In 2020, after receiving a copy of Charles Pate's excellent book, The Colt 1860 Army Revolver, Lodgewood's owner and gunmsith David Stavlo became fascinated by the story of the "McCulloch Colt". For those who have not had the pleasure of researching these interesting 1860s, allow us to enlighten you: In early 1861, as the nation fractured into civil war, Texas Ranger and newly appointed Confederate General Ben McCulloch realized his troops desperately needed superior firepower. He turned to his personal friend, the legendary firearms innovator Samuel Colt, to secure a massive order of modern sidearms. McCulloch negotiated a contract for two thousand of Colt’s newest design, the Model 1860 Army Revolver, specifically requesting a sleek, full-fluted cylinder variant chambered in .44 caliber. Shipping thousands of weapons into a territory preparing for rebellion was a logistical and political nightmare. Due to an escalating Union naval blockade, Sam Colt managed to smuggle out only one thousand of the requested revolvers. The weapons were shipped in two batches, covertly slipping past federal ships into New Orleans before being freighted across the border into Texas. These pistols quickly became prized possessions among Texas forces, renowned for their reliability and balance on the battlefield. Behind this successful delivery, however, lay a financial disaster. The Texas legislature failed to allocate the necessary funds to pay for the weapons in a timely manner. To ensure his men were armed, McCulloch took a massive gamble and charged the twenty-five thousand nine hundred dollar purchase to his personal account. It was a debt he would never live to settle. In March of 1862, McCulloch was killed by a Union sharpshooter at the Battle of Pea Ridge, leaving the massive bill entirely unresolved and cementing the pistols' status as artifacts of tragic sacrifice. Today, the original McCulloch Colts are among the rarest and most coveted prizes for Civil War arms collectors, with surviving pieces commanding staggering sums at auction.
Having read about McCulloch and his Confederate Fully Fluted 1860's David was inspired to build a perfectly replica of the guns that were smuggled to Texas; right down to the correct finishes and serial number range.
Having saved a small supply of Colt Second and Third Generation black powder revolver parts for just such a personal project, David was able to assemble this iconic 1860 and apply period-correct Colt markings to the finished gun - because the receiver was made by Colt, David was able to use our Colt roll dies, which are normally reserved for restoration work, to add ALL the correct markings to the gun without infringing on Colt's trademarks. The frame features a correctly sized "Colt's Patent" stamp and Colt-font serial numbers are stamped on all the principle components. The serial number, "4109" falls well within known serial range of McCulloch Colts (serial # 2,000 to 4,500). The proper "New York Address", which is found on all 1860 Colts, was applied to the barrel . All of our dies were made with smokes taken directly off of original guns which allows the sizes and fonts to be absolutely perfect. The markings on this gun are even more correct than the Colt produced Second and Third Generation revolvers, as the stamps that colt made for their reproduction black powder revolvers varied slightly from those found on originals from the 19th Century.
David also opened up and re-beveled the the loading port in the barrel; both to copy those found on original guns and to facilitate the loading of conical bullets. A correct fully fluted cylinder was sourced and fitted to the gun. The serial number was stamped on the cylinder and the "lead in ramps" for the cylinder stop notches were re-machined by David to replicate the "small ramps" found on original full fluted 1860 cylinders.
David custom-made many of the screws for this gun, including the "flat head" hammer screw which is found on original guns but hasn't been replicated on any of the reproductions (including the 2nd and 3rd Generation Colts). The screws, and wedge were then nitre blued just like the originals.
A Colt Third Generation hammer was fit and reprofiled to more closely match the appearance of those found or original Colts.
All the components were also hand polished - that's right no buffing wheels were used in the finishing of this piece. The barrel and cylinder were then blued and the loading lever, frame, and hammer were bone charcoal color case hardened just like the original guns.
A brass trigger guard and correct steel back strap were fit up to the frame and were left unplated in accordance to the description of the original McCulloch Colts listed in Pate's Book. Walnut grips were mounted up and given a correct oiled finish.
The finished pistol is a perfect replica of the famous McCulloch Colt 1860 Army, right down to the smallest detail. David built this pistol for his personal collection and went to extreme efforts to replicate every. single. detail. of the originals. You will not find another pistol with all correct markings AND finishes anywhere else on the market. This pistol was finished in 2020 and remains unfired. David is selling it out of his personal collection and reports that it should make for an excellent shooter and would be perfect for living history.
