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Historic Cased Pair of Double Action Revolvers Presented by the United States Cartridge Company to Major Charles B. Winder
Major Charles B. Winder
292
LOT 404
Historic Documented 1908 Olympic Games United States Cartridge Company Presentation Cased Set of Smith & Wesson/Colt Target Revolvers Presented to Major Charles B. Winder -A) Colt Officers Model Double Action Target Revolver with Monogram and Factory Letter - Serial no. 313186, 38 special cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. This set of Colt Officers Model and Smith & Wesson Triple Lock Target revolvers were presented to Colonel Charles B. Winder, a member of the gold medal winning 1908 Summer Olympic Games
U.S. Rifle Team and the man whose name the Winchester Winder musket carries. The U.S. Cartridge Company presented the revolvers to Colonel Winder (at the time he held the rank of Major) for his accomplishments during the 1908 Olympic Games. Colonel Winder began his military career during the Spanish-American War when he enlisted in the 3rd Ohio Infantry in 1897. In 1904, Winder was commissioned a Captain and made
Inspector of Small Arms Practice of the Ohio National Guard. He was asked to persuade Winchester to manufacture a .22 caliber single shot musket for the purpose of gallery practice. The result was the Winchester Model 1885 Winder Musket. The low cost and high accuracy of the musket did much to popularize small bore target shooting in the United States. While attached to Army Ordnance in World War I, the Colonel received a patent for a tube sight for the Springfield Model 1903 rifle. It was one of several patents on arms, sights, targets and ammunition the Colonel obtained throughout his military career. He was a prominent marksman and won the 1903 Leech Cup Match and gold medal in the 1905 National Trophy Individual Pistol Match and participated in the winning 1903 and 1907 U.S. Palma Trophy Teams. As a member of the 1908 Olympic Games U.S. Rifle Team, Winder won a gold medal in the team military rifle event and was 16th in the 1,000 yard free rifle event. The U.S. Cartridge Company was a sponsor of the team and presented these two target revolvers to Colonel Winder in 1910.
One set went to
each of the twelve
members. The 1908 Games were held in London for
a total of 187 days (6 months and 4 days), the longest
in modern Olympic Games history. Research pertaining to
Colonel Winder is included in the lot. The early Colt Officers Model Target revolver is a true mark of superior marksmanship. These revolvers were hand built to exacting accuracy requirements and were the best target handguns at this time. The revolvers had a flat top target type frame, adjustable front and rear sights, checkered trigger and back strap and a super smooth hand honed double and single action trigger pull. The top of the barrel is marked with the two line address, 1884, 1900 and 1905 patent dates, and the left side is marked “OFFICERS MODEL .38.” The left side plate has a Rampant Colt with a stylized “C” as well as a factory
engraved “CBW” monogram.