I bought this old Patterson

M

madcratebuilder

New member
knowing it is a 'aged' reproduction. Big brown dropped it yesterday and I have had an opportunity to look it over. I don't think it's an Italian copy. I have two other Paterson, a older Replica Arms and a Pietta copy. The arbor on the new arrival is larger in diameter and other dimensions are just a bit larger. Barrel is about 1/8 longer than the Texas Paterson, backstrap is a hair wider. I have not removed the grips, but they look old, and wood is very hard to fake. The wedge screw has half the head broken off and the hammer screw is stripped. Two things you would not expect to find on a antiqued revolver.

Does anyone know if they made counterfeit copies back in the 1840's? The top of the barrel stamping is not totally correct. It's stamped all upper case and "-COLT PATENT-" should be "-Colt's Pt-"

No matter what it is, I like it. Give me your opinions.

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I'll add it has serial numbers everyplace a real Paterson does.
 
It has 11 grooves, pitted, rusty, not much of a forcing cone. The end of the barrel is odd, all most a reamed appearance the last 1/4 inch or so. Crowned with a countersink tool maybe, their is a 1/16 inch 60* bevel at the end.

It has the nipples that require a four pin tool to remove. I believe the Uberti copy had these. I'm not sure about the originals.
 
Dang MCB either way you surely have somethin' there ... You have a Uberti Paterson and a Pietta don't you?
Wouldn't it be great ifin it turned out like that Brevet Walker I din't buy for $1,000 cause it was too beat up and not much proof...It sold to a collector in Germay for $10,000:eek: Oh well that wasn't my time :O)
Hope this is your time...
 
I don't have a Uberti copy to compare. I'm not sure who made my Replica Arms Paterson. This aged specimen is different from the two repros I have.
 
Might be authentic original.

The serial number on the pic, 887. Could this be an original? I just checked wikpedia and Patent arms only produced 2350 units. Some came with a longer barrel as an acessory. I'd do a through web serch, failibng that, I would call an antique dealer.
 
All the Italians have proof marks on them. If this one has no proof marks then it might be time to start getting excited.
 
All the Italians have proof marks on them. If this one has no proof marks then it might be time to start getting excited.
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They're easily removed. That's the first thing anybody does when faking a gun.
I'm not up on Paterson's by any means but the ones I've seen pics of had the writing in script and they do say Colt's not Colt. However I'm sure I haven't seen pics of all the variants. What bothers me the most about it is the letters were stamped one at a time. Some are out of line and some are stamped deeper than others. If it was mine I think I'd find out if the screw threads matched original Paterson's. It's still a nice piece with an original look to it and you might just have the real deal.
 
I have an original 1851 and the serial numbers do not line up on it.
Did you pull a screw to see if the threads are metric?
 
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I forget now...were all the records prior to the fire destroyed? Maybe Colt may have some info on that particular serial number...just a thought, anyways, love them Patersons!
 
Does it have the bands on the barrel end?
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Not that I can see. There is a very light band around the recoil shield.

I'm not up on Paterson's by any means but the ones I've seen pics of had the writing in script and they do say Colt's not Colt.
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The printing on the barrel is the fly in the ointment. All Paterson I have photos of, hundred or more. The Barrel is marked in block letters, upper and lower case. 'Colt's Pt' is correct, not 'COLT PATENT'. It's so blatantly wrong, if I was counterfeiting a gun I would at least get the marking right.
I recall old Colt ad's saying "don't buy a counterfeit Colt" so did they make counterfeit Patersons back in the late 1830's, early 1840's?????
 
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I recall old Colt ad's saying "don't buy a counterfeit Colt" so did they make counterfeit Patersons back in the late 1830's, early 1840's?????
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Who would have had the tooling to make revolvers then?
 
Hawg, don't let this topic fall off of the board. I'm interested in what your final findings are.
The Colt versus Colt's bothers me more than anything else seen or stated so far.
 
Who would have had the tooling to make revolvers then?
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colt was pretty agressive about patent infringements-particularly in europe where they occured enough to vex him. this was somewhat after the paterson period.
 
Nice Manhatten site Dr. Law...probly not in 1836 but I believe the Paterson was made long after 1836 simply for the Mods alone thru at least 1848.
But anyone with the right tooling "could" make the Paterson. Not sayin' it was done but could have been.
 
from what I've read, John Ehlers sued Colt/Paterson Arms company and won the right to assemble and market the revolvers. There is some indication that he did so and even filled a naval contract in possibly 1845.
The dixie capper is purely decorative but not engraved. It will not enter the nipple areas of a Uberti replica
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