knightwalkr
Inactive
I bought a .44 colt and am trying to figure out if everything on it is authentic... and if so what the value of it would be. where would i go to research this. I can take a few pictures and post if anyone wants to see it.
.44 colt
- Thread starter knightwalkr
- Start date
You can get a letter from one of the historians at Colt that will tell you all about your firearm when it left the factory (chambering, barrel length, finish, special options like engraving, etc). This is considered the definitive proof of a collector Colt.
http://www.coltsmfg.com/archive.aspx
http://www.coltsmfg.com/archive.aspx
Jim Watson
New member
.44 colt WHAT?
There were numerous very different models.
Do you have a Single Action Army?
Is it marked "Frontier Six Shooter?"
It is going to take pictures.
How can we help if you keep secrets from us?
There were numerous very different models.
Do you have a Single Action Army?
Is it marked "Frontier Six Shooter?"
It is going to take pictures.
How can we help if you keep secrets from us?
knightwalkr
Inactive
knightwalkr
Inactive
knightwalkr
Inactive
My honest take on it is that it's an Italian reproduction Richards-Mason mated with a Colt Signature Series grip and perhaps other parts. What does the barrel address say? The cylinder does not seem to be properly stamped for a Colt and the numbers on the bottom seem very odd for any kind of Colt I've ever seen.
Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I can chime in.
Best,
Oly
Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I can chime in.
Best,
Oly
madcratebuilder
New member
Oly nailed it. The barrel has Italian proof marks. It has a Colt 3rd gen grip frame, the Sam Colt signature is the give away. Not sure on the frame. Still a nice revolver. I just hope you didn't pay original 1872 Colt price for it.
knightwalkr
Inactive
re
i paid around 375, the store i bought it from normally fairly knowledgeable had no clue about it and said that they couldnt find rounds for it and anyone who came in and looked for it wouldnt buy it without at least 2 boxes of ammo. I started trying to find information on it. If it turns out to be a reproduction i wont be hurting on the money. I wouldnt have bought it for anywhere near 2k. I am one of those odd balls that feel that something should be used and ive shot about 4 boxes of ammo through it. I still will need to get the materials to reload my brass becuase finding .44 colts is a pain in the ass.
any way you look at it though its a smoother firing weapon than my SA XD .45. I would hope that it is authentic but like I said I use the pistol. It sits on a shelf beside a box of rounds always ready for me to load it and take it up on my hill with the 4 wheeler.
i paid around 375, the store i bought it from normally fairly knowledgeable had no clue about it and said that they couldnt find rounds for it and anyone who came in and looked for it wouldnt buy it without at least 2 boxes of ammo. I started trying to find information on it. If it turns out to be a reproduction i wont be hurting on the money. I wouldnt have bought it for anywhere near 2k. I am one of those odd balls that feel that something should be used and ive shot about 4 boxes of ammo through it. I still will need to get the materials to reload my brass becuase finding .44 colts is a pain in the ass.
any way you look at it though its a smoother firing weapon than my SA XD .45. I would hope that it is authentic but like I said I use the pistol. It sits on a shelf beside a box of rounds always ready for me to load it and take it up on my hill with the 4 wheeler.
Mike Irwin
Staff
The proof marks on the barrel don't lie.
It's an Italian reproduction.
It's an Italian reproduction.
I don't see any peening in your cylinder notches and apparently you've got a smooth shooting, great looking cowboy gun there so the fact that it's a bit of a parts mongrel shouldn't bother you given what you paid for it. I'd just enjoy it!
Someone else can chime in if I'm wrong but I think you can shoot .44 Russian in that baby as well.
Enjoy,
Oly
Someone else can chime in if I'm wrong but I think you can shoot .44 Russian in that baby as well.
Enjoy,
Oly
It may appear so at first glance, but unfortunately you can't after checking up in "Cartridges of the World"
The 44 Colt uses a heeled type bullet with a diameter of .443" vs the 44 Russians .429" bullet. You'd be lucky to hit the ground with such an undersized bullet. The rim diameter of the Rusian is larger as well and also has a thicker rim; 0.045"-0.047" for the 44 Colt vs .060" for the Russian.
knightwalkr
Inactive
Rounds
Ive researched it and I think it was the .44 special brass that I could load. but I couldnt fire anything other than black powder... BUT that was when I was thinking it was a Colt. I was told that the pressure from anything other than a black powder would turn the gun into flying parts.
I am currently thinking hard about getting the stuff to load my own ammo.
Yes its extremely smooth firing. I can fire it with one hand and barley have any rise out of the weapon. over all I love the way it fires. almost feels like it was made for my hand. I bought a holster for it so i can carry it more around my farm. It kinda disappoints me that its not a colt. not value wise. i could give a rats ass about it being worth more than 375. I was more thinking about how cool it was to be holding a 140 year old iron that fired cleaner and truer than a new SA XD. and yes at about 50 and 75 yards the .44 is a truer weapon. at about 100 yards Im not acurate enough with a pistol for it either to show a difference.
Ive researched it and I think it was the .44 special brass that I could load. but I couldnt fire anything other than black powder... BUT that was when I was thinking it was a Colt. I was told that the pressure from anything other than a black powder would turn the gun into flying parts.
I am currently thinking hard about getting the stuff to load my own ammo.
Yes its extremely smooth firing. I can fire it with one hand and barley have any rise out of the weapon. over all I love the way it fires. almost feels like it was made for my hand. I bought a holster for it so i can carry it more around my farm. It kinda disappoints me that its not a colt. not value wise. i could give a rats ass about it being worth more than 375. I was more thinking about how cool it was to be holding a 140 year old iron that fired cleaner and truer than a new SA XD. and yes at about 50 and 75 yards the .44 is a truer weapon. at about 100 yards Im not acurate enough with a pistol for it either to show a difference.
knightwalkr
Inactive
Rounds
What are the chances of it being able to fire anything other than .44 colt black powder rounds.
What are the chances of it being able to fire anything other than .44 colt black powder rounds.
Starline makes correct brass.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/categ...yleID=1145&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1&as=1
If you want smokeless loads you can keep the velocities down to bp levels.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/categ...yleID=1145&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1&as=1
If you want smokeless loads you can keep the velocities down to bp levels.
Jim Watson
New member
Being a modern reproduction, it will take LIGHT smokeless loads.
Being a modern reproduction, it probably does not have the heel bullet chamber and barrel dimensions of the originals. Modern reproduction .44 Colts typically have the same chamber and bore/groove diameters as a .44 Special. The brass length is intermediate between .44 Russian and Special and the rim is small for the rebated black powder cylinder; but the outside diameter of the case and the bullet diameter are the same as Specials. Should handload with Russian dies but a Colt shellholder.
If you don't want to tool up to handload for it, Ten-X will sell you ammo and then reload the returned brass.
http://www.tenxammo.com/Pricing.html
Being a modern reproduction, it probably does not have the heel bullet chamber and barrel dimensions of the originals. Modern reproduction .44 Colts typically have the same chamber and bore/groove diameters as a .44 Special. The brass length is intermediate between .44 Russian and Special and the rim is small for the rebated black powder cylinder; but the outside diameter of the case and the bullet diameter are the same as Specials. Should handload with Russian dies but a Colt shellholder.
If you don't want to tool up to handload for it, Ten-X will sell you ammo and then reload the returned brass.
http://www.tenxammo.com/Pricing.html
knightwalkr
Inactive
.44 colt replica
POsted in the wrong place
POsted in the wrong place
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Don't assume anything about the cartridges for that gun, make sure what it uses. If you can't be sure, take it to someone who can. Some ".44" repros were made in .44-40 simply because it is widely available where .44 Colt is a custom item, long out of production by the major manufacturers. Even .44 Special is hard to get.
Jim
Jim