[COLTDAGUY]

Hi TankerFrank,

You might check the other forum where you posted about this gun before... there is some good information there and a book reference you should check out.

Your Model 1901 has been reworked, probaly twice at least. The army specified that a lanyard ring be added to the butt... this was the Model 1901 specification. Colt reworked some and so did the army. Guns with "Model 1901" on the butt and a four (or less) digit serial number were polished and had the entire butt marking removed. Colt restamped the last four digits of the serial number on the butt with "Model 1901". You will also find some earlier Model 1894 and Model 1896 guns with the four digit serial numbers retaining their original model marking. These guns did not have the old model marking completely polished off and were done by the army. The reworking was done by the army and Colt between 1902 and 1911 or so... Colt shipping records verify this practice.

Now the LEB marking is Captain Leroy E. Briggs who was the ordnance officer that inspected the 19000 plus recalled Colt DA Army model revolvers at the Remington Plant during 1918 for use by the army as secondary issue during WW I.

I have an extensive database on the Colt DA New Army and Navy models... There were no Army contracts in the 184xxx serial number range. Hope that helps... Bob Best

 

[tankerfrank]

Thank you bob
I am just SO happy i got this pistol,I don't get good deal like this too many times. so my SN# IS 4851, BOB do you have a record of it. and any ideal about 1 B 8. thank's again frank

[This message has been edited by tankerfrank (edited 05-16-2005).]

 

[tankerfrank]

Did Colt U.S. Army MODEL 1901 have a low sn # I have one which has four number only on the butt of the grip. i was thinking a four number SN would be a 1896 model, but mine is a 1901. up date, OH BOY THE GUNS DID ME GOOD THIS TIME... OK I GOT the pistol home now, so here what i got on the underside of barrel is sn# 4851, on the crane recess 18 over 4851. S/N on hand checkered
cylinder latch 4851. S/N on crane 4851,RAC, S/N 6152 and P
markings on cylinder.on the left side is R.A.C.
Inspectors mark and on top of the grip is stamp L.E.B.
THE barrel date are aug 5 1884 nov 6 88 mar 5 95. on the back of the grips frame is 1 B 8. ON THE wood grips on the left side is 1 on top of 8 and on the right is B 88 R.A.C , The blue on this pistol is so nice. SO HERE IS MY Question do you think the 18 on top of 4851 in the crane recess is part of the serial numbers, ie 184851 ?

[This message has been edited by tankerfrank (edited 05-16-2005).]

[This message has been edited by tankerfrank (edited 05-16-2005).]

 

[COLTDAGUY]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tankerfrank:
Thank you bob
I am just SO happy i got this pistol,I don't get good deal like this too many times. so my SN# IS 4851, BOB do you have a record of it. and any ideal about 1 B 8. thank's again frank

Frank,
The last four digits of the original serial number is 4851. There are one or two digits missing from the front of the number. It is in the form xx4851. There are several blocks of serial numbers that contain army contract revolvers that could fit. (18)4851 is NOT one of them... I'm sorry, I don't have your gun listed in my database... The 1 B 8 is probaly a unit marking. Because your gun was refurbished at least twice, with the last time in 1918, it is hard to say what unit it might be... hope that helps! Bob Best

[This message has been edited by tankerfrank (edited 05-16-2005).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

[tankerfrank]

COLTDAGUY
I took off the side plate today and it is stamp with 4851 too.if the serial number is
six number, how come the full number is not stamp on one of the the parts. ever thing is stamp with 4851. inside the grips are 4851. i call colt and was told by kathy that colt record of army pistol being return for rebuild is not too good. so i think i will not send a $100.00 to them for a letter. but DAMM this pistol is nice,

 

[COLTDAGUY]

Originally posted by tankerfrank:
COLTDAGUY
I took off the side plate today and it is stamp with 4851 too.if the serial number is
six number, how come the full number is not stamp on one of the the parts.

Frank,
The FULL serial number was originally stamped on the butt of the revolver ONLY. The LAST four digits of the serial number were stamped on various parts of the gun... the numbers you have found are these last four digits. When the gun was reworked and refinished by either Colt or the Army, the butts were polished when the lanyard ring was added and the full serial number was lost. When they were remarked after adding the lanyard ring, the LAST four digits of the serial number was picked up from other places on the gun and marked on the butt. No one really cared about the serial numbers in those days... there were no Federal and State laws like there is now... so four digits was as good as six, as long as the numbers were unique to the batch of guns being refinished. When I did research at Colt in the shipping records for my book, I found many shipments of these guns that were reworked by Colt for the Army during the 1902 to 1908 period. Many of the shipments had the four digit numbers listed in the groups being shipped and were guns that "lost" there full serial number when they were polished and fitted with a lanyard ring. Army and Colt records list the serial number ranges of the original contracts for the different model guns (ie Model 1892, Model 1894, etc). Original army contract Model 1901 guns did not have any guns with four digit serial numbers, all had six digits. Also your gun has the initials (LEB) of the inspecting officer for the 1918 rework done by Remington for the Army... So your gun was reworked then as well as during the 1902 to 1908 period. Hope that helps explain why the serial number is missing from the butt ... Bob Best

 

[tankerfrank]

thank you bob for your help. you should see the bore on this pistol nice and bright.
one more thing with the full serial number missing, should i get a colt letter for this pistol or would it be a lost $100.00

 

[COLTDAGUY]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tankerfrank:
thank you bob for your help. you should see the bore on this pistol nice and bright.
one more thing with the full serial number missing, should i get a colt letter for this pistol or would it be a lost $100.00<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Frank,
Since you don't know what the true serial number is, it would be hard to get an accurate letter... The Colt revolver model that came with serial number 4851 would be a Model 1892 Army contract revolver, which would not be your gun... Hope that helps... Bob Best