.36 caliber. 7.5" octagonal barrel. SN: 59859 (mfg. ca. 1856). Blued and color casehardened finish, iron backstrap and triggerguard, one-piece oil finished walnut grip. Single action percussion revolver with six-shot round cylinder roll engraved with Texas Navy battle scene, hammer notch rear sight and brass cone front sight. Barrel marked in a single line: - ADDRESS SAML COLT NEW-YORK CITY -. Lower left of frame marked in two lines COLT'S/PATENT over US. All visible serial numbers match, while the wedge is an unnumbered replacement. The bottom of the grip frame is stamped USN in small letters with a weak GMR inspection in the base of the grip, the mark of Naval officer George M Ranson who was doing ordnance duty at the Boston Navy Yard when these revolvers were delivered. The US Navy only contracted for a total of 2,600 Colt Model 1851 Navy Revolvers, 2,000 in 1857 and another 600 in 1859. The guns appear in two serial number ranges, with the first order in the 55,500-62,000 range and the second in the 89,000-91,000 range. According to John D.McAulay's research, the second group of revolver deliveries from the first contract were made to the Boston Navy Yard on December 6, 1857 and totals 667 revolvers that were inspected by Ransom. An untouched example of a scarce and desirable martially marked Colt Navy revolver that saw service before and during the American Civil War. {ANTIQUE}