Finest Known Colt "Fluck/Walker Replacement" Variation Dragoon Percussion Revolver

This revolver was manufactured in 1848 and is in exceptional condition. It falls into the reported 2001 to 3000 serial number range for the "Walker Replacement Dragoons" identified by researcher John J. Fluck in 1956. He estimated 300 were made to replace the Walker revolvers that had failed and indicated they were made for the U.S. military using original Walker parts and reworked parts. They are also known as "pre-First Model Dragoons" and "Second Contract Dragoons" and are among the rarest of the roughly 19,000 Colt Dragoon revolvers. More recent research by Dick Salzer, David Basnet, G. Maxwell Longfield, and others has changed our understanding of this model and shown that they were not replacements for broken Walkers or made from recycled or repaired Walker components as Fluck had theorized. In "Debunking the Fluck Myth: Colt Legends Die Hard" by Salzer for the American Society of Arms Collectors in 2019, the author notes that these revolvers are actually the first Dragoons sold to the government, and "The obvious conclusion is that Colt, for reasons of completeness perhaps, chose to number the guns made for the second government contract in a closed, out-of-sequence series, beginning with 2001 and continuing to 3000. That left him with a gap in his civilian production between 1340 and 2000 which he subsequently filled with later production guns." These revolvers saw hard use out West making high condition examples like this one very scarce. In fact, this is the finest example known, making it well deserving of the finest private or public collection! The revolver has the characteristic “Walker Replacement Dragoon” features that include: long, Walker style, back strap; modified, Walker Model, trigger guard; cylinder with roll-engraved Ranger and Indian fight scene and distinctive pressure ridge just ahead of the locking notches; small Walker type serial numbers; roll-stamped barrel marking ("ADDRESS SAML COLT NEW-YORK CITY") that reads from the breech to the bore; "COLT'S/PATENT/U.S." stamped in the middle of the left side of the frame; and "P" Ordnance sub-inspection mark stamped on the back strap, trigger guard, cylinder, left side of the barrel lug, and wedge. The revolver has the Colt military blue finish on the barrel, casehardened loading lever frame and hammer, and brass trigger guard and back strap. The one-piece walnut grip has an oil finish. The cylinder has oval stops and lacks the safety pins found on later Colt Dragoon revolvers. The revolver has the early V-shaped mainspring. The full serial number is stamped on the back strap, trigger guard, frame, barrel lug and the cylinder. The partial serial number "273" is stamped on the inside of the grip and on the cylinder arbor. The loading lever is stamped with the partial serial number "83". The right side of the grip is stamped with the script "WAT" initials of Ordnance Final Inspector MAJ. William A. Thornton surrounded by an oval border. The left side of the grip is stamped with the Ordnance Sub-inspector's script initials "NAP" in an oval.

Condition: Very fine. The barrel retains 70% original blue finish with sharp edges and a crisp address on the top flat. The wedge shows traces of the niter blue finish. The loading lever is correct with the assembly number "83" stamped on it which corresponds to the number on the barrel. The loading lever has 75% of the original casehardened finish. The cylinder has an even, gray-brown patina and retains all of the Ranger and Indian fight scene with strong "MODEL U.S.M.R./COLT'S PATENT", serial number and sub-inspection marks. The frame and hammer retain 60% plus of the dove-gray casehardened finish with crisp patent markings and serial numbers. There is some heavy pitting in the hammer well and some very minor pitting on the right side of the hammer and on the edge of the recoil shields. The brass trigger guard and back strap are excellent with a mellow age patina and scattered age discoloration. The serial numbers and ordnance inspection marks are crisp. The very fine grip shows moderate handling wear with small chips on the forward edges. The Ordnance Inspector's and Sub-Inspector's initials on the lower portion of the grip are sharp. The cylinder does not rotate when the hammer is cocked (this is why the gun is in exceptional condition- it was put up when it broke!). This is undoubtedly the finest example of an ultra-rare Walker Replacement Dragoon Revolver known!