Product Description
GOLD RUSH Antique COLT M1848 “BABY DRAGOON” POCKET Revolver w/HOLSTER
With DESIRABLE 6” BARREL; “GAMBLER’S FIFTH ACE”
Here we present an antique Colt Model 1848 Baby Dragoon Revolver, made in 1848, in Hartford, Connecticut. The Model 1848 was Colt’s first pocket-sized revolver and was a smaller version of the .44 caliber Dragoon models manufactured by the company since its Paterson days. It was the precursor of the 1849 Pocket Revolver with the stylings and cylinder scene of its big brother, the Colt’s Dragoon. This is a desirable pistol for many reasons, not the least of which is the name of “Colt” and “Dragoon”. This pistol was made in a small quantity from 1847-1850, with a total of about 15,500 produced with the serial numbering beginning at 1 and ending at 15,500 overlapping with the Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver.
This revolver was the first pocket model to be made at Colt’s Hartford factory. It came in barrel lengths of 3″, 4″, 5″, and 6″ and is distinctive with its square-back trigger-guard. From about serial number 11670 a loading lever was attached to some revolvers through to serial number 15461.
The Baby Dragoon was chambered in .31 percussion and had a capacity of 5 shots. Though these were very limited in number, they were very popular and saw use on the battlefields during the Civil War, on the home front and in the West. Colt’s primary marketing for this “1848 Pocket Pistol” was in California with success during the Gold Rush days. With the addition of the loading lever, this revolver evolved into the 1849 Pocket Revolver. The early versions of the revolver sported the Texas Ranger and Comanche Indian fight scene originally designed by W.L. Ormsby for the Dragoon. This was changed to a stagecoach-holdup scene around Serial No. 11100. During the Gold Rush Era, along with the occasional “riverboat gambler”, the mere presentation of this five-shot revolver, in spite of its size, would be enough to circumvent any violence without a need for reloading. In fact, the 1848 Pocket Pistol was often referred to as “a gambler’s fifth Ace.”
The overall condition is good. Weathered patina. The action is strong. Parts of the cylinder scene remain visible. The bore is dark. The grip is a replacement and in good condition. Numbers match where they are visible. Comes in a period leather flap holster that is showing its age.
Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.
Barrel is 6 inches.
Caliber: .31 Percussion
Overall condition as seen in photos.
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Guaranteed AUTHENTIC & Includes CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.
www.ancestryguns.com
$3600
#240425