1874 colt 41 DA info please

P

poobear011

Inactive
this pistol belonged to my grandad. he was the gunsmith in smith county tx. for colt & remmington arm's . the pistol is in prime condition with just a bit of the blueing starting to fade. i fired this pistol back in 1972. a box of 41 cal bullets cost .59 cents each. have had it stored since. it has a mid range 6 digit seriel number.
where my i go on the web and find the true date of manufacture. the first patent #'s are 1874,1875,1876. i would like to find it worth any idea where to go get that on the web.

thanks

jim loftin
jimloftin@yahoo.com
 
First, there is no Colt Model 1874 revolver.
The first Colt DA revolvers were the Model 1877 "Rainmaker", the Model 1877 "Lightning, the Model 1877 "Thunderer", and the Model 1878 DA.

Only the Model 1877 Thunderer and the Model 1878 DA were made in the .41 Colt Long.
The patent dates referred to the original patents applied for before actual production began in 1877.

You can do a Google search for pictures of how to identify whether you have a Model 1877 or a Model 1878.

Here's two sources of shipping date: NOTE All Colt firearms started with serial number 1 back then. You have to identify whether you have a Model 1877 or 1878 to get a valid date.
Colt Firearms Company look-up:

http://www.coltsmfg.com/CustomerServices/SerialNumberLookup.aspx

Proof House data base:

http://proofhouse.com/colt/

More info:
You can buy an Archive letter from Colt that will list what Colt knows about the gun. This would include the configuration it left the factory in (Caliber, barrel length, any custom order features) when it was shipped, and who it was shipped to.

Values on guns are based on the actual amount of ORIGINAL factory finish, whether it has original grips and is in the configuration it left the factory in, and whether it's in working order.

The standard industry reference is The Blue Book of Gun Values which lists value on percentage of original finish.

Values listed for an 1877 Thunderer are as follows, with the caution that condition is everything and is best judged by an expert. Your 90% may be an experts 95% or it could be an 80%.
Also, values on Colt firearms are changing fast so values may be higher then listed.
60%--$975
70%--$1,125
80%--$1,675
90%--$2,100
95%--$2,250

If the gun is a Model 1878:
60%--$1,750
70%--$2,500
80%--$3,000
90%--$3,750
95%--#4,750
 
Dfariswheel knows far more about these guns than I do, so don't ask me about ID and value particulars.

However... I feel it is wise to give you a mandatory warning statement about early DA Colts.

DO NOT USE THE DOUBLE-ACTION TRIGGER!!

The mechanism is fragile, replacement parts are made of Unobtanium,* and most knowledgeable gunsmiths are aware of this and refuse to work on these guns. Also, a nonfunctional DA trigger will have a significant negative effect on value, more or less automatically knocking the gun out of the high condition grades.

Generally the only reason you should use the DA trigger is to prove it works for the purposes of assessing value. Pull it ONE TIME.

*Unobtanium is an exceedingly rare metal also used in 1960s Lamborghini steering parts, Mazda 323 GTX strut cartridges, and Kinner airplane engines. ;)
 
Als0-and I'm sure Dfariswheel knows more about this-that series of Colts have a VERY complicated mechanism and their disassembly and reassembly-I
did it ONCE, that's enough.
 
Values on guns are based on the actual amount of ORIGINAL factory finish, whether it has original grips and is in the configuration it left the factory in, and whether it's in working order.
Click to expand...

Or for a small percentage, who it was owned or used by.
 
As they say, "it depends", but association usually trumps condition. Hypothetically, a Colt Navy in poor condition that can be proven to have been carried by Robert E. Lee would be valued in the tens of thousands, while a similar revolver in the same condition but without any significant association might bring under $1000.

Jim
 
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