We are moving forward by one century to the mid-1800s. Baldrick appears to have fixed our time machine and we can conclude our ‘Firearms with a Malta Connection’ series with our seventh post. Toady we shall be taking a look at a Colt 1851 Navy percussion revolver that was manufactured in the USA in 1866, shipped to England for proofing, then sent to Egypt via Malta. And this is where its journey ended.

In 1836 Samuel Colt (1814-1862) patented his first ‘cap and ball’ percussion revolver, the Patterson, and followed up with other models in quick succession. His most iconic model was the 1851 Navy in .36 calibre, which was produced in considerable numbers way into the Civil War of 1861-65 and right up to 1873, when it was replaced with the Colt Single Action Army (‘Peacemaker’).

In the early 1860s, the Egyptian Army signed a contract with Colt, ordering 4,000 Colt Model 1851 Navy revolvers. By this time Colt had closed their London factory, so the revolvers were manufactured at the Hartford factory between 1865 and 1866. They were shipped to London in three consignments, leaving the US factory in two or three shipments. Once in England, they were inspected at Enfield on the Egyptian Army’s insistence. These inspections were carried out as a commercial job by the factory’s pattern making department, under the charge of senior inspector George Stainton. They were next proofed in London prior to shipment to Egypt.

All three shipments passed through Malta on their way to Egypt. However, a few of these revolvers do not appear to have made it to Egypt. The circumstances are not clear and are not to be confused with an incident that happened a few years later when former US Army officer Thaddeus P. Mott was enlisted by the Egyptian Khedive Isma'il Pasha to help reorganise Egypt's army. He ordered thousands of Colt revolvers and Winchester rifles and carbines, which again passed through Malta on their way to Egypt. By this time Egypt’s coffers were drained to the point that it defaulted in its payments and the last shipment was impounded in Malta. Some of these impounded firearms remained forgotten in storage for almost a century, until they were discovered when an area under the Upper Barrakka lift was being cleared. This accounts for the ones which are now found on display at the AFM Officer’s Mess in Luqa Barracks and at Malta Police HQ in Floriana.

The revolver which we are presenting today eventually found its way into private hands and was last shot in a muzzle loading event in the late 1990s. The revolver has a brass trigger guard and back strap, which is stamped on the left side ‘COLTS PATENT’ and ‘.36 CAL.’ The six-shot cylinder in engraved with a naval engagement scene and date. The octagonal barrel, which has gain twist rifling, is roll engraved to the top flat ‘ADDRESS COL SAML COLT NEW YORK U.S. AMERICA’. The left-hand side varnished walnut grip bears an Enfield cartouche inspection stamp with the initials GS (for George Stainton) in the centre. The crowned ‘V’ London proof mark is stamped on the barrel and cylinder. The various components are stamped with same serial number. The pistol is in its original condition and has a patina commensurate with its age.

While our photos are as detailed as possible and do not hide any flaws, you have the option of examining the firearm physically, by appointment. Do not take any risks with overseas online auctions when you have the chance of knowing what you are buying. LSB’s knowledge and experience in historical firearms assures you of a good investment. We offer a lifetime guarantee on the genuineness of the pieces in our vast inventory so that you may buy in full confidence.

If you wish to own this interesting Schedule III firearm, please send us a private message or phone us on 99471091. It will be reserved for the first client who pays a deposit by Mobile or Online bank transfer. Police applications will be filled in after we receive the deposit.

We take great pleasure in bringing you these daily snippets of firearms history and we hope that you enjoy reading them. This post is also visible on our Facebook page.

In the opening paragraph of this feature we mentioned Baldrick, with reference to a hilarious episode of the Blackadder series, which is entitled ‘Blackadder Back and Forth’. Baldrick, played by Sir Anthony Robinson, has a cunning plan. He rigs up a fake time machine, which turns out to work.  If you have not watched it yet, now is your chance.