,” author Don Wilkerson states that six Colt Model 1878 DA revolvers were discovered during research and that serial number 1 was in the Museum of Connecticut History. He further states: “Serial numbers 2 and 3 are also known to be cutaways,
but were not personally examined by the author. It is assumed that these three cutaway revolvers were assembled within their own serial number range.” The revolver is cut away on the left side of the frame and side plate. The cuts appear nearly identical to Model 1878 cutaway serial number 1 illustrated on page 333 of “Colt’s Double Action Revolver”. The top of the barrel of serial number 2 has the roll-stamped dual Hartford/London address, and lacks caliber markings on the barrel and trigger guard. The serial numbers are stamped on the butt ahead of the lanyard loop and on the rear face of the loading gate. “2” is faintly penciled on the inside of both grips. It has the Colt high polish commercial blue finish on the barrel, frame,
SIMILAR EXAMPLE SERIAL NUMBER 1 PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN COLT'S DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER, MODEL OF 1878 BY WILKERSON