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*THE LONE RANGER'S COLT! SCARCE BEN SHOSTLE ENGRAVED 2ND GENERATION COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:6,250.00 USD Estimated At:12,500.00 - 27,500.00 USD
*THE LONE RANGER'S COLT! SCARCE BEN SHOSTLE ENGRAVED 2ND GENERATION COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER
SN 32395SA. Cal. 45 Colt. Nickle finish with 4-3/4" bbl, full front sight, 1-line block letter address with model and caliber marking on left side. Left side of frame has 2-line three patent dates and the Rampant Colt. Bottom of the bbl is stamped in tiny letters "SHOSTLE". Mounted with orig 1-piece ivory grip with raised buffalo skull motif on left side. Inside each ivory slab has the SN in pencil along with "TD '83". Left side of the front and back straps, under the grip, is marked with the SN. Revolver has nearly full coverage, very deep relief engraving in leaf and vine patterns. Ejector housing, backstrap, buttstrap, and trigger guard are engraved to match. Both sides of the front sight are engraved. Cylinder has matching engraving with a feather border pattern around the rear edge which is also found in the top gullet of the ejector housing. This revolver is pictured on page 251, as well as on the cover and identified by serial number, in the book Guns That Talk, LaFever & Root, in a grouping of 5 single action colts, captioned "A few of the Colt Single Actions owned and used by John Hart, the Lone Ranger". Inside the cover is the inscription to Herb Wilmers over the signature of Nick LaFever, the author. This inscribed copy of this book accompanies. Also accompanied by a cook book by John Hart with an autographed color picture of Mr. Hart kneeling by his star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Also included in the lot is a fabulous black and white photo of John Hart signed and inscribed to our consignor and also identifies the gun by serial number. John Hart was born December 13, 1917 and died December 20, 2009. He grew up in California and as a youngster worked as a cowboy on two different California cattle ranches. He was mostly a western movie actor but appeared in a variety of films beginning in 1937. He was drafted into the Army in WWII and rose to the rank of 1st Sgt and served in the Philippines. After the war he returned to acting and in 1953 replaced Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger for one year in the T.V. series by the same name. He also continued acting in supporting roles in various movies and in 1957 portrayed "Hawkeye" in the syndicated western series Hawkeye and The Last of The Mohicans. He also continued to appear in various T.V. shows. Accompanied by a fine glass topped, burgundy velvet lined Colt custom shop showcase. CONDITION: Appears to be new and unfired retaining virtually all of its custom finish after engraving. Grip has a few age lines and retains a light ivory patina. Case is equally new. 4-48384