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**********Indian Wars Colt 1860 .44 Army Revolver – Marked US with Cattle Brands added********* : Auction-jsanderson-715

Auction Information


Inventory Number 6911431786
Seller jeffanderson (35)
Seller's Location Grove City, OH
Home Page AG
Shipping Weight 8 lbs
Packing and Materials $35.00
Views 1484

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ESTIMATED RETAIL VALUE: $2,000.00

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Buy it now price:$1,860.00

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$1,860.00

Auction Description

This Civil War Colt 1860 .44 Caliber Percussion Revolver was US Armory refurbished for the Indian Wars, rare matching serial numbers, and great bunkhouse cattle brand carvings

This is one of the rare Colt 1860s selected to be overhauled at a government armory after the Civil War for use by the post-war cavalry. The early Indian Wars were not fought with the famous Colt Single Action Army cavalry .45 cartridge revolver – The early Indian Wars through 1874 were fought with these Civil War era percussion .44 six-shooters. This one is in better than usual condition for these Indian War Colt .44s – and it retains matching serial numbers unlike most of these. The action is strong and the barrel rifling is sharp and the edges crisp.

A later cowboy user carved cattle brands into the wood grips, and this is one of the most charming features of this gun. I really like these Colts that have seen several "lives" and this one first saw use in the Civil War, and then carried by the US Cavalry in the early Indian Wars, and then it found a home with a cowboy who decorated it with cattle brands!

Dusan Farrington, in his excellent book, “Arming & Equipping the U. S. Cavalry 1865-1902,” at page 31 describes five features of these guns: (1) all are marked US on the triggerguard, (2) most have mixed serial numbers, (3) the refinishing process removed some or all of the markings on barrel and cylinder, (4) the grips are ill fitting, and (5) most of the pistols show hard use. The Colt I am offering has no serial on the cylinder (the result of the polishing) but the rest of the visible serials match, and the grips fit nicely.

The Cavalry, sent to subdue the Sioux, the Apaches and all the other western tribes, did not have enough working Colt 1860 revolvers. So, beginning in 1865, and ending in 1873, one or more US government armories refurbished these Colt 1860s. They were polished and refinished, and the parts were not usually kept together, so most have mixed serial numbers. (This is the same thing the Army did in the 1890s when making the artillery revolvers from the Colt .45 cavalry single actions – they mixed up the serial numbers.)

And the armory stamped a US on the bottom of the trigger guard. This has such a stamp, and it is a correct as can be. No Civil War made Colt revolver had US stamped on it; only these post-war refinished Indian War Colts have this. The brass has an attractive mellow look.

For my taste, the additional special feature of this Colt is the cattle brands carved into the wood. This gun came from Dakota’s Black Hills, and whoever used it carved cattle brands into the wood. I have not taken this apart to check the serial on the inside wood, but it fits so well I think it is the original grip. It still has the outline of the Civil War inspector’s cartouche on the lower left side.

This historic Colt 1860 served in the Civil War, and then was chosen to serve on the western frontier with the US cavalry. The Model 1873 Colt .45 cartridge guns that replaced these percussion .44s cost ten thousand dollars or more, and many of those later SAAs have been faked or extensively restored. This is an authentic Indian War veteran. As D. Farrington says at page 31 in his book, these “Colt Army .44 revolvers did see hard service in the hands of cavalrymen and came to be very well liked and relied upon in the often short, always savage, actions that characterized guerilla warfare with Indians.”

I am offering this locally and elsewhere, so consider using the Buy it Now feature.

You may email me directly at jsanderson@columbus.rr.com if you have any questions.














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Specific Rules posted by jeffanderson

Terms for Seller Jeff Anderson

Shipping costs will be different depending on where I am shipping to. That means that the shipping costs listed in my auctions are an estimate based on averages, but once you have won the auction, I will send you the actual cost of shipping.

All items that I sell will have a 3-day inspection with full sales price refund minus all shipping charges when returned in same condition as shipped. ALL items are sold in USED AS-IS condition and as "Collector Curios and Antiques" with NO guarantees, warranties, or liabilities implied or given for shooting or any other use. ANY inferences or comments made by me as to shooting condition is for informational description purposes ONLY and is NOT meant or intended to be a guarantee or inference of the item's safety for firing!!


Payment MUST be in either a bank Cashiers Check or Money Order ONLY. Payment must be received within ten-days of any finalized deal or ended auction.


I will ship outside of the US, but it is not possible to fully insure items once they are outside of the U.S. postal system...but if the buyer accepts this responsibility of possible damage or loss, and if he checks his Customs laws and is legal to import this particular antique weapon, then I MAY ship outside the USA, depending on the country involved. I know the federal laws about shipping antiques, and will follow them always...but you must make sure that it is legal for you where you live to receive and possess the item you want to buy. Please e-mail for any unclear terms.


You can email me directly at jsanderson@columbus.rr.com