Page 190 - 4093-BOOK1

LOT 176
Outstanding Colt Model 1855 Percussion Half-Stock Sporting Rifle Attributed as Formerly of the U.S.
Cartridge Company Collection - Serial no. 3177, 44 cal., 24 inch part octagon bbl., brown/blue finish, deluxe
checkered walnut stock. Only around 1,000-1,500 Model 1855 Half-Stock Sporting Rifles were manufactured
between around 1857 to 1864. Most of these half-stock rifles had barrels under 30 inches. This rifle is one
of only 250 .44 caliber sporting rifles with 24 inch barrels per the charts on page 182 “The Book of Colt
Firearms” by Wilson and one of 800 total .44 caliber sporting rifles. For rarity comparison, 12,075 .56 caliber
revolving cylinder longarms were made by Colt in the same period. This incredibly high condition example
has a dovetailed German silver blade front sight, slide adjustable notch rear sight, the two-line address and
patent markings on the top strap with a hole through the year, the 1850 patent marking in one of the cylinder
flutes, the scrolling trigger guard, the matching serial number visible on the frame, lower tang, and toe of the
buttplate; “1568” stamped on the right side of the wrist (believed to be an inventory number from the U.S.
Cartridge Company Collection), German silver forend cap and slide escutcheons, and multi-point checkered
deluxe walnut buttstock with blued rifle buttplate and the rod extension in the compartment.
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