[quietman]

I own an 1876 SAA as shown. Ever so often I enjoy taking out of my safe and handling it. Today, for the first time, I noticed some etchings or whatever on the left side as shown. Obviously, they are very faint, so much so that I really only saw them with a printer's loupe. I have done my best to photograph them. Attached is my best effort to show. Has anyone come across similar marks? Would love to know what they indicate. Thanks for looking...Dan

 

[quietman]

More photos...there were a couple of more too light to photograph. The symbol beside the M or W almost looks like a crude star.

 

[Old-Colts]

In my opinion they are just another example of history that has no explanation some 100+ years later. I'm sure those stamps and/or markings meant a great deal to the person that put them there; but that meaning is lost in time.

I, personally, haven't seen those particular markings before. It's kind of like clouds, we can see almost anything in them if we let our minds wander!

 

[quietman]

You are probably correct. The M or W is very precise as if it were put there by a skilled individual. Was hoping someone may have seen the same or similar. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Chaffee]

Could have been a cowboy's attempt to personalize his gun. A bunkhouse project during idle time.

 

[Monsai52]

Since this is all speculation, perhaps they are of Native American origin. You might try showing your images to an expert in the field.

Best regards,

 

[quietman]

Brilliant Monsai52. The symbols do look native American. I have a friend who is an archaeologist. I'll give him a call.

 

[quietman]

I showed the revolver and photos to an esteemed local university anthropology professor who has studied native American culture for years. He is intrigued and stated he has never seen anything similar on an old firearm. He is going to research a bit and study it. He felt the far left photo on second group of photos looked like an Indian sled drawing. Nothing solid. Will post his conclusions if any. Thanks to those who responded.

 

[dfariswheel]

In this months American Rifleman magazine is a great article on the "Dirty Harry" movies S&W .44 Magnum revolvers, covering the details of what guns were actually used in the movie.

One gun mentioned was a Model 29 owned by an unnamed New York gun writer who identified his guns by a series of punch mark dots.
It's possible whoever owned this Colt put the punch marks on the gun as identification.

The other time you see punch marks on older guns is Mexican style "engraving" where a punch is used to make designs on the gun.
This is crude and looks pretty bad, but it was something done back then to dress up a plain pistol.
Possibly this was just a form of doing a little decoration on a cold winter night in the bunk house.

 

[quietman]

You may be right. These marks are very small yet intricate. The lines in each are very straight. They are also very thin. My friend, the anthropologist, wondered what type of tool could make such a fine line so precisely. These etchings are only the size of a screw. I bet it is impossible to ever decode these marks with certainty, but it adds to the interest I have in the gun. The other observation my friend made regarding the symbol that looks like an M is that it could represent mountains.