Colt 1878 DA

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Rockrat
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Colt 1878 DA

Post by Rockrat »

LGS got on in to sell on consignment. Got to take a good look at it. I would guess a 50-60% gun. Grips are in excellent shape and bore looks good. Needs a bit of cleaning, but didn't see any pitting.
Don't think I have ever seen one before in person. Kind of neat to see a 132 yr old gun in good shape. Barrel was roll marked "Colt Frontier Six Shooter". Pretty sure its a 44-40.
Get this. The guy that brought it in, was going to throw it in the trash as he figured it wasn't worth much!!! LGS told me that he brought it in and told the LGS that if its wasn't worth much to just toss it. Asked if he brought anything else in that he was going to toss, hoping he might have a SAA :mrgreen: , no luck. Have a couple rounds for my Marlin, so going to take them in and see if they chamber.
Neat old gun.
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OldWin
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by OldWin »

Yes, it's a 44-40.
Throw it in the trash.......? :shock:

People never cease to amaze me.
"Oh bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round.
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jeepnik
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by jeepnik »

OldWin wrote: Fri Jan 20, 2023 5:21 am Yes, it's a 44-40.
Throw it in the trash.......? :shock:

People never cease to amaze me.
Think about it. What happened to all of those originally made. I imagine most broke at some point and folks just threw them away.
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JimT
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by JimT »

In the 1920's my Dad and his 3 brothers were raised on a ranch and played cowboys a lot. There was a Springfield Trapdoor that didn't work and an 1873 Winchester that was broken plus a couple old shotguns that did not work. The boys played with them and Grandma didn't like them playing with guns so one day she rounded up all the old broken guns and dumped them down the outhouse. And I am sure she is not the only one who did something like that.

My nephew found an old pistol out in the desert and sent it to me.
1.jpg
2.jpg
I put it to soaking in penetrating oil ... this is the progress over 3 weeks ...
3.JPG
4.JPG
Harrington and Richardson Arms
Worchester, Mass USA
5.JPG
AUTO EJECTING .38 S&W CTG
6.JPG
7.JPG
8.JPG
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The spring is still good!!!!
10.JPG
Those photos are over 3 or 4 weeks. The hammer now works freely ... I am hoping to get the screws broken loose so I can get it apart to work on the internals. I may have to drill some of them. But I am in no hurry. I enjoy resurrecting old rusty guns ... at least up to a point.
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Leverluver
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by Leverluver »

Wow, considering the rest of the gun, the barrel looks to be in amazingly good shape.
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JimT
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by JimT »

Leverluver wrote: Fri Jan 20, 2023 12:12 pm Wow, considering the rest of the gun, the barrel looks to be in amazingly good shape.
It's rusty at the muzzle but I think can be polished out if the gun ever gets to the point that I would need to.
Dusty Texian
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by Dusty Texian »

:D 1878 Colt DA Frontier revolver 44 wcf circa 1881 , shoot mine often with my Bp. loads , even managed to take a wild hog with it last Spring .
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samsi
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by samsi »

JimT wrote: Fri Jan 20, 2023 9:38 am In the 1920's my Dad and his 3 brothers were raised on a ranch and played cowboys a lot. There was a Springfield Trapdoor that didn't work and an 1873 Winchester that was broken plus a couple old shotguns that did not work. The boys played with them and Grandma didn't like them playing with guns so one day she rounded up all the old broken guns and dumped them down the outhouse. And I am sure she is not the only one who did something like that.

My nephew found an old pistol out in the desert and sent it to me.
1.jpg
2.jpg

I put it to soaking in penetrating oil ... this is the progress over 3 weeks ...
3.JPG

4.JPG
Harrington and Richardson Arms
Worchester, Mass USA

5.JPG
AUTO EJECTING .38 S&W CTG

6.JPG

7.JPG

8.JPG

9.JPG
The spring is still good!!!!

10.JPG

Those photos are over 3 or 4 weeks. The hammer now works freely ... I am hoping to get the screws broken loose so I can get it apart to work on the internals. I may have to drill some of them. But I am in no hurry. I enjoy resurrecting old rusty guns ... at least up to a point.
Have you ever tried soaking in white vinegar? Amazing results, usually stuff comes out "in the white" in 3-5 days, although I've had some really rusty stuff where I'd pull the parts out every couple days and buff the rust off with a wire brush & then back in the vinegar.
samsi
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by samsi »

I worked with a guy who had a nice nickeled Colt 1903 that had been his granddad's. After the grandfather's passing his grandmother told him to take that gun and throw it in the trash, but being a little smarter than that he walked outside and threw it in his car instead.
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Sixgun
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by Sixgun »

1902....same gun but U.S. Marked....45 L.Colt.....beer can accurate at 100 meters....

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marlinman93
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by marlinman93 »

The early first generation of Colt DA revolvers are well known to be mechanically fragile, and break, so I'm sure there are many that got tossed in a drawer once they broke. But surprisingly as well documented as they are concerning breakage, I still see some in nice shape that work perfectly too! I'd not be afraid to buy one if the price was right.
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yooper2
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by yooper2 »

I've handled 4 1878s and shot one of those. All were mechanically fine. Handled 6 or 7 1877s over the years and only 2 were functional. I think Colt figured out some stuff when they made the large frame rod ejector DAs.
That said, I've never had the chance to take either model apart so I don't really know. Just observations of a relatively limited sample.


Eric
Walt
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Re: Colt 1878 DA

Post by Walt »

Dang, you have the best guns, Six!
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