This Confederate contract Colt 1851 Navy style percussion revolver manufactured by Thomas Leech and Charles Rigdon at the Greensboro, Georgia factory c. 1863. This revolver has the distinctive part-round/part-octagon Dragoon style barrel with pin and ball loading lever latch and six-shot cylinder with six cylinder stops. The frame and trigger guard are brass. The barrel has a brass pin front sight. The barrel wedge is fitted with a retaining spring. The revolver has a one-piece walnut grip. The face of the recoil shield lacks a cap channel. The top barrel flat is stamped: "LEECH & RIGDON CSA". A block "N" inspection mark is stamped on the right side of the trigger guard bow. The serial number is stamped: (1) on the loading lever, (2) wedge, (3) on the bottom of the barrel lug, (4) bottom of the frame, (5) bottom of the trigger guard, (6) bottom of the back strap and (7) side of the cylinder. All of the visible serial numbers match. The barrel and cylinder have a dull blue finish and the loading lever, frame and hammer are color casehardened. The trigger guard and back strap are natural brass. The one-piece walnut grip is oil-finished. This revolver is documented by serial number in Albaugh, Benet and Simmons' "Confederate Handguns" on page 53. The book further identifies this revolver by listing the "cryptic mark N" found on the right side of the trigger guard. Purportedly the revolver was once owned by the famed expert and author on American military button makers and goods dealers William F. McGuinn (1926-2009). Leech and Rigdon manufactured approximately 1500 Colt Model 1851 Navy style revolvers in Columbus Mississippi and Greensboro, Georgia between 1863 and 1864. The company was dissolved in 1864 and was replaced by Rigdon, Ansley & Co., which completed the remainder of the 1500 pistol Confederate government contract in Augusta, Georgia.

Fine. The revolver retains 50% of the dull possibly period refinished blue finish on the barrel with significant amounts of muted case colors on the frame and loading lever. The barrel and lug show scattered light pitting with heavier pitting in the loading lug cut-out. There is a small spot of pitting on the right side of the recoil shield with deeper flash pitting in the hammer well and on the sides of the hammer. The cylinder shows traces of light pitting on the sides with heavier flash pitting on the front and rear faces. The attractively aged brass trigger guard and back strap remain in very fine condition. The refinished one-piece walnut grip is in very good condition the only significant wear is a short, vertical hairline crack visible at the top of the grip on either side of the junction on the back strap and frame. The wedge screw, lever screw, frame, trigger guard and hammer screws are modern replacements. The percussion nipples have been replaced and the mainspring is a Colt replacement. This is a solid representative example of a Confederate contract Leech and Rigdon percussion revolver.