Colt Peace Maker Information Needed

J

JLuna223

Inactive
I was recently handed down a Colt Peacemaker and I am just looking for more information about this pistol. I have detailed pictures of numbers and markings on the pistol. All the serial numbers match up except the one on the gate. Anymore information about the gun will help.
 

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That's an old one - black powder frame, probably pre-1895. The set-screw that holds the base pin (the axle that the cylinder spins on) is a giveaway.

If the nickel finish is original you've hit the jackpot but...odds are it's a re-finish. Appears to have been done fairly well though.

Depending on exactly how old, that thing could be worth serious money even if it is a refinish. If original...holy cow.

DO NOT shoot it OR clean it until you know what you've got and how to do so. It cannot fire modern smokeless powder cartridges...just for starters, the frame is cast iron! The good news is, the "cowboy action shooting" games have a category in which you have to shoot black powder cartridges and those rounds would be appropriate in that gun, assuming it's still in good condition which in the the case of this antique should be determined by a gunsmith. The cleanup procedures for black powder are "peculiar" as the stuff is highly corrosive and needs specific cleaning techniques and materials...and on top of that, in this gun's case those cleaning supplies must in turn be compatible with the nickel finish. I would have to do some serious digging to figure out what's safe to use on that thing and I've been shooting modern guns for some time now.
 
You need to get it appraised for insurance reasons. The Appraiser can tell you when it was made. If you know any history of the gun write it down and keep it with the gun. It's not cast iron, only the very earliest guns were, but it is a lower grade steel than we have now. DO NOT ,EVER, NEVER SHOOT IT WITH SMOKELESS AMMO. It appears to be in shooting condition, with ammo it was designed to use.
It appears to be a nice old gun.
 
Yeah, it's most likely cast iron. You can get the manufacture date from the serial number.

http://proofhouse.com/colt/index.html

I would spend the money(about 100 bucks) to get it lettered from Colt. That will tell you what finish it had and where it was originally shipped to, most likely a hardware store somewhere but will still have some good info.
 
Only the very first Colts were a very low gradesteel, often said to be cast iron, and they are not safe to shoot with any powder. I had serial # 289 at one time. Gun steel has gotten better and better over time. BP has a different burn curve than Smokeless Powder. BP is much gentler on old guns.
 
The letter is worth it regardless, but if it shows an original nickel finish you've scored gold. Literally thousands in extra value. Even if the nickel was added later, any black-powder-era with the original length barrel as that almost certainly is, is worth serious coin.

The letter might also luck out in another way: you might find it linked to a particular historical figure.
 
From what I can see, your sixgun was made between 1883 and 1887. The cylinder looks to be a later replacement. And, FYI, the frame should be mild steel. They only used wrought iron ("cast iron" is pure hogwash) before 1883, which was before your gun was made as far as I am able to ascertain from the one photo. More pictures would help, and a serial number (last three digits can be cryptic. i.e. "xxx") would give the exact year, plus or minus one.

Though not original to your gun, if those are ivory stocks they are worth a fair amount in their own right.
 
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