This is a nice looking Civil War weapon! It is an original model 1861 Colt revolver. When you look at the gun it looks very similar to the model 1860 revolver of the .44 caliber size. These model 1861 are slightly smaller all the way around and they fire the .36 caliber bullet. The gun has serial numbers of 5,616except for the barrel wedge that has no number and the cylinder is 5,295. Thanks to Mr. Colt's bookkeepers we know that with the 5,000 serial number range that it would have been made in the first part of 1862. The top of the full-length 7.5 inch barrel has the maker's mark that reads "ADDRESS
COL. SAMl
COLT NEW-
YORK
U.S.
AMERICA". These guns were made at the factory in Hartford, Connecticut but the sale office was in New York City. The side of the frame has the clear "COLTS PATENT" stamping. It only retains the faintest trace amounts of the original naval battle scene. This scene depicts the naval battle scene that shows the Texas Navy's victory over the Mexican Navy on May 16th 1843. They used this scene because during this battle, Colt Paterson revolvers were used. The handle of the gun still has a nice set of original 1-piece walnut wood grips intact. The action works well on all positions. This is a very nice displaying Colt revolver with 1862 production serial numbers.