[gunner5]

is the correct one for an Colt 1860 Army 2nd generation? I believe it is #1. But I can't place #2. It looks like one for the 1862 Pocket/Baby Dragoon. Or, is it a possibility that they made several different ones for the 1860?

Note: I am comparing the length of the nipple head (on small leg of the 'L').

By the way, I don't have #2 (so I can't measure the wrench), but it was offered on gunbroker about a month, ago, and I was ready to buy, but wasn't sure on the wrench. The set didn't sell, so if it is correct, I'll see if I can go back after it.

Rob

 

[gunner5]

I asked Dennis Russell for clarification. It seems that both nipple wrenches are correct. He writes:

From Dennis Russell (Author of the Collector's Handbook & Price Guide):
"Interesting question. There are at least two 1860 Army nipple wrench designs and perhaps more. I opened up five factory boxed 1860 Army accessory sets. Three contained nipple wrenches with the long barrel (approximately 1.0” long) and two contained nipple wrenches with the short barrel (approximately .8” long). However, all five had a short shaft which was approximately 1.5” long. There were also variations in the length of the long shaft (screwdriver shaft). The two in the attached photos were approximately 3.2” long. However, among the other three wrenches, a variation was noted as short as 3.1”. All five had the typical Colt notch at the corner where the two shafts meet. It is also important to note that the long barrel nipple wrenches are more robust in thickness than their short barrel counterparts.

I have attached a couple of photographs for comparison."

 

[gunner5]

Now that I know that both nipple wrenches are correct for the 1860, I went out and found the person who was selling the set #2, and bought it. The cased set will fit nicely for the new 1860 Army Stainless Steel that I bought last week from a lady named 'CindyF.' Her husband passed away and left a large collection of a variety of guns to dispose off. She had some threads recently on this forum asking about the value (or rarity) of the 1851 SS, 1860 SS, and 1851 'blank cylinder. I contacted her by Private message and was able to purchase the 1860 SS. Perfect condition. When she said NIB, it was - like it came from the factory. For those of you looking for something in particular, you may want to see what she has left. It was a good transaction.