C O L T CCOOLLTT STANDARD CATALOG OF® FIREARMS BY RICK SAPP FEATURING PHOTOS BY PAUL GOODWIN CCoolltt__ZZ00993311__ffmm..iinndddd 11 88//1177//0077 99::0099::2255 AAMM ©2007 Krause Publications Published by (cid:39)(cid:85)(cid:78)(cid:0)(cid:36)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:83)(cid:84)(cid:184)(cid:0)(cid:34)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:83) (cid:33)(cid:78)(cid:0)(cid:73)(cid:77)(cid:80)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:84)(cid:0)(cid:79)(cid:70)(cid:0)(cid:38)(cid:11)(cid:55)(cid:0)(cid:48)(cid:85)(cid:66)(cid:76)(cid:73)(cid:67)(cid:65)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:79)(cid:78)(cid:83) (cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:13)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:23)(cid:13)(cid:18)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:19) (cid:87)(cid:87)(cid:87)(cid:14)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:78)(cid:68)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:83)(cid:84)(cid:66)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:83)(cid:14)(cid:67)(cid:79)(cid:77) Our toll-free number to place an order or obtain a free catalog is (800) 258-0929. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information stor- age and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet. Library of Congress Control Number: 2007924538 ISBN-13: 978-0-89689-534-8 ISBN-10: 0-89689-534-3 Designed by Elizabeth Krogwold Edited by Dan Shideler Printed in China CCoolltt__ZZ00993311__ffmm..iinndddd 22 88//1177//0077 99::0099::2288 AAMM AAUUTTHHOORR’’SS IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN WORKAHOLICS D eveloping a book about Colt fi rearms has been an eye-opening experience. I have always been a particular fan of history and there is plenty of it here – almost two centuries of personality, intrigue and genius. Most writers begin to spin the Colt narrative at a point where the young Sam, who is perhaps 14 years old, is sitting under a tree. Th ere, he begins to dismantle, and then to reconstruct, an Andy Jackson-era handgun. Perhaps the story is true. It sounds a little too similar to the myth of Isaac Newton’s inspiration about the theory of gravity – he is sitting in a garden and a falling apple hits him on the head – for my taste. In both cases, the problem with these myths is that genius is evident long before the age of 17, before Samuel Colt spent a year at sea and conceptualized, in the whirling ship’s capstan, an application to a repeating fi rearm. And it is not “simple” genius – if something so mysterious and complex could be considered simple – that changes the world. It is genius with some other element: curiosity or opportunity, for instance. It is genius with application that changes the world. In the case of Colt and Newton – and John Browning, another famous name inextricably linked to the Colt enterprise – that additional element was some inner drive that we have of late labeled “workaholic,” as if to be consumed with one’s life work or hobby or obsession was a bad thing! 3 CCoolltt__ZZ00993311__ffmm..iinndddd 33 88//1177//0077 99::0099::3344 AAMM Th ank goodness Sam Colt was a workaholic, betrayed … in short, the entire spectrum of the human that he had a vision and enough motivation to “make comedy. Nevertheless, this particular compilation is it happen.” It is unfortunate that poor health and an narrowly focused on products, hard goods, and the early death at 48 may have been the consequence, prices we pay for them. but the world is certainly a diff erent place because of Before I began studying Colt fi rearms I had no idea his struggles and almost single-minded dedication to of the controversies, mysteries and unresolved questions succeed. surrounding virtually every part of every gun listed in this volume. Th at amuses and puzzles me, because it DEDICATION seems as though it should be entirely straightforward: S X gun was fi rst built in X year with X features for X reasons or to address X needs. But this is an illusion; o this book is dedicated to all of the workaholics of these determinations only seem straightforward. What the world, the men and the women. It is compiled I have learned this past year is that every facet of every in praise of the folks who are singularly obsessed with action involved in making something new – even changing, building, inventing, writing, moving or something as hard and factual and physical as a gun – perhaps removing something in life. It is written in becomes the subject of an historical obsession. Actually, grateful appreciation of their eff ort, their insecurities I like that. and the passions that often wreck or bring misery to Almost nothing is straightforward in collecting their personal lives. It is put together in awe of the brain Colt fi rearms – and the older the gun, the more complex with the thorn that cannot rest or give up or retreat. its history becomes. Records are incomplete; factories Whatever term is required to keep the world’s burn; new models are stolen or pirated; guns are faked; workaholics on track regardless of their personal fi nancing fails; collectors with dubious character alter sacrifi ce – “Seize the day” or “Semper Fi” or “Neither guns or just lie; owners die or just change their mind. rain nor snow …” or “Go for the gold” – I ask this of the Critical spellings are typed incorrectly and passed on world’s workaholics: please keep on keeping on. Th is for generations. People forget. And all this complexity world becomes a diff erent and probably a better place ultimately means that it is more diffi cult to make a good because you are consumed by or fi xated on your goal. decision about investing. And ignore the whining and weeping and wailing, Caveat emptor is the Latin expression. Buyer beware. the political correctness that is overwhelming us. To hell It certainly applies to collecting. Stamps. Antiques. with the roses and the diamonds. Th e kids should work Firearms. for their college education (like the “boy named Sue,” As a historian, I often wish my subjects were easier they will be better people for it). If the spouse needs to understand, would hold still for analysis. I have help drying the dishes, suggest that she (or he) employ been fortunate to write books about Lewis and Clark a maid service. And when, not if, your invention, your and their expedition to the Pacifi c; and about Ulysses great American novel, your brilliant idea makes page S. Grant and his journey through the Civil War. And one of the New York Times and you cash the fi rst even those incredibly researched and well documented royalty check on the way to millions of dollars … savor subjects have gray areas, mysteries. Why, for instance, the moment. And then get back to work! did Meriwether Lewis – Th omas Jeff erson’s personal secretary and the man Jeff erson personally chose to lead HISTORY: THE the expedition – kill himself … or did he? Why did Grant, such a successful military commander, lead his TRUTH IS OUT THERE T presidential administration so poorly? Why was Sam Colt’s son, Caldwell, such a wastrel and dandy? his book is about history, but it is about history All of these questions are what make history and through the lens of collecting Colt fi rearms. As collecting fascinating. We know, as Agent Mulder in such, it encompasses wars and murders – as if they Th e X Files television show did, that somewhere “the were mutually exclusive – fortunes made, friendships truth is out there.” 4 STANDARD CATALOG OF COLT CCoolltt__ZZ00993311__ffmm..iinndddd 44 88//1177//0077 99::0099::3388 AAMM DOING OUR HOMEWORK N ormally, by the time we are old enough to invest in a Walker Colt we have heard “do your homework” applied to everything from schoolwork to the purchase of a new car to proposing to a potential spouse. Right from the start, we never liked homework, even though, paradoxically, we have always known that those who did their homework fared better: got a better price or a better grade or were accepted to a better school. So we know, secretly but absolutely, in our heart of hearts, that we should avoid the impulse to buy that John Wayne Commemorative at a neighborhood gun show. Of course we enjoyed the movie True Grit, but it does not make you closer to the quiet man to purchase this gun before checking it out and learning its history and speculating honestly about its potential. (And once we have realized that commemorative guns are somewhat like the endless multitude of fi shing lures, designed to attract fi shermen as well as fi sh, we can make intelligent decisions about those quirky limited editions.) So the truth is out there. Somewhere. As collectors and historians it is our duty to fi nd it. RICK SAPP MARCH 2007 GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA PS: A NOTE ABOUT AUCTION RESULTS: Th roughout this book I have attempted to demonstrate the volatility of the Colt market by including internet auction results where appropriate. Sometimes the auction results gibe with the given value of guns in similar condition; sometimes they do not. Does this mean that the values I have cited are incorrect? No. It does, however, demonstrate the wide variations that sometimes occur in individual real-life auctions. I believe that the values cited in this book represent the average values that the reader will encounter, not only in internet auctions, but in retail gun shops and at local gun shows. Happy hunting! 5 CCoolltt__ZZ00993311__ffmm..iinndddd 55 88//1177//0077 99::0099::3399 AAMM CCOONNTTEENNTTSS AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION ..................................................3 SECTION I: COLT: TODAY AND TOMORROW A Message from Colt’s .......................................................................8 Rampant Colt: A Brief Biography of Samuel Colt ...........................11 Collecting Colts: Pinnacles and Pitfalls ...........................................15 Firearms Engraving and Gun Values ...............................................25 SECTION II: COLT’S PERCUSSION REVOLVERS Th e Patersons ..................................................................................30 Walkers and Dragoons ....................................................................35 Pocket and Army, Navy ...................................................................41 Side Hammer Handguns ................................................................46 1860s Army, Navy and Police ..........................................................48 SECTION III: COLT’S REVOLVERS & THE METALLIC CARTRIDGE Metallic Cartridge Conversions .......................................................52 Deringers to New Models ...............................................................58 Colt’s Deringers ...............................................................................59 In Transition to the Metallic Cartridge ...........................................62 Th e New Lines ...............................................................................64 Antique Single Action Army ............................................................68 Modern Era Single Action Army .....................................................79 SAA Prior to and During World War I ............................................79 Post-World War II SAA Models .......................................................81 3rd Generation SAAs ......................................................................83 Scout Model SAAs ..........................................................................86 Current SAA Production: 1982 to Present .......................................87 6 STANDARD CATALOG OF COLT CCoolltt__ZZ00993311__ffmm..iinndddd 66 88//1177//0077 99::0099::4400 AAMM SECTION IV: COLT’S DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVERS Th e Early Models ............................................................................91 Th e “New” Models ..........................................................................98 SECTION V: THE FABULOUS 1911S (AND OTHER SEMI-AUTOS) Pre-1911 Model Semi-Automatics ..................................................126 About the 1911/1911A1 by Karl Karash .........................................136 Th e Earliest 1911s ..........................................................................140 Enter the 1911A1 ...........................................................................145 Th e Ace, Military Competition and Foreign ..................................151 Series 70-80, 1991A1s, Model O, Eagles, Nines and Horses ..........158 Th e Colt Woodsman: Th ree Versions.............................................171 U.S. Military Series Automatic Pistols ...........................................180 SECTION VI: COLT’S LONG GUNS Th e Patersons ................................................................................196 Antique Long Guns .......................................................................198 Th e Side Hammers ........................................................................205 Modern Long Guns Including Sporter and AR-15 .........................209 Th e M16 .......................................................................................219 Rapid-Fire Colts ............................................................................227 SECTION VII: Colt’s Custom Shop & Commemoratives ......................................236 APPENDICES Appendix One: Colt Collector’s Association ..................................284 Appendix Two: Arms Museums in America ..................................285 7 CCoolltt__ZZ00993311__ffmm..iinndddd 77 88//1177//0077 99::0099::4477 AAMM SECTION I CCOOLLTT:: TTOODDAAYY && TTOOMMOORR RROOWW A MESSAGE FROM COLT’S: Th e Future of Colt… as Colt Sees It “Our legacy for the twenty fi rst century will rest on how well we lay the groundwork today for creating a company that continues to be responsive to consumer needs, and depends as much on inventiveness and innovation as it does on technology. We are striving to meet this challenge and to guarantee a secure place for Colt in the pages of history as they unfold in the decades to come.” 2007 CATALOG, COLT’S MANUFACTURING COMPANY LLC 8 STANDARD CATALOG OF COLT ZZ00993311ppggss000088--002299..iinndddd 88 88//1177//0077 99::1111::2244 AAMM W ith a history as distinguished as any fi rearms before moving to marketing, has a well-rounded view company in the world, Colt’s Manufacturing of Colt’s progress since 1998. He is personally vested in Company LLC today fi nds itself looking in two the manufacturer’s success. directions: forward into the 21st century with new During the 1990s, Colt as well as most other designs and unlimited possibilities, and backward to U.S. fi rearms manufacturers, found itself facing an the 20th and 19th centuries to a record of remarkable increasingly hostile battery of attorneys who represented W achievement, innovative approaches to shooting a small minority of the American public. Supported problems, continuing innovation and, ultimately, strong by numerous well-funded non-profi t – and often tax- brand identifi cation and customer loyalty. exempt – organizations such as the Brady Center to Since Samuel Colt opened his Hartford Armory, Prevent Gun Violence or even anti-hunting organizations Colt’s (hereinafter referred to simply as Colt) has always such as Defenders of Wildlife and People for the Ethical operated with the kind of double vision that many Treatment of Animals, these attorneys were evidently companies attempt and few actually achieve. More than tasked to “go after the gun industry.” In an era when one 150 years ago, the boy genius Sam Colt realized that a could receive hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, successful and long-lasting American fi rearms company of dollars in damages for spilling one’s own coff ee in would need to serve both the military and the civilian one’s own lap inside one’s own vehicle, the injury was marketplace. signifi cant in time and resources. Th us, Colt produced arms for every market Th e barrage of anti-gun lawsuits, which culminated segment. It built deringers and pocket pistols for (but did not, unfortunately, end) in 1999, forced personal protection and the famous Single Action Colt (and others) to re-evaluate their commercial Army or “Peacemaker” for military and civilian use. Its product lines. Suddenly, another factor was added to management set the stage for a century of innovation the administrative overhead in addition to reliability, by dozens of manufacturers worldwide when it agreed marketability, research and testing: additional staff to produce John M. Browning’s 1911 automatic pistol lawyers. and proceeded to manufacture the Gatling gun and Larry Keane, Senior Vice President and General the Th ompson submachine gun. In the modern era it Counsel to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, co-designed the remarkable M16, the staple of U.S. estimates lawsuits from municipalities alone cost the military small arms for almost half a century. industry $225 million. Th ose costs are on-going. Today, Colt has two principal divisions: its Insurance became a massive burden: not only were commercial or civilian division (Colt’s Manufacturing policy increases substantial, but deductibles skyrocketed Company LLC) and its defense contracting division, and exclusions compounded – if a manufacturer could which encompasses law enforcement, military and fi nd insurance at all. Th ere were less resources for wage private security support (Colt Defense LLC). Th is increases and new product research. Overall, there was sectional approach to the multiple markets that Colt less money for capital investments and both buildings serves is the sign of a nimble and diversifi ed company and equipment suff ered. According to Keane, “1999 is that is both fl exible enough to tackle the challenges the year that the entire industry, including Colt’s, was of the century ahead … and respectful of its legacy as almost destroyed.” well. Primarily as a result of the turbulence in the civilian “I believe the Colt vision now is to reestablish marketplace, Colt dropped its tiny six-shot Mustang in our presence as a signifi cant player in the commercial 1999; dropped its small double-action .380 ACP Pony handgun market,” says Mark Roberts, Director of Sales the following year; and let the 9mm Pocket Nine go in and Marketing for the commercial division. Roberts, 2001. Other models, fully functional and serviceable who worked on the manufacturing side for six years guns, fell out of Colt’s catalog. Colt, and the industry 9 SECTION I: COLT: TODAY & TOMORROW ZZ00993311ppggss000088--002299..iinndddd 99 88//1177//0077 99::1111::3333 AAMM