The Spiller & Burr Revolver

[Hawg]

You gotta be kiddin.

[pohill]

I saw the gun in the case, saw the word "Whitney" on the tag, and asked to see it. I looked it over real well and couldn't see any Italian proofmarks or anything except "E.Whitney N.Haven" on the barrel. The salesman said it was a repro, and the reason there were no marks was that it was made in the 50's, a "pre-Italian repro." Price: $350.00
I think I melted my credit card when I ripped it out of my wallet.
Now, this store, Kittery Trading Post, has zillions of guns. My point is that this gun fooled their "experts" the wrong way.
I'd like to bring the Spiller & Burr to someone who can tell me more about it, but who? Who can you trust?

[Riot Earp]

I plan on attending the Baltimore Antique Arms Show in March. I doubt they will have a Spiller & Burr -- they are very rare -- but if they do, I want to handle it. I am guessing that the grip on the originals is more comfortable than the grip on the Italian replicas, but I want to know for sure. Insignificant things like this interest me for no good reason.

[Hawg]

I'd like to bring the Spiller & Burr to someone who can tell me more about it, but who? Who can you trust?

Send an email with good pics to [email protected] Rafe is a Civil War expert and dealer. He does appraisals for Antiques Roadshow. He knows his stuff. I know him personally and he'll tell you like it is whether you like it or not.

[Smokin_Gun]

I should have listened to you years ago about the S&B, I lke the B-gees out a mine. My favorite .36 and a C.S.A. ta boot (although I'd trade ya for that Yankee Whitney) Thanks to you I have my Rogers& Spencer from the Kittery, and got an ROA cause a you. They got along very well with my Remingtomn family. Sophia A. Uberti still being the Qeen of the house and well protected.
Original or not and I have one I am still not sure of myself (an 1862 Colt Pocket Police that I was told it an original) will post so any experts can verify or let me know the differance. I like the heck out of it and that's all that matters, but verification would be pleasing to the eyes. All numbers are in all the right places & matching including font and depth. SN & Address: SN96656
~ ADDRESS SAM L COLT HARTFORD CONN ~
SPILLER&BURR #78(SA0078)

COLT 1862 POCKET POLICE SN96656



The Serial Numbers I am told sometimes continued from one model Colt to another, (ex. 1861 Navy sn96655 to an 1862 Pocket Police sn96656. But I don't know so I am askin'... if anyone can trace this number to anything I'd apreciated you lettin' me know.

Thanks,

SG

[Hawg]

The last serial number listed for the pocket police is 47001 in 1873.

[Indian Outlaw]

I wonder if any S&Bs went out West after the war. I guess less than 1500 were made(?), but I want to think that at least a handful of S&B owners joined in the westward migration. Such a gun would have drawn attention from across a campfire, to say the least.

[Riot Earp]

This S&B was used in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) during the War and most likely remained there with its owner (General Cooper) after the cessation of hostilities.

http://www.civilwaralbum.com/indian/ohs6.htm

There is a minor error on the webpage, regarding the "frame" of the gun. I sent a short e-mail to the Oklahoma Historical Society.

[Cimarron Lawman]

Was gonna place an order today, but Dixie ain't open on Saturdays. Rats.

Aww ... ain't it cute?
http://www.chipengelmann.com/Grips/PaladinUK01.jpg

[pohill]

I'd like to visit the Oklahoma Historical Society. Nice pics.

I've been here - http://www.museumofcthistory.org/colt.asp
They have quite a few prototypes that Colt never put into production - a Dragoon with a top strap, a revolving .70 caliber rifle that was too big to carry, stuff like that. Original cased Patersons, original Walkers, etc. Great place.

But I've yet to see one of these in any museum (if anyone has one or knows someone who does, get in touch with me and we can swap info):

[Riot Earp]

On the subject of Whitneys ...

http://www.antiqueguns.com/auction/i...s/robles-35931

[Cimarron Lawman]

I just read Colonel Burton's Spiller & Burr Revolver at a local college library. Production of the S&B was severely hampered by a dearth of skilled workmen. Also of note: during the final month of production, in July of 1864, nearly half of the 92 revolvers produced had steel (not iron) cylinders. They had received a shipment of steel sometime in June. A high percentage of twisted iron cylinders were failing during factory testing, and so they were eager to receive the steel shipment. Sherman's Army was encroaching on the city of Macon, however, and the S&B's workmen were called upon to help defend the city. This effectively ended production of the revolver.

[pohill]

I like the price of that Whitney - not as a buyer but as a seller.
They say that the Spiller & Burr was a Whitney copy but I never figured out what Whitney model they copied. I think mine is a 2nd Model, 3rd type. Here's a pic of the Whitney and the repro Spiller & Burr (yup, I called it a repro). Note the cylinders in the next pic (Whitney on right).
What's interesting about the Whitneys is that the frames are made of iron - that's why they turn that plumb brown (from what I've been told - I still can't tell steel from iron)




This is the trigger guard before I cleaned it up. Note the Whitney Eagle off to the left of the numbers.

[arcticap]

I'm wondering if when the hammer is cocked on the Whitney,
it blocks out the front sight?
It sort of looks like it would in the auction pictures, or is the
uppermost tip of the hammer used for aiming?



http://www.antiqueguns.com/auction/i...s/robles-35931

[pohill]

There's a notch in the hammer on mine for sighting.
Here's mine being fired last summer:

[Smokin_Gun]

pocket police is 47001 in 1873

Thanks Hawg, I can rest easy now ... the suspence was killin' me

Were'd ya find that, and can you run a trace on Euroarms/ASP or ASM SN 96656? Or tell me where I might look, I'm purdy seacrched out on that number.

Thanks Man,

SG

[Hawg]

You can look up Colt, Browning and Winchester numbers at proofhouse http://proofhouse.com/

Italian guns don't go by serial numbers, they go by date codes. You can look them up at bluebook. http://store.bluebookinc.com/Info/PD...Proofmarks.pdf

[Riot Earp]

The following is an excerpt from from http://www.7thtexas.info/english/arms_in_7th_texas.htm :

For infantry officers the standard armament consisted of a revolver and a saber. However, sources do not reveal which models were used in the 7th Texas, with one exception: In 1864 several of the regiment's officers purchased Spiller & Burr revolvers from the army's arsenal in Macon, Georgia. Spiller & Burr made a copy of the Whitney cal. .36 "Navy" revolver, with a brass frame. Generally speaking, though, Colt and Colt-copies were the most common revolvers in the CS army, and infantry officers tended to prefer cal. .36 ("Navy") models. Thus, chances are that some of these would have been used by officers in the 7th Texas Infantry.

Assuming that they weren't surrendered to Union troops, one or more of these S&Bs might have returned with their owners to Texas after the War.

Here's a Western short story that is relevant to this thread:
http://www.deltablues.net/west1.html

[Indian Outlaw]

Interesting that they preferred .36s over .44s

Nice story. An ivory-gripped Spiller & Burr'sie? A bit of narrative license there. Ha ha.

Cimmaron Lawman, you can order 24/7 from Dixie via their webpage. I hope they have at least three in stock (one fer me & two fer you).

[Riot Earp]

Real or replica?

[Indian Outlaw]

Real.

[sundance44s]

Nice

[Riot Earp]

Looks real, right?

It's a replica. At least, that's what Heritage Auction Galleries claimed. It sold for a whopping $51.00 U.S.

[Hawg]

In my opinion it's real. If it's a clone who made it?

[Riot Earp]

I'm not sure. The top of the barrel reads: "1861 E. Whitney .36 Caliber"

I want a replica but have heard that the Palmettos are junk. I wish Pietta and/or Uberti would make one. I think they would sell.