GR-0424-6148, US Black Navy Conversion to .38 CF with iron guard and backstrap.  Fine set of original grips showing light use marks and a fine coating of oil for preservation.

USN J.LH. stamping on the bottom  of the backstrap. Cdr. James L. Henderson was the Navy inspector working in the Norfolk Yard from 1858-1861. In April 1861, James resigned, switched sides and enlisted in the Confederate Army serving in the Confederate Navy. The gun is a true conversion and would have been ordered as a percussion gun and delivered to the US Navy in 1856 or 1857. The gun was made in 1856.  The gun would have been issued and used in the Civil War and then after the war sent to the Colt factory for conversion. The Navy sent about 3000 guns back to the Colt Factory in 1873, 1875 and 1876 for converting. The largest batch of guns sent to Colt for conversion were in 1873. In the  “Colt 1851 and 1861 Navies and Conversions” book, written by Bob Jordan and Don Geri they talk about all of this information, mentioning that 1203 guns were sent to Colt from the US Navy in 1873 and 719 in 1875. This gun was probably in one of those shipments. The Navy was charged $3.50 for the conversion of each pistol and for an additional 75 cents the guns got new grips, trigger, springs, wedge and the iron fittings were re-blued. In most cases older, salvaged parts were used to put the conversions together. Colt would charge more if they could not use salvaged parts. It is for this reason that conversions often have mismatched numbers. This gun has a mismatched cylinder for example but Colt stamped the matching number on the back of the cylinder when the conversion was assembled (page 135 of Bob Jordan’s book).

The frame retains about 40% of the original case color and strong flashes of original blue finish on the iron fittings. Metal edges are crisp, metal markings are all crisp and legible. The number on the side of the cylinder does not match but the correct and corresponding number is stamped on the back of the cylinder. The gun is all matching and correct as a conversion. The cylinder retains about 75% cylinder scene. The bore is bright, shiny, crisply rifled with a few spots of very fine light residue. Fine ++ bore. Handsome gun with a lot of history behind it. If only we knew all the places and things it has seen. 

Est. Retail Value: $4800