Hello everyone. New member, first post. I have acquired a New Service serial 129xxx which I think puts it around 1917. Gun is excellent. It is in 455 Eley and does not appear to be modified. I think it is an improved model. It has British acceptance marks near the hammer crown over something. There are crosses on the inside of the cylinder face and the same on left side top in front of the cylinder. Grips are wooden and smooth and somewhat unique and appear to be original. The grips have a high "thumb web guard" and there is a lanyard ring. There is only one other marking on the gun other than standard colt new service 455 eley. On the right side plate in front of the trigger there is a possible unit marking, a 3/215. I can only find ref to two possible units so far. A RAF handley page night bomber 215 squadron and a naval reserve inf unit they may have served in galipolli. Can anyone help on the unit marking. Thank you.
Colt New Service British Unit Marking any help on custom grips?
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Without a picture its hard to be certain but I susspect that if the 3 is over the 215 this will be an Australian marking. 3 being the third Military District which is the state of Victoria in Australia and 215 is the rack number for this revolver
Regards
Alan David
Sydney
Regards
Alan David
Sydney
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2,207 Posts
Resize Images online
Use this link. I've used it to shrink individual pics for years. It's free and bug-free as far as I can tell.
Use this link. I've used it to shrink individual pics for years. It's free and bug-free as far as I can tell.
Thank you. If they could only talk! A 1917 Colt with British acceptance marks and an Australian military district mark from WWII. Somehow it made it back to a little town in Pgh Pa USA. Maybe a bring back. This is why I got into collecting. I will have to get a letter from colt. Thanks again for the info.
Ps: found one more mark on crane under serial number a small capital N
Ps: found one more mark on crane under serial number a small capital N
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11,284 Posts
Your Colt letter will only show that it was part of a British contract during the Great War.
Beyond that - zip.
It was probably sold through the surplus market in the 1960's, before the government clamped down on imports - a lot of interesting stuff came out of Commonwealth countries as they cleaned out their arsenals.
Beyond that - zip.
It was probably sold through the surplus market in the 1960's, before the government clamped down on imports - a lot of interesting stuff came out of Commonwealth countries as they cleaned out their arsenals.
Added pictures of the stocks. Note I have found a picture in the seminal work Colt New Service Revolver "a particuliarly strong, heavy weapon" by tim mullin on pp 219 of Henry FitGerald in 1934 with what appears to be a pair of holstered new service's with the same grips.
Do any of the new service collectors know if these are a factory option?
Do any of the new service collectors know if these are a factory option?
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