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RARE COLT WALKER PERCUSSION REVOLVER.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:55,000.00 USD Estimated At:110,000.00 - 175,000.00 USD
RARE COLT WALKER PERCUSSION REVOLVER.
Please Note (3/4/13): Gun as described is nicely restored also barrel is refinished and markings are re-cut. Also the cylinder is a replacement, marks on left side of frame are re-engraved. SN B COMPANY 163. Cal. 44. Usual configuration with 9" oct to rnd bbl, German silver front sight and 1-line left hand New York City address. Left side of bbl lug is marked with SN and the right side "US / 1847". Left side of frame & buttstrap are also marked with the full SN. Trigger guard & cyl are marked "B COMY NO 163". Cylinder is usual 6-shots with oval stop notches and the Dragoon/Indian fight scene roll marking. Cyl also has the legible "MODEL U.S.M.R." and "COLT'S PATENT" panels surrounding the SN. Rear face of cyl retains its one orig serviceable safety pin. Left side of front strap, under the grip, is marked "163", which number is also found on bottom of cyl arbor and inside the toe of the grip. Wedge is a period of use replacement bearing the number "29". It appears that the rammer handle & latch spring are replacements, along with a couple of miscellaneous screws, however most screws are original. This revolver was part of the famous William M. Locke Collection and is pictured as the bottom revolver on p. 43 of the book, The William M. Locke Collection, Sellers. It was also offered for sale by Great Guns Inc. of Durham, NC in an ad in the July 1980 edition of The Gun Report, a copy of which page accompanies this revolver. As is well known, only 1,000 martially marked Colt Walker revolvers were produced in 1847 to arm American troops fighting in Mexico. These revolvers were designed by Samuel Colt at the persistent instigation of Texas Ranger, Capt. Samuel H. Walker, for whom the model was named. For his help Colt presented Capt. Walker with a pair of civilian Walkers which were with Capt. Walker when he was killed at Humantla, Mexico on Oct. 9, 1847. It is well recorded that only 500 of the orig 1,000 Walkers were ever issued to troops in Mexico. Apparently the other 500 arrived after the cessation of hostilities and were never issued in Mexico. All of the issued Walkers were to have been returned by the troops upon embarkation from Mexico, although it is speculated that a few were retained by some of the troops and others lost in battle. So it is unclear just exactly how many did return to the U.S. where they were stored at San Antonio Arsenal, Texas. Some of those revolvers in Texas were issued to Texas Rangers and frontier troops where they saw extensive and hard service. Most of these Walkers remained at San Antonio until the outset of the Civil War when they were confiscated by the Confederacy and it is believed they were issued to Texas Cavalry troops, again seeing hard service under adverse conditions with very little maintenance. It is extremely rare to find a completely orig Walker with any orig finish or cyl scene roll marking. PROVENANCE: William M. Locke Collection CONDITION: Fine, all matching except wedge as noted. No orig finish remains, being an overall smooth gray brown patina with very fine pinprick pitting; rammer handle & latch spring, replaced as noted; cyl is a matching patina with a few scattered spots of pitting and shows 50-60% Dragoon/Indian fight scene with the Ormsby signature still visible and the two panels surrounding the SN completely legible; the finish on the cyl may be slightly enhanced; trigger guard is a medium mustard patina and the backstrap an artificially aged blue/brown patina; frame is a matching patina with fine pitting and lightly enhanced finish. Grip is sound showing heavy wear with a dark hand worn patina. Mechanics are fine, strong bright bore with light frosting. 4-47559 JR180