Record price paid for historic Colt revolver

As a shooter, I'm aware of the history of the development of modern firearms. Samuel Colt developed the first modern revolver, producing his 'Paterson' model in 1836.




Some Patersons were bought by the Texas Rangers, but Major Samuel Walker wanted something more. He found the .36-inch caliber of the Patersons inadequate as a "stopper", and also wanted a sixth round. He's said to have made a special trip to New York to meet with Sam Colt, explain his ideas to him, and get him to produce the pistol the Rangers wanted. The result was the Walker Colt.




This monster revolver was intended to be carried in holsters attached to a horse's saddle, not in a belt holster - it was far too bulky and heavy for that, weighing over 4½ pounds and measuring sixteen inches long! It was in .44-inch caliber, firing a .454-inch projectile propelled by a full 60 grains of blackpowder. This made it the most powerful handgun ever manufactured until the advent of the .357 Magnum cartridge in the 1930's.

Only 1,100 Walker Colts were made, just in time to be issued to the Texas Rangers and others for the Mexican-American War in 1847. Captain Walker was to lose his life in this conflict. The combat experience gained with the Walker Colt led Sam Colt to reduce its size and powder charge slightly, producing the Dragoon model of 1848, which in turn led to the .36-inch caliber Navy Colt of 1851, the .44-inch Army Colt of 1860 and the .36-inch Navy Colt of 1861 (a revision of the earlier 1851 model). These (and many copies of them, particularly illegal copies by Confederate gunsmiths and manufacturers such as the Dance Brothers of Texas) were the dominant handguns of the American Civil War.

These 'cap-and-ball' revolvers were only supplanted by the first centerfire cartridge revolvers, the Smith & Wesson No. 3 or 'Russian' model in 1870, and the world-famous Colt Single Action Army revolver, also known as the 'Peacemaker' or simply the 'Colt .45', in 1873. Even after these cartridge weapons appeared, blackpowder revolvers continued in widespread use, partly because there were so many of them, partly because the new handguns cost the equivalent of a month's pay for many people. It took over a decade before cartridge revolvers widely replaced their cap-and-ball predecessors.

History was made earlier this month when an original Walker Colt in magnificent condition was auctioned for the record price of $920,000 ($800,000 sale price plus $120,000 buyer's commission). According to the auctioneer's Web site, it was a:

RARE AND HISTORIC COLT WHITNEYVILLE-WALKER PISTOL “A COMPANY # 210” AND ORIGINAL FLASK ISSUED AT VERA CRUZ IN 1847 TO PRIVATE SAM WILSON (TEXAS RANGER), LATER OBTAINED BY BREVET MAJOR GENERAL JOHN REESE KENLY OF MARYLAND AND BELIEVED TO BE THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF A MARTIAL WALKER EXTANT.

(Click the pictures for a larger view.)

If only this gun could talk! It's been through the Mexican-American War of 1847 and who knows how many armed exchanges since! The stories it could tell . . .

Readers who are familiar only with modern cartridge-loaded firearms may not understand why Civil War cavalrymen often carried between four and six cap-and-ball revolvers on their saddles and persons. The reason was simple - the darn things took so long to reload! Here's a video of a modern replica Walker Colt (basically identical to the one just sold) being loaded and fired. It makes the process clear, and shows why cartridges were such a huge advance in firearms technology. The clip's about nine minutes long, but worth watching for those interested in such things.





Peter