Model 1851 Colt Navy- manufactured 1857 with U.S. Government (army) markings.

No original finish left on this pistol….but the markings are “quite” clear.
These “martially marked” 51 Navies are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

The 51 Navies purchased by the U.S. Army are known (among collectors) as Navy-Armies and had brass back straps and small rounded brass trigger guards.

The U.S. Navy purchased 51 Navies with iron back straps with large rounded iron trigger guards.

Government purchased 51 Navies will have "US" stamped on the left frame under the Colts Patent marking as shown in the photo below as well a final acceptance stamp on the grip panels, with inspectors markings on various parts of the pistol.

In the case of this gun the inspector was M. Moulton with initials M.M on the left grip panel.

Sidearms were often privately purchased and the absence of the markings referred to above will indicate a civilian gun.
(Not Government purchased for issue to the military.)


Note the inspector's initial "C" on the trigger guard.
These single initials are also stamped on the brass back strap and cylinder.

David

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Thats a nice looking US marked Navy. I had one that saw so much holster were that the end of the barrell was worn kinda flat from going in and out of the holster. Back when these old colts were issued they were before the name calvary was used. They were called US Dragoons instead of calvary before the Civil War. Mine was made in 1855.

Thanks old glory,

Do you miss her?.....I am sure you might !

David

Hi, Old Glory,

That barrel flattening is not from "going in and out of the holster" but from being bounced up and down in the holster every time the horse went faster than a walk. It is a sure sign of a gun that saw real wartime use.

Jim

Yea that will put a lot of wear on a barrel. Maybe I can buy my gun back. I kinda miss it.

The use of these terms prior to the Civil War, as explained in detail in "Present Sabers, A Popular History of the US Horse Cavalry' - Heninger, is not as simple as Dragoons becoming Cavalry. The Colt 1851 Navy pistol that prompted this reference was produced in 1857, but at the same time Colt was also making its Colt Dragoon revolvers, a significantly larger 44 caliber weapon. There were also pre-Civil War military units called 'Mounted Rifles', which were similar to the Dragoons in that the soldiers in these units did not fight from horseback but rather rode their horses to the site of the action, dismounted and then fought as infantry. The Cavalry, as these units evolved during the Civil War, fought primarily from horseback and, once armed with repeating Spenser carbines, were formidible in battle. Bob

I have posted some information regarding a similar 1851 Navy pistol recently acquired by me that I am hopeful will not be lost in the shuffle. Bob