This is an excellent original example of a Deluxe Colt Sporting rifle that was manufactured somewhere between 1857 and 1864. The rifle has a fluted, six- shot, cylinder and round barrel with under-rib and two iron ramrod pipes. The barrel has a dove-tail mounted front sight with nickel-silver blade and folding rear sight with round, knurled, elevator. The rifle has a scroll type trigger guard and crescent steel buttplate. The stock and forearm are select grade well figured, walnut with a varnished finish. The stock has a checkered wrist and the forearm has a nickel-silver tip and wedge escutcheons. The hickory ramrod has a turned brass tip and brass finial that is threaded for a cleaning rod jag. The, frame and cylinder have the Colt high polish, commercial blue, finish and the barrel, under-rib and ramrod pipes have a subdued, military blue finish. The loading lever, hammer, trigger guard and buttplate are color case-hardened. The top strap is roll-stamped with the early marking: "{ COLT'S PT./1856}" in two lines followed by "{ADDRESS COL. COLT/HARTFORD CT. U.S.A.}" in two lines. "PATENTED SEPT. 10th 1850" is roll-stamped in one cylinder flute. The serial number, "2948" is roll-stamped on the underside of the frame ahead of the trigger guard finial and on the toe of the buttplate. The charts for revolving cylinder long arms on pages 182 and 183 of "THE BOOK OF COLT FIREARMS" by R.L. Wilson show that Colt manufactured a total of 200 Sporting Rifles with 31 5/16th inch, 44 caliber, barrels.

Excellent. This rifle retains 90% plus of the original blue and 70% casehardened finish and shows only very limited handling wear. The barrel retains most of the original dull blue finish with the blue fading to a deep, plum-colored, patina near the muzzle. The frame has some minor finish wear on the top strap and on the upper tang. Most of the blue finish is present on the cylinder with some minor wear on the high points of the chambers. There is very light flash pitting on the percussion nipples and on the rear face and edges of the cylinder. The loading lever, hammer, trigger guard and buttplate retain most of the color case-hardened finish with some silvering on contact points. The select walnut stock and forearm are both in excellent condition with minimal handling wear; nearly all of the varnish finish is intact and the checkering on the stock wrist is sharp. The markings on the frame and cylinder are crisp. The action functions fine but the hammer will not hold at full cock due to a weak or absent trigger set spring. This is an excellent example of a scarce .44 caliber half stock Sporting Rifle. It would be difficult to improve upon this excellent rifle.