[akawildfire]

Hi. I found these 3 guns in a old attic and was wondering if anyone could tell me anything about them.. The first one (the long barrell) is stamped "patented in 1850"??. Sorry, I Don't know anything about guns....

gun long 1:
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/7348/gunlong1.jpg
gun long 2:
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/8062/gunlong2.jpg
gun flat:
http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/8573/gunflat1.jpg
gun silver:
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9163/gunsilver.jpg

 

[Mooseman684]

Look very carefully for any writing on the guns, barrels especially for a manufacturers name...
The first looks like an old cap and ball Colt or Remington, the last 2 look like old top break Iver Johnson or Smiths...

 

[ChaZam]

The first 2 pics appear to be a very old colt (or copy) as it has the open top frame.

 

[SUBMOA]

The last one ,the silver handgun looks very similar to a top break .32 cal. iver johnson my father used to have. couldnt say more without closer look.

 

[Mooseman684]

Advise....PLEASE , do NOT attempt to clean those guns any more than with a rag with light oil on it...NO Sandpaper, No steel wool, No Steel Brushes, etc.
If The first and second one are collector pieces, Leave them Just as they are to Hold any Value they may have as antiques. They may be very valuable so you dont want to ruin any value they might have.
Rich

 

[Kodiak32]

I thought the 1st one looked like a colt 1860 army or reproduction.

I agree with Mooseman, dont mess with them. Find some one locally who can appraise/ identify them.

 

[.22guy]

Some pretty neat looking pistols you have there! Congrats on the find!

 

[akawildfire]

Advise....PLEASE , do NOT attempt to clean those guns any more than with a rag with light oil on it...NO Sandpaper, No steel wool, No Steel Brushes, etc.
If The first and second one are collector pieces, Leave them Just as they are to Hold any Value they may have as antiques. They may be very valuable so you dont want to ruin any value they might have.
Rich

Thanks.. I defiantly won't be cleaning them I will leave that for the collector/buyer.. I've searched the net for awhile today and found out the long barrell gun is a 1850 Blackpowder Colt 45 which ranges in value anywhere from $300-$20,000. 1 sold about a month ago at a firearm auction for right under $1,100 which resembles the condition of mine.( I doubt it's a reproduction because of the numbers engraved on the gun but then again I have no idea).. I still haven't found out anything on the other 2 except for what was provided above....
Thanks to everyone for their information they have provided so far.

 

[Para Cassatt]

You have some interesting guns there. A cowboy action shooter/collector may be helpful in evaluating 1 & 3 and a perhaps a S&W collector for gun 2. I believe there has been a recent thread about the latter in the S&W forum here with a pic.

 

[Mooseman684]

Can you read the serial number on the Colt ?
It may be an 1851 third 0r 4th model model...since Colt only has an 1849 model or an 1851 model , there was no 1850 model.
What caliber is it ? or what is the muzzle diameter Measurement ?
Rich

 

[hack1911]

Thanks.. I defiantly won't be cleaning them I will leave that for the collector/buyer.. I've searched the net for awhile today and found out the long barrell gun is a 1850 Blackpowder Colt 45 which ranges in value anywhere from $300-$20,000. 1 sold about a month ago at a firearm auction for right under $1,100 which resembles the condition of mine.( I doubt it's a reproduction because of the numbers engraved on the gun but then again I have no idea).. I still haven't found out anything on the other 2 except for what was provided above....
Thanks to everyone for their information they have provided so far.

That first one I'm almost certain is a 1860 Army, manufactured by Colt. I've never heard of a 1850 Colt. Pretty sure the last one is a Smith&Wesson, not sure of the model. No idea on the middle one.

 

[frenchy]

Welcome akawildfire those are WONDERFUL attic finds!!! I'll bet they made your heart race! :eek2:
frenchy

 

[samuel]

Colt Army Model 1860 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ,,,The second one is some form of singleshot.I have no idea.The top break is an Iver Johnson/H&R revolver made in multiple cals.You should be able to match it on gun brokers and get a price.

 

[SwedeSteve]

Nice find. Thanks for sharing the pics !!

 

[mitchr]

Congratulations! Another thing you might do, but probably very difficult, is to try to trace back though the ownership. Being owned by a well known person will greatly increase their value.

 

[chesterwin]

Going by the nipple cutout on the side of the frame of the first revolver, I think it's a 4th model Colt Navy of 1851.

 

[samuel]

The 1860Army used the same frame as the 1851Navy except it was relieved to allow the .44cal rebated cylinder.What cal is it anyway?

 

[chesterwin]

Samuel. We don't know the caliber. I think it's the 4th model 1851 because of the way the cut is where the caps are put on the nipples. I'm using "The Book of Colt Firearms" as my reference and the 1851 4th is the only one shown with that particular cut. I think you're right about the same frames being used on the 1860, 1861 and 1862 models, and maybe more.

 

[Kodiak32]

I could be wrong but I thought that the Colt 1851 models had an octagonal barrel even thru the 4th model. I dont know, did the very late 4th models use the same barrel style as the 1860 Army and 1861 Navy? The Colt 1851 was in production until around 1873.

The 1860 was based on the 1851 frame, Colt engineers worked on a .44 caliber revolver that would be acceptable in both terms of weight and penetration as a replacement for the 3rd model Dragoon. The M1860 Army was produced until 1872,

Hopefully we can get some more information from the original poster.

Colt Navies 1851 and 1861:
http://armscollectors.com/mgs/colts_navies_part_1.htm

Colt 1851:
http://www.antiquearmsinc.com/colt-...olt-4th-model-hartford-new-york-civil-war.htm

Various Colt Models including 1860 Army:
http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/admin/show_inventory.php?catID=13&subcatID=151

 

[chesterwin]

According to my book, most 1851 navies had octogon barrels. It does have a photo of the distinct notch like photo 2 of the OP. The gun in that photo has a round barrel. If I had the book with me I'd post the page number. I'll try to remember to do that tomorrow.