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Colt’s New Army and Navy Pattern Double Action .38 Caliber Revolvers

The Colt New Army and Navy .38 cal. Double Action revolver adopted by the U.S. Navy as the Model 1889 was the first swing out cylinder revolver to be adopted by The U.S. Military. The Army followed three years later with the adoption of the Colt Model 1892 .38 cal. Double Action revolver making it the first swing out cylinder revolver to be adopted by the U.S. Army and thus is a key piece in a U.S. Military side arm collection. With subsequent adoption of the Model 1895 Navy and the Model 1894 Army, the earlier models in military inventory were sent back to Colt or Springfield Armory for upgrading. Unaltered examples are rare. These Colt DA revolvers underwent numerous changes and model designations. In addition to the Models 1889 and 1895 Navy and Models 1892 and 1894 Army, the Model 1896, 1901, and 1903 Army and a Model 1905 Marines Corps also exists. Only 926 Marines Corps revolvers were made. This is a very rare variation. The Army models featured a typical 1890s Colt blued finish with smooth walnut grips. The Model 1901, 1903, and earlier models that went through upgrading also have a lanyard swivel on the butt. The Models 1889 and 1895 Navy were both typical Colt blue, with the walnut grips on the 1889 and hard rubber grips on the 1895. Neither model had a lanyard swivel. The Marine Corps model was the only version with a rounded butt. The finish was blue, the grips were checkered and a lanyard swivel was used. The Colt New Army and Navy .38 cal. DA revolvers saw extensive use in the Spanish American War and Philippine Insurrection. The extremely hard use in inhospitable climates to which these revolvers were subject resulted in most of them being in either poor condition or they have been rebuilt and upgraded to later configuration. Until recently they have been largely ignored by collectors. That seems to be changing as they have become very popular among collectors over the past few years, as most things Colt eventually do. Many of these revolvers are of early enough manufacture that the ATF has classified them as antiques with no FFL or C&R license required for purchase. It is my opinion that these are real sleepers in the U.S. Martial arms collecting field. Good condition M1894, 1895, 1896, 1901, and 1903 can sometimes be purchased for under $1,000. Very good condition examples have risen to the $1,400 to $1,800 range and excellent condition examples are now selling for over $2,000. What Colt firearm made more than 100 years ago can be bought for that price? On a personal note, I find them to be very interesting, both from a collecting standpoint and from that of our nation’s history. In addition, this is the .38 caliber revolver that failed on the Moros in the Philippines that lead to the eventual adoption of the .45 caliber Model 1911. The Colt .38 DA revolvers are a significant piece of U.S. Martial arms history. A book on these interesting Colt revolvers was published in late 2004. It is entitled A Study of Colt’s New Army and Navy Pattern Double Action Revolvers 1889 to 1908 by Robert Best. It is a large format, hard back book of 276 pages with a lot of photographs. I am not certain if this book remains in print. If you are interested in these Colt revolvers, highly recommend you find a copy of this book.

 

--HOLD-- 4311-P137. M1889/1895 US Navy, Colt, .38 Cal. DA Revolver, s/n 4906. ANTIQUE - NO FFL REQUIRED. This is a Model 1889 US Navy Colt .38 Cal. double action revolver that went through rebuild to upgrade it to Model 1895 configuration. Overall the blued finish is thinning and there is pitting of the metal, which is not a surprise on a Navy revolver. The bore is mostly bright and shiny with only slight peppering at the muzzle end. The assembly number of 5101 is stamped on the frame, crane, barrel, and cylinder latch. The cylinder and crane are stamped with the Navy “Star C” acceptance stamp. Like so many of this model the hand spring is broken, which allows the cylinder to revolve freely. The wood grips are in good condition and are not marked with a serial number. As the M1889 Navy was the first of this model to be adopted by the US military it is a significant sidearm. This is the only M1889/1895 Navy that we have ever been able to offer for sale. This is a very scarce model and is missing from most collections. Remember that the ATF classifies this pistol as antique and no FFL or C&R license is required for shipment.   Additional shipping charges DO NOT apply to this pistol. - Reduced to $950!

 

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