✅ SOLVED 44 Revolver Engraved Cylinder

villagenut

villagenut

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Oct 18, 2014
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Not dug by me but was given to me from someone who found it on a job site excavation. I know it is a 44 but that is about it. It is engraved with sailing vessels all the way around and has NEW MODEL 44 on the cylinder as well. There is an S below a star and a circle with ELG and another star below those letters. What kind of revolver was this and who was the maker? There is also a (looks like) 1755 on the chamber side, probably a serial number?Don't know how it could have come out of the ground in this condition, unless it is a reproduction. Not being a gun guy, I have no clue on this one. It will make a good paper weight if nothing else. Thanks vn

DSC00020.JPG DSC00031.JPG cccvff.JPGvvvver.JPG
 

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ELG is a Belgium proof mark. There were hundreds of different makers most were inexpensive.
 

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Wow super cool...
Wish I could help on this.
Belonged to a Captain or Naval person of sorts I am sure by motif.
 

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Village...
Any way I could get a straight on shot of both "ends" ?
 

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Rc... when you say a "spare"... meaning like a "quick reloader" in essence ?
 

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Yes. A spare loaded cylinder.
More common with today's replica's .
An additional revolver was preferred where possible. A spare cylinder could be costly to buy originally. A pair of revolvers would insure spare springs and other parts ,for a while. Plus no froggin around swappin out cylinders.
Not sure if any/many were sold with a spare.
Mentions on internet of two cylinders being sent with tril pieces...
And this below from a forum..

Mosbys' Rangers" By Jeffry D. Werts
"Mosbys' men carried a brace of colt pistols in 2 holsters. Many of them also had a pair of revolvers in saddle holsters or aditional loaded cylinders in thier pocket- during combat if a ranger needed to reload cylinders, he dismounted and sought cover."

"The Look of the Old West" By Foster-Harris
In the fighting gear chapter on page 59 he says.
"An old codger who told me about Quantrills' querillas-about whom he seems to know an amazing lot for such a peaceful old man... "said that those enterprising outlaws used to carry loaded cylinders for thier dragoon colts, just as modern trooperscarry extra automatic pistol magazines, and they could load almost as fast."
 

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duggap said:
Wasn't most of the Colts used on the ships a .36 cal?
Click to expand...

Thus the fun of navy vs army models.
My impression was that the .44 had better power in combat that the navy did not need on ships...
However the whole sailing motif was more to indicate genuine product and not counterfit. Not a particular branch of military use.
Here's another quote that saves peckin on keys..

"What we now refer to as the 1860 Army was originally marketed as the New Model Holster Pistol of Army caliber. It was the lighter replacement for what was then called the Improved Holster Pistol of Army Caliber - or what we now know as the 3rd model Dragoon.

What we now refer to as the 1851 Navy was variously known as the Ranger, Old Model Navy, Revolving Belt Pistol, Revolving Navy Pistol; the Old Model Belt Pistol of Navy caliber; and in an 1860 ad was called Belt Pistol, Army and Navy.

The Army bought and used as many of the '51 Navies as the Navy did Interestingly enough, the '51s that the Navy bought had blued iron BS/TG while the ones purchased by the Army had silver plated brass BS/TG. You'd think it would have been the opposite since blued iron would rust easily in a salt air environment where silver plated brass wouldn't."
 

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drbecker said:
ELG is a Belgium proof mark. There were hundreds of different makers most were inexpensive.
Click to expand...

Was this "proofmark" from a parts supplier for the gun manufacturer? Did companies like Colt have these proof marks on parts when they made their arms? Or did they make all their parts? Just trying to understand, that's all.
 

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As far as naval scene, this took place between U.S. forces & Mexican, May 16, 1843.Battle of Campeche.
 

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The Colt 1860 Army .44 Caliber Revolvers have the same or similar Sailing Ship scene on the cylinders but I suspect that the O.P.'s cylinder is from a reproduction revolver of the 1860 Army. Colt Inspectors stamped their' initials into a Colt cylinder (called the Inspector's Mark) when it was accepted for use by the Army and Navy and sometimes Sub-Inspector's initials will be found on them as well. There were no Inspectors with the initials of "S" or "ELG" that inspected Colt cylinders with or without the "*" above or below the initials.


Frank
 

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So all that was a lot to take in,and BTW RC that was a good link. So is this from an 1851 Colt Army revolver that shot a round all ? The cylinder then too was not broken off the gun but was like a spare battery pack for our Metal Detectors? Thanks all. Or is this a repro?
 

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villagenut said:
So all that was a lot to take in,and BTW RC that was a good link. So is this from an 1851 Colt Army revolver that shot a round all ? The cylinder then too was not broken off the gun but was like a spare battery pack for our Metal Detectors? Thanks all. Or is this a repro?
Click to expand...

Sorry man, too much coffee and barking here...
Maybe an 1860 Army reproduction. (1851 model was .36 cal..my bad.)
Roundball sure. The earlier marks being suggested as Belgian would fit a replica and many are out there due to favorable price points.
A cylinder could be carried as a spare. Yours may have been simply removed . For example to keep it away from kids...go somewhere you were not supposed to be ready to shoot, to transport... ect..
A spare would be a luxury. Depends on the revolver owners willingness to acquire one, if available.
A revolver could get parted out too in theory making a spare cylinder available.
Not all cylinders of the same make work great in all of the same make revolvers, so two that run the same would be great...
 

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releventchair said:
Sorry man, too much coffee and barking here...
Maybe an 1860 Army reproduction. (1851 model was .36 cal..my bad.)
Roundball sure. The earlier marks being suggested as Belgian would fit a replica and many are out there due to favorable price points.
A cylinder could be carried as a spare. Yours may have been simply removed . For example to keep it away from kids...go somewhere you were not supposed to be ready to shoot, to transport... ect..
A spare would be a luxury. Depends on the revolver owners willingness to acquire one, if available.
A revolver could get parted out too in theory making a spare cylinder available.
Not all cylinders of the same make work great in all of the same make revolvers, so two that run the same would be great...
Click to expand...

I will add that there was no Model named the 1851 Army! Since the 1851 Navy was a .36 Caliber and the 1860 Army was a .44 Caliber, the cylinder is likely for a reproduction of an 1860 Army Revolver as stated. Below are two pics of a genuine 1860 Army .44 Caliber Revolver (production date of 1863) that I picked up at an Estate Auction earlier this year and which was found wrapped in a cloth inside a wash cabinet with a leaky pipe in the home.


Frank

Colt 1860 Army Revolver 1.JPGColt 1860 Army Revolver 2.JPG
 

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Agreed.
To attempt to clarify..
Army revolver with navy battle scene has nothing to do with Army use or Navy use. Just a scene Colt used for a while. Copies years later then used it also.
There were Colts stamped to i.d. Army or Navy at one time but the scene on cylinder does not mean who used what.
The Navy model .36's shot well and were fine, till more stopping power was desired.
 

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