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LOT 1153
Excellent Well-Documented, Historic Captain John R. Hegeman Jr. Shipped, Special Order Antique
Colt Bisley Flattop Target Model Single Action Army Revolver in Very Scarce .44 S&W Russian
Featured in “The Book of Colt Firearms” - Serial no. 169647, 44 S&W Russian cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl.,
blue finish, checkered walnut grips. The accompanying copy of a factory letter states this revolver was
shipped in a single gun shipment on May 10, 1898, to Captain John R. Hegeman Jr. of New York City, in .44
S&W caliber, with a 7 1/2 inch barrel, blue finish, and checkered walnut grips. This rare special order Colt
Bisley Flattop Target Model Single Action Army revolver, chambered for the .44 S&W Russian cartridge,
remains in excellent condition, and has an added bonus in that it was shipped to the well-known early 20th
century Colt collector Captain John Rogers Hegeman Jr. This exact revolver is featured on page 269 of “The
Book of Colt Firearms” (1971 publication) by Sutherland and Wilson. Colt Bisley Flattop Target Revolvers are
considered scarce, with only 976 in total reportedly manufactured, per page 268 of the aforementioned
book. This particular example is even more scarce in that it is one of only approximately 126 total of these
chambered for the .44 S&W Russian cartridge, per combined numbers on pages 104 and 112 of “The 36
Calibers of the Colt Single Action Army” (published 1965) by David Brown, with 64 known as factory recorded
in .44 S&W and 62 in .44 Russian, both believed to be the same .44 S&W Russian caliber recorded differently
in factory ledgers. The .44 S&W Russian caliber, which had already established an excellent record for
accuracy and reliability, was introduced into Single Action Army production in 1895, per page 132 of “A Study
of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver” (published 1976) by Graham, Kopec, and Moore.
Captain John Rogers Hegeman Jr. (1872-1923) is considered a pioneer in Colt firearms collecting. His
father was the president of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and had numerous business connections,
notably Colt, and oversaw the completion of the famous 700 foot Met Life Tower built at 1 Madison Avenue,
the tallest building from 1903-1913. Captain Hegeman served as one of the Metropolitan Life Insurance
Company’s assistant secretaries and directors. By the time of his death in 1923, the company was listed as
“The World’s Largest Life Insurance Company.”
According to "The Book of Colt Firearms" by
Wilson, only 976 Colt Bisley Flattop Target
Model Single Action revolvers were produced.