Can you help?

holt2010 · May 8, 2009, 06:01 PM

Hey guys my relative has an old colt revolver. I do know that it is from the late 1800s but i dont know what year can you id that from the pictures i post? I couldnt get a good picture of the engraving on the barrel because i took them with my cell phone. It is a colt frontier and has an ivory handle, the handle is a yellow color but looks brown in the picture. Thanks

Dfariswheel · May 8, 2009, 07:28 PM

You need the serial number to ID the year made.

Check this web site for serial number ranges by year:

http://proofhouse.com/colt/

You can also call Colt during business hours and the they'll give you the date over the phone.
For more info, you have to buy a Colt Historical Letter which costs about $100.00.

Bill DeShivs · May 8, 2009, 07:32 PM

The gun has been poorly chrome plated, and I doubt the grips are ivory.
Even if the grips were ivory, they don't fit.

holt2010 · May 8, 2009, 08:28 PM

Its authentic. My cousin has called colt and got a folder full of information.

James K · May 8, 2009, 09:55 PM

What kind of information? The only thing you normally get from Colt is a single sheet of paper saying where the gun was shipped and when, with a description of the gun as it left the factory.

I have no way of knowing the gun's history, but it has been treated very badly. It looks like it was rusted, then the rust ground/polished off and the gun plated, probably with chrome, not nickel. Unless someone can prove it has historical connections of some kind, it has relatively little value. If the grips really are ivory, they would probably be worth more than the rest of the gun.

Jim

Model-P · May 9, 2009, 01:34 AM

From the pictures?
It is most certainly post-1896.
Serial number would narrow it down to pretty much the year.

Tom2 · May 9, 2009, 02:44 PM

Doug Turnbull could maybe make a nice gun out of it if you wanted to lay out the green he needs to get started.

May 8, 2009, 06:01 PM	#1
holt2010 Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2008 Posts: 103	Can you help? Hey guys my relative has an old colt revolver. I do know that it is from the late 1800s but i dont know what year can you id that from the pictures i post? I couldnt get a good picture of the engraving on the barrel because i took them with my cell phone. It is a colt frontier and has an ivory handle, the handle is a yellow color but looks brown in the picture. Thanks Last edited by holt2010; May 8, 2009 at 06:04 PM. Reason: add more pictures

May 8, 2009, 07:32 PM	#3
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,984	The gun has been poorly chrome plated, and I doubt the grips are ivory. Even if the grips were ivory, they don't fit. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

May 9, 2009, 02:44 PM	#7
Tom2 Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 5,676	Doug Turnbull could maybe make a nice gun out of it if you wanted to lay out the green he needs to get started. __________________ Your gun is like your nose, it is just wrong for someone else to pick it for you!

May 8, 2009, 07:28 PM	#2
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	You need the serial number to ID the year made. Check this web site for serial number ranges by year: http://proofhouse.com/colt/ You can also call Colt during business hours and the they'll give you the date over the phone. For more info, you have to buy a Colt Historical Letter which costs about $100.00.

May 8, 2009, 08:28 PM	#4
holt2010 Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2008 Posts: 103	Its authentic. My cousin has called colt and got a folder full of information.

May 8, 2009, 09:55 PM	#5
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	What kind of information? The only thing you normally get from Colt is a single sheet of paper saying where the gun was shipped and when, with a description of the gun as it left the factory. I have no way of knowing the gun's history, but it has been treated very badly. It looks like it was rusted, then the rust ground/polished off and the gun plated, probably with chrome, not nickel. Unless someone can prove it has historical connections of some kind, it has relatively little value. If the grips really are ivory, they would probably be worth more than the rest of the gun. Jim

May 9, 2009, 01:34 AM	#6
Model-P Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2009 Posts: 727	From the pictures? It is most certainly post-1896. Serial number would narrow it down to pretty much the year.