Zulu6: RE: Your PM Question

Hi, Richard,

Looks like private email is down and this is the first time I've checked in since your email to me.

Your question:

"Today I was waxing a number of my collection of M-1889 and M1892/5s when I had a closer look at a rather nice blue gun. This one is s/n 137xxx with assembly number 890 in all the right places. It also has a star stamped on the rear web of the triggerguard on the right hand side. The barrel address is the correct 2 line addres for the 6" barrel with the March 5, 1895 patent date being the final one.

The puzzle is this ~ a small square stamped at all locations of the assembly number. It appears above the 890 to the right on the cylinder release catch, above the 9 of 890 on the crane, and above the zero of 890 on the frame cut-out for the crane. In addition there is the numeral 9 below the 9 of 890 in this latter location.

Now, if the star represents some rework, I'm guessing that the little square would give some clue as the work done. The gun does not appear to have been refinished. Does any of this make sense to you, and do you have any knowledge or theories that might explain the mark?

I have read your book on these guns, but mostly as a reference work, and cannot recollect seeing any mention of this odd marking. It does not appear on any of the other thirty-odd guns in my collcetion."

RICHARD:
To the best of my knowledge, the square you refer to was used by Colt to signify some engineering change that was made... Ken Moore, (C. Kenneth Moore - SAA Book author) and I have discussed this marking at length ... Ken believed that the square marking was a mark Colt used that signified some engineering department change, like maybe a different type of steel was used or something like that. He wrote an article that appeared in Gun Report magazine on a Model 1895 in the 68xxx serial number range that also had these markings. I have seen them on a few other guns as well...

The real answer here is we don't really know what the marking means... We just THINK it MAY MEAN the above... The star is a factory rework marking and the "9" you mentioned is the assemblers' stamp.

Hope that helps!
Take care,
Bob Best