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LOT 1043
Rare and Historic Documented Ainsworth Inspected Prime U.S. 7th Cavalry
Range “Lot Six”/New York Militia Colt Cavalry Model Single Action Army Revolver
with Family History and John Kopec Letter - Serial no. 6474, 45 LC cal., 7 1/2 inch
round bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut grips. This early production U.S. contract
Cavalry Model Colt Single Action Army was sub-inspected by Orville W. Ainsworth. The
revolver was examined by noted Colt historian and author John Kopec, and he recorded
his observations in the included silver seal letter of authentication. The revolver no.
6474 was previously listed in Kopec’s survey and falls between nos. 6472 (an Artillery
revolver) and 6476 (an Artillery component) in the survey. The revolver was not located
in the records held at the National Archives but falls between nos. 6413 issued to the
2nd Cavalry and 6547 issued to the 5th Cavalry as noted in the National Archives records.
Kopec noted that our subject revolver is Lot Six, “one of the ‘prime’ lots from which those
revolvers that had been issued to the 7th Cavalry were drawn. These issues were made
from Fort Abraham Lincoln to these troopers just prior to their departure into the Black
Hills on July 2nd, 1874.” A total of 921 Colts were shipped to the 7th Cavalry from the
Rock Island Arsenal in 1874. Of those, approximately 300 were from Lot Six. The revolver
(no. 6474) is closely related to a cylinder (no. 6450) recovered at the Custer battlefield
circa 1978. Also of note is revolver nos. 6559 which is documented as “Rendered
unserviceable at the Little Bighorn c. 1876.” On page 28 of “Colt Cavalry and Artillery
Revolvers” by John A. Kopec and H. Sterling Fenn, this specific revolver is listed by serial
number as being one of the Ainsworth New York Militia Revolvers. The authors state,
“Most have not yet been discovered.” This makes this already highly desirable Custer Era
Ainsworth Colt Cavalry SAA even more desirable. In the included letter of authentication
Kopec provided additional details specially related to this revolver. He stated, “The
grips fitted to this revolver required our special analysis. First of all, these grips were
exchanged during the 1895 refurbishing with a used set of grips from a Cavalry revolver
bearing the partial serial #1134. Then during the refurbishing, these grips were given
the complete serial number 6474 of our subject revolver. No ordnance inspector’s
cartouches were applied to these grips. After being issued to a N.Y. Militia unit these
grips were stamped with a unit identification marking and a ‘rack-position’ number. After
being released to the public their new owner obliterated these grip markings.”
Additional history on this revolver is gleamed from an accompanying December 3, 1994
dated letter of provenance from A. Mark Horvat. In this typed written and notarized
letter Horvat stated that the revolver listed by serial number had been in his family
for 75-80 years. The revolver was given to his grandfather by a Hungarian emigrant
during the Ludlow Massacre that took place during the coal mine strikes near Trinidad,
Colorado, in 1914.
LISTED BY SERIAL NUMBER IN THE
BOOK COLT CAVALRY & ARTILLERY
REVOLVERS ...A CONTINUING
STUDY BY KOPEC AND FENN
48