Around the NRA: Keeping Colt’s 175th Anniversary Revolver
NRAblog 11.05.12
We recently told you that Colt Manufacturing was giving the National Firearms Museum their 175th Anniversary gun for safe keeping. Ours to watch over for a year, the Anniversary gun is a Single Action Army revolver.
“We engraved it at our custom shop to commemorate the 175th Anniversary of Colt Firearms,” said Timothy Looney, Manager of the Colt Custom Shop. “It’s a one of a kind with a serial number of 175.”
Here’s the sheet on the revolver:
In recognition of the 175th Anniversary of the Colt’s Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut, the world renowned Colt Custom Shop proudly presents a true work of art created by Master Engravers Steve Kamyk and George Spring.
The firearm is based on the Colt Single Action Army with a black powder style frame finished in color case hardening.
The barrel, cylinder, trigger guard and backstrap are finished in carbonia blue and the balance of small parts are fire blued. The firearm has been scroll engraved with C+ coverage and is accented by full gold frame borders including raised running leaf on both sides of the recoil shield.
The left recoil shield exhibits “175” in high relief gold over raised relief scroll.
The non fluted cylinder is highlighted by the Colt dome comprised of gold and silver raised relief and the the opposing side displays the serpentine Colt in raised gold. Hand inlaid gold bands accent the barrel and the cylinder.
The backstrap has been engraved and gold inlaid with Sam Colt’s signature. The elephant ivory grips are scrimshawed with a portrait of Sam Colt on the left side and the Rampant Colt on the right side.
“The 150th Anniversary pistol was auctioned off and sold for $150,000,” explained Looney. “This one is valued at $175,000. We wanted it in a place where people could see it because we’re very proud of our master engravers and we like their work to be shown.”
The Single Action Army Revolver will be on display here at the NRA National Firearms Museum through October of 2013. Or, with any luck, maybe a little bit longer.
“We might be able to squeeze another month or two out of them but that’s about it,” said National Firearms Museum Director Jim Supica. “We’re happy to put it on display for Colt as long as they’re happy to have it here.”
NRAblog covers the 178 programs of the National Rifle Association. Whether it's the Youth Hunter Education Challenge, Women On Target, Hunters Rights, our National Competitions or a look at one of the thousands of guns in the National Firearms Museum, NRAblog is there to provide you an inside look to how it all happens at the NRA.
