The U.S. Navy had only purchased a few hundred Colt 1861 Navies during the Civil War. This revolver is one of those revolvers and was originally manufactured in 1862 and was then converted after the Civil War by Colt for the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Navy continued to rely on converted Colt '51 and '61 Navy revolvers until the 1890s. These revolvers are very rare with an estimated total production of just 2,200. The barrel has a nickel-silver blade front sight, and the top is roll-stamped "-ADDRESS COL. SAML COLT NEW-YORK U.S. AMERICA-." The bottom of the barrel has "R.W.M.[anchor]." The left side of the frame is stamped with the "-PAT. JULY. 25. 1871-/-PAT. JULY. 2. 1872-" over the original percussion era "COLTS/PATENT" marking, and "36 CAL" is stamped on the left shoulder of the trigger guard. The butt has "R.W.W." double stamped. The cylinder has the classic Naval Battle of Campeche roll scene. Matching serial numbers are visible on the barrel, frame, trigger guard, back strap, cylinder, and loading gate. The grip has "R.W.W." on the upper right and "G66" on the lower right.

Fine with 60% plus of the bright factory refurbished case colors remaining on the frame, attractive aged patina on the grip straps, 40% blue finish on the barrel, 20% original blue finish on the cylinder, smooth gray and brown patina on the balance, and generally mild overall wear especially for a U.S. Navy sidearm. The grip is also fine and has smooth oiled finish, minor handling wear, some chipping at the toe, and distinct markings. Mechanically excellent. This is a very solid and attractive Colt Model 1861 Navy revolver. Only a few hundred of these were purchased for the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War, and they remained in service for many years making them difficult to find in fine condition.