Nickle plated 'OWA' revolvers?

[buckskin billy]

Howdy y'all,
Were there any nickle plated OWA inspected revolvers that left the Colt factory that way?
I thought I remember reading some where some time ago about nickle plated guns being issued to scouts.
Now I can't find that source.
I have been searching on google and all I can find is one that was sent back to colt in the 1920's to be nickle plated.

Any help would be appreciated

[St. George]

No.

Scouts - being Contract Employees - carried whatever the Quartermaster issued them - usually older-pattern weapons remaining on Post, unless they possessed their own.

I believe you're thinking of the nickelled 'buy-back' revolvers purchased and refinished and sold on the civilian market.

Indian Police did have nickelled Model 1875 Remingtons in .45 Colt - apparently a single-purchase, never renewed.

They supplemented these with a purchase filled from commercial stock, though sold to the U.S. Government and issued by them - since they did 'not' go through an Ordnance Inspection, they are 'not' so-marked.

Much more can be found in Kopec and Fenn's 'Colt Cavalry and Artillery Revolvers - A Continuing Study'.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[JimBob]

I'm curious. Wouldn't firearms issued to the Indian Police have been under the authority of the Dept. of the Interior as far as purchase and issue through the Bureau of Indian Affairs?

[St. George]

Yes.

The Indian Police fell under the Secretary of the Interior, as a part of the Office of Indian Affairs.

Colt sold them to the U.S. Government and shipped "c/o U.S. Indian Agent" - at the U.S. Indian Warehouse, loacted at 77-79 Wooster Street, New York, on May 26, 1899.

Paid for from the appropriation 'Pay of Indian Police, 1899'.

They were 75  5 1/2" barrelled, blued .45s.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[JimBob]

Yes.

The Indian Police fell under the Secretary of the Interior, as a part of the Office of Indian Affairs.

Colt sold them to the U.S. Government and shipped "c/o U.S. Indian Agent" - at the U.S. Indian Warehouse, loacted at 77-79 Wooster Street, New York, on May 26, 1899.

Paid for from the appropriation 'Pay of Indian Police, 1899'.

They were 75  5 1/2" barrelled, blued .45s.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

Thank you for the information.

[buckskin billy]

i have just got a cimarron nickled model p with the OWA inspections. i'm just trying to figure on how i can work this in my persona of a civilian of the 1870's with a nickle plated revolver with government inspections on it.

[St. George]

Colt 'did' buy-back some of its Government revolvers to be refinished for commercial sales - but no Ainsworth-inspected revolvers were involved, since those were from the earliest contracts and the buy-backs came later in production.

A suggestion would be that 'you' had your revolver plated after you'd purchased it from Ordnance after your service.

The problem being that - for your stated time frame - the Army would've hung onto the weapon, because primary production was to fill Government Contracts and those revolvers were in short supply, with civilian sales coming along later, so a 'US'-marked Colt would likely indicate a stolen weapon.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Delmonico]

I guess one could portray a fella that took the grand bounce and took his sidearm along and had it refinished.  The grand bounce was quite common.

[buckskin billy]

about when did this buy out take place? don't won't to portray a thief or a grand bouncer

[Delmonico]

about when did this buy out take place? don't won't to portray a thief or a grand bouncer

Some parts of the west it would be considered better than an honorably discharged one, soldiers were not often looked at with respect by most civilians.

[St. George]

'Buy-Back' Colts came about in the mid-1880's - after Ainsworth.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!