[ssimpson]

Hi all, I am new to this forum but am looking for some help. I have an old Colt that I inherited from my grandfather. This one for whatever reason was not taken care of well. I had a friend look into this and tell me it is a New Army model from the 1890s. Anybody have any history about these guys? I would also like to restore it so that at least she is pretty again (assuming based off of what I was told it would cost a fortune to get her to fire again). It appears as if the barrel was sawed off, and there is a "634" on it but I do not know the significance?

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Any help would greatly be appreciated!

 

[Avanmeter]

Welcome to the forum.

The 634 is an assembly number i believe. The SN is on the butt of the gun and looks like yours was made in 1898. Remember, pretty is a relative term. minus the cut down bbl, that is a beautiful gun to someone.

As far as it costing a fortune to return to safe firing condition, that depends. as long as there isnt any structural damage, and all the parts are there and not broken, a good full detail strip, cleaning and oiling should return it to functioning condition. However, if parts are missing, worn out, or damaged it is a whole different story.

 

[knifeusercollections]

It appears the barrel is partially unscrewed, I can't see the forcing cone extending into the frame. I think it would be dangerous to fire as it is.

 

[MtnSpur]

The barrel IS unscrewed, and by quite a bit. Gunsmiths that can reliably fix these old girls are few and far between but depending on where you live you may get lucky and have one close by. I'd be more inclined to have an expert look and repair. As far as "pretty", once she's functional a good scrubbing with Kroil or similar product then a wipe down, not a bath, of CLP on the externals and that's about as good as you'll get. Any refinish is $$ down the drain but since it's a family revolver I'd try to get her working.

 

[ssimpson]

Thanks Avameter. Where did you find the information about the year it was made? I would love to learn how to find this stuff as I have an old shotgun I am trying to research as well.

I had a friend who has done a lot of gun repairs (not a gunsmith mind you) and he told me that so many of the parts would need to be replaced that it would be very challenging to actually repair it. I forget exactly what he said but something having what to do with the pin not lining up.

Thanks Knifeusercollections, correct the barrel is partially unscrewed because I was messing with it. However, the barrel does not screw in far enough and I am not sure I will be able to get it the whole way in. I have thought about replacing the barrel if at all possible.

Mtnspr, thanks. I live in Jacksonville, FL....there are a few gunsmiths around but haven't had it checked out by any of them yet. I would love to get her working, but not entirely sure about what kind of investment would need to be made. I believe it was a gift to him, because all of the others ones that I have of his are in impeccable condition.