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LOT 1124
Rare and Historic Documented Prototype Colt Model 1878 Flattop Target Double
Action Revolver Serial Number 1 as Pictured and Identified in The Book of Colt
Firearms - Serial no. 1, 45 Long Colt cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., bright finish, walnut grips.
Rock Island Auction Company is pleased to present the factory prototype Colt Model
1878 Flattop Target Double Action Revolver, serial number 1. Once part of the famed
Robert Sutherland collection, this prototype is pictured and identified in Wilson’s “The
Book of Colt Firearms” on pages 316 and 334.
Designed by William Mason and Charles Brinckerhoff, Colt’s factory manager and
Superintendent of Engineering, the Model 1878 revolver was intended to be a double
action alternative to Colt’s legendary Single Action Army revolver. With 51,210 being
produced, the 1878 was never nearly as popular as its single action cousin; however,
there were still many that favored it in the West for its firepower, including Captain Jack
Crawford, who replaced Buffalo Bill Cody as “Chief of Scouts” shortly after the Battle
of Little Bighorn. Flattop target variations of the Model 1878 are extreme rarities in
Colt collecting. As pointed out by celebrated Colt historian and author R.L. Wilson, “An
extremely limited number of revolvers had adjustable (windage) rear sights, topstraps
without grooves—and flat, and German silver blade front sights inserted in an iron base
and secured by a screw; iron blades also known” (“The Book of Colt Firearms,” page 331).
By 1888 target shooting had gained a very popular following in Great Britain, and Colt
was eager to cash in on the sport. The Model 1878 had already established itself as a
capable target revolver. Renowned marksman Walter Winans had used a standard fixed
sight example in early 1885 to win his first match at Wimbledon. Some of the first Model
1878 target revolvers were ordered by Colt’s London Agent Frederick von Oppen and
arrived in England in 1889. Today, these target models are nearly impossible to find, let
alone a prototype.
This prototype revolver is left in the white and is fitted with an adjustable German silver
blade front sight secured to an iron base by a single screw and windage adjustable notch
rear sight mounted of the flat top strap. The barrel has the one-line Hartford address on
top and the caliber designation “45 COLT” on the left side. The serial number 1 appears
on the butt, loading gate, and rear cylinder face. The revolver wears a set of checkered
walnut grips and features a lanyard ring mounted on the butt.
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