Description
Item Description
Bryant Ridge Auction Company is pleased to present this Incredible single-action revolver today for a penny start auction, this is the Colt New Line (2nd Model)!
According to the Colt Factory Letter, this example was shipped to Hodgkins & Haigh New York, New York on November 15, 1876, in a shipment of four!
According to the Colt Factory Letter, this example was shipped to Hodgkins & Haigh New York, New York on November 15, 1876, in a shipment of four!
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SPECIFICATIONS:
Manufacturer: Colt
Model: New Line (2nd Model)
Serial: 8785
Date of Manufacture: 1876
Caliber: .38 Colt
Finish: Blue & Color case hardened
Barrel Length: 4"
Optics/Sights: Round blade front with notch rear
Stock/Grips: Varnished rosewood
Action: Single-Action
Markings: Standard / Left side barrel stamped "Colt New 38", Top barrel stamped "Colt's PT.F.A.MFG.Co Hartford. CT.U.S.A.".
Bryant Ridge's Analysis:
At the close of the American Civil War the Colt Patent Firearms Company was aware of two facts that would greatly impact their business practices for the next decade. First, the end of war not only meant no more major US military orders for handguns in the foreseeable future, but it also meant that thousands of surplus US military percussion revolvers would soon be flooding the market, making newly made percussion revolvers difficult (if not impossible) to sell. Second, the day of the percussion revolver was over, and the new self-contained cartridge handgun was the wave of the future.
Unfortunately for Colt, Smith & Wesson held the exclusive rights to Rollin White’s patent on the bored-through cylinder, which meant that until that patent expired in 1869, there was no easy way for Colt to manufacture a traditional cartridge revolver without infringing upon that patent. The first of the Colt “bored through cylinder” cartridge revolvers to be offered in 1870, after the expiration of White’s patent, were not alterations of existing models but were two completely new product lines, the .22RF Colt Open Top and Colt Cloverleaf House pocket revolvers.
The Open Top series of arms continued the traditional Colt percussion revolver assembly practice of utilizing three basic parts to assemble the gun, the frame, barrel and cylinder. The Open Top, as the name implied, had no top strap and the barrel was secured to the frame with a wedge as it had been with the percussion guns. The Cloverleaf House revolvers, however, utilized a solid frame and top strap with the barrel screwed into the front of the frame. This basic construction technique would become the standard for all future Colt revolver production. With the introduction of Colt’s iconic M-1873 Single Action Army revolver in 1873, it was clear that even though the Open Top and Cloverleaf House series had been rather successful (over 114,000 Open Tops were produced with between 1871 and 1877 and just under 10,000 Cloverleaf House revolvers were manufactured between 1871 and 1876), Colt needed to bring a new series of modern pocket pistols to market that included the various design advancements provided by the Single Action Army, and also to compete with Smith & Wesson, and the numerous cheaply made “Suicide Special” revolvers that were already available for those who were looking to purchase a pocket pistol for protection.
The new series of Colt pocket revolvers was dubbed, ironically, the New Line series. These guns were designed by William Mason of Colt and were covered under US Patent Number 155,095. Mason was responsible for many of Colt’s early cartridge revolver designs and alterations. The solid frame New Line series was introduced in 1873 and was available in five frame sizes, dependent upon the five basic chamberings of the gun.
The revolvers were available in eight different calibers, including .22RF, .30RF, .32, .38 and .41 calibers, either rimfire or centerfire. The guns had five shot cylinders and were available with barrels ranging from about 2“ to 10” in length, with the shorter barrels tending to predominate as these were, after all, pocket revolvers. The revolvers were single-action, spur-trigger affairs with bird’s head-shaped grips to increase concealability. The standard finish was nickel plating with high luster nitre blued hammer, trigger surfaces, and screws. Blued barrels with nickeled frames were available as well as fully blued revolvers and custom finishes, including gold and silver washes were also options. Standard grips were two-piece varnished rosewood, but other exotic materials like ebony, mother of pearl and ivory were available for an extra charge as well.
Interestingly, walnut, which had been the mainstay of Colt grips since the inception of the company, was rarely used on the New Line revolvers. Most of the New Line revolvers were produced in two models. The “First Model” had shorter cylinder flutes than the “Second Model” and the cylinder locking notches are located behind the flutes on the sides of the cylinder at the rear. The “Second Model” revolvers has much longer flutes, with the locking notches relocated to the rear face of the cylinder. One exception to this rule was the .30 Rimfire New Line revolver, which was only manufactured with the “Second Model” type cylinder, even though this revolver was only produced during the “First Model” period.
Most models had their caliber or chambering acid etched onto the left side of the barrel, with the exception of the earliest production of larger frame revolvers. As with most pocket pistols of the era, the .22 rimfire variant, with the smallest frame, was the most popular and some 55,343 were manufactured between 1873 and 1877. The .30 rimfire version, with the second smallest frame, was only produced for three years, from 1874 to 1876, with some 10,946 being produced. The sized .32 caliber frame was produced from 1873 to 1884, with some 22,000 revolvers being produced in both rimfire and centerfire versions. The next-to-largest frame size was chambered for .38 caliber (again in either rim or center fire) and was manufactured from 1874 to 1880 with about 5,500 being manufactured.
Contents:
This example will ship with the Colt Factory Letter!
Return Policy:
We gladly offer a 3 day unfired inspection policy from the time that the firearm is delivered to your FFL. Refunds are available for all qualifying orders.
Model: New Line (2nd Model)
Serial: 8785
Date of Manufacture: 1876
Caliber: .38 Colt
Finish: Blue & Color case hardened
Barrel Length: 4"
Optics/Sights: Round blade front with notch rear
Stock/Grips: Varnished rosewood
Action: Single-Action
Markings: Standard / Left side barrel stamped "Colt New 38", Top barrel stamped "Colt's PT.F.A.MFG.Co Hartford. CT.U.S.A.".
Bryant Ridge's Analysis:
At the close of the American Civil War the Colt Patent Firearms Company was aware of two facts that would greatly impact their business practices for the next decade. First, the end of war not only meant no more major US military orders for handguns in the foreseeable future, but it also meant that thousands of surplus US military percussion revolvers would soon be flooding the market, making newly made percussion revolvers difficult (if not impossible) to sell. Second, the day of the percussion revolver was over, and the new self-contained cartridge handgun was the wave of the future.
Unfortunately for Colt, Smith & Wesson held the exclusive rights to Rollin White’s patent on the bored-through cylinder, which meant that until that patent expired in 1869, there was no easy way for Colt to manufacture a traditional cartridge revolver without infringing upon that patent. The first of the Colt “bored through cylinder” cartridge revolvers to be offered in 1870, after the expiration of White’s patent, were not alterations of existing models but were two completely new product lines, the .22RF Colt Open Top and Colt Cloverleaf House pocket revolvers.
The Open Top series of arms continued the traditional Colt percussion revolver assembly practice of utilizing three basic parts to assemble the gun, the frame, barrel and cylinder. The Open Top, as the name implied, had no top strap and the barrel was secured to the frame with a wedge as it had been with the percussion guns. The Cloverleaf House revolvers, however, utilized a solid frame and top strap with the barrel screwed into the front of the frame. This basic construction technique would become the standard for all future Colt revolver production. With the introduction of Colt’s iconic M-1873 Single Action Army revolver in 1873, it was clear that even though the Open Top and Cloverleaf House series had been rather successful (over 114,000 Open Tops were produced with between 1871 and 1877 and just under 10,000 Cloverleaf House revolvers were manufactured between 1871 and 1876), Colt needed to bring a new series of modern pocket pistols to market that included the various design advancements provided by the Single Action Army, and also to compete with Smith & Wesson, and the numerous cheaply made “Suicide Special” revolvers that were already available for those who were looking to purchase a pocket pistol for protection.
The new series of Colt pocket revolvers was dubbed, ironically, the New Line series. These guns were designed by William Mason of Colt and were covered under US Patent Number 155,095. Mason was responsible for many of Colt’s early cartridge revolver designs and alterations. The solid frame New Line series was introduced in 1873 and was available in five frame sizes, dependent upon the five basic chamberings of the gun.
The revolvers were available in eight different calibers, including .22RF, .30RF, .32, .38 and .41 calibers, either rimfire or centerfire. The guns had five shot cylinders and were available with barrels ranging from about 2“ to 10” in length, with the shorter barrels tending to predominate as these were, after all, pocket revolvers. The revolvers were single-action, spur-trigger affairs with bird’s head-shaped grips to increase concealability. The standard finish was nickel plating with high luster nitre blued hammer, trigger surfaces, and screws. Blued barrels with nickeled frames were available as well as fully blued revolvers and custom finishes, including gold and silver washes were also options. Standard grips were two-piece varnished rosewood, but other exotic materials like ebony, mother of pearl and ivory were available for an extra charge as well.
Interestingly, walnut, which had been the mainstay of Colt grips since the inception of the company, was rarely used on the New Line revolvers. Most of the New Line revolvers were produced in two models. The “First Model” had shorter cylinder flutes than the “Second Model” and the cylinder locking notches are located behind the flutes on the sides of the cylinder at the rear. The “Second Model” revolvers has much longer flutes, with the locking notches relocated to the rear face of the cylinder. One exception to this rule was the .30 Rimfire New Line revolver, which was only manufactured with the “Second Model” type cylinder, even though this revolver was only produced during the “First Model” period.
Most models had their caliber or chambering acid etched onto the left side of the barrel, with the exception of the earliest production of larger frame revolvers. As with most pocket pistols of the era, the .22 rimfire variant, with the smallest frame, was the most popular and some 55,343 were manufactured between 1873 and 1877. The .30 rimfire version, with the second smallest frame, was only produced for three years, from 1874 to 1876, with some 10,946 being produced. The sized .32 caliber frame was produced from 1873 to 1884, with some 22,000 revolvers being produced in both rimfire and centerfire versions. The next-to-largest frame size was chambered for .38 caliber (again in either rim or center fire) and was manufactured from 1874 to 1880 with about 5,500 being manufactured.
Contents:
This example will ship with the Colt Factory Letter!
Return Policy:
We gladly offer a 3 day unfired inspection policy from the time that the firearm is delivered to your FFL. Refunds are available for all qualifying orders.
Shipping Details
Handgun Standard Shipping $50.00
Long Gun Standard Shipping $65.00
We strive to ship orders within the close of the following business day after payment and documentation is received.
Payment Details
We accept all forms of Payment including Personal Check, Business Check, PO Money Orders, Certified Check, Etc.
Please note we place a 7 business day hold on shipment, for all non-certified payments.
Return Policy
We gladly offer a 3 day unfired inspection policy from the time that the firearm is delivered to your FFL. Refunds are available for all qualifying orders.
Additional Details
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