Calibres of original Colt '72 Open Tops

[Graveyard Jack]

It's not an Open Top, it's a converted Pocket Navy with either a turned round or the S-lug barrel. Like I said, several just like it are pictured in Adler's book and probably McDowell's too. It's obvious from the picture that it's a small frame gun, the .38 caliber and rebated cylinder prove that, as does the proportions of the triggerguard to the rest of the sixgun.

[PJ Hardtack]

Somebody post a picture of the gun in question - please!

[Graveyard Jack]

I scanned the page and it turned out pretty good.

After studying McDowell's book, which has a whole section on these guns, I've determined that it is an 1862 Pocket Navy with the S-lug barrel. The giveaway that it's not a percussion barrel turned round should've been the lack of a recess on the right side for loading balls. There are several pictures in McDowell's book from pages 360-363 of such conversions with the S-lug barrel and ejector.

No mention is made in the Open Top section of them being chambered in anything but .44 rimfire. There were some baby Open Top prototypes built but none were ever produced. Either way, you can see the conversion ring in the pic from Suydam's book. The rebated cylinder, five shot configuration, obvious small frame, lack of a recess on the right side and round barrel profile preclude it from being anything but an 1862 Pocket Navy conversion with the S-lug barrel. IMHO, Suydam should've referred to it as such, rather than the confusing 1872 reference.

[PJ Hardtack]

Like I said afore ... Craig done got it nailed!

I'm chompin' at the bit waitin' for my Uberti .38 Spl. R-M and '71-'72 to arrive. Could be here by next week. Right now I'm lookin' at 2" of snow on the ground. Might have to make a trip to our club's indoor range to Christen them.

[Graveyard Jack]

All this talk about what the sixgun in the picture actually is, did I ever mention that I really wanted one??? 

[PJ Hardtack]

What? A '5' shooter in a non-traditional calibre ..... ? Whatever would John Wayne think ....?

[PJ Hardtack]

Snowing to beat hell here today - 6" on the ground and more fallling .... enough to cancel our scheduled monthly CAS event. To avoid going stir crazy, I hauled out my back copies of "Man at Arms" magazines looking for something and rediscovered some of the great photos and articles the magazine has done on Colts over the years. Their photography is superb!

In the April 2010 issue is a full page colour spread of a great looking 1861 Navy-Navy conversion. Lots of close up detail.
The same issue has a b&w pic on the inside front cover (an ad for R.B. Berryman) of a 7-1/2" octagonal barrel, engraved, ivory gripped '51 R-M conversion; non-rebated cylinder.
It looks like my Uberti .38s with the S-lug barrel with one exception - it has the dimple or scallop cut on the right side of the barrel that you would expect to see on a percussion gun. It isn't exactly like that on a '51 or '61 conversion, which makes me wonder why it's even there. What purpose would it serve? Another Colt anomaly?

Then in the October 2008 issue is a two page colour spread of a Confederate Griswold & Gunnison. The caption reads:

"Griswold & Gunnison #663 came out of a family collection in New Orleans to a dealer in the mid-1990s. The pistol was unusual because it was in pristine condition for a Confederate handgun. Original bluing still remains in certain places. The gun was housed in a period Colt pistol case (not shown).
On the bottom of the case in period pencil was inscribed: "S. Logan M.D. Richmond, Va." Logan was a Confederate medical officer and head of the area containing South Carolina, most of Georgia and some of Florida during the war. He probably spent time in Richmond as well, since he was prominent in Confederate medical circles."

Then the December 2008 issue had a follow up on the G&G revolver with the pic of a Confederate bond bond promising a 6% return on a $1000 bond for the manufacture of G&G revolvers - "payable two years after the ratification of a treaty of peace with the United Staes". Needless to say, no such returns were paid out.

On the same page is the 1864-dated patent drawing issued to the Kittredge Co. for:

"A plate that holds percussion caps in place on the nipple and also acts as a shield to deflect sparks and other debris from discharged caps".
Looks like a R-M conversion but with percussion nipples still in place.

The snow stopped, 8" on the ground. Now I gotta go play with the snow blower .....