LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Colt
built 654 days ago
The Model of 1877 was Colt's first Double Action revolver, introduced in 1877. It was available in several calibers: .38 Colt, .41 Colt, and even .32 Colt, and offered in various barrel lengths. Barrel lengths under 4&1/2 inches had no ejector, and barrel lengths exceeding 4&1/2 inches, had ejector housings. Early on, and thought to have been started by Kittridge & Co, in Cincinnati, Ohio, marketing names came about : The Lightning in .38, The Thunderer in .41, and The Rainmaker in .32. This example, Serial No. 318XX, has the 3&1/2 inch barrel, sometimes called the "Store Keepers " Model. It is in 99.99% original factory condition, with only a petite area on the cylinder exhibiting some nickel loss.
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Colt continues production of classic designs which are sold in both the limited collector's market as well as through more traditional channels. However, it survives primarily on the manufacturing of a variety of civilian and military weapons. The most popular of these are various AR-15 Carbines, a weapon category that it invented and helped develop over nearly 30 years since acquiring the AR-15 design. The AR-15 Carbine derivatives, and weapons like them have proved so popular that a large amount of competition has arisen in the area. As with AR-15 rifles, the original Colt designs and their derivatives are heavily copied, and as a result they face much competition from other manufacturers.
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Dodge started importing the Colt in the last quarter of 1970 (1971 model year) from Mitsubishi. Chrysler Corp. ... started importing the Japanese Plymouth Champ in 1974. In Canada, it was called the Cricket, replacing the rebadged Sunbeam/Hillman Avenger (a British car). [Amended based on input from David Rosicke].
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Colt suffered a stinging legal defeat in court when it sued Bushmaster for copyright infringement claiming that the "M4" in M4 Carbine was a trademark that it owned. The judge ruled that since the term M4 is a generic designation that Colt does not specifically own, Colt had to pay monetary reimbursement to Bushmaster to recoup Bushmaster's legal fees. The M4 designation itself comes from the U.S. military designation system, whose terms are in the public domain.
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One of the newer books on the market, " Variations of Colt's, New Model Police & Pocket Breech Loading Pistols", by Breslin , Pirie, and Price, on pages 73-74 goes into great detail regarding this rare Colt. This particular Serial No. 2064X, is only 228 numbers away from the one pictured on page 73 in the book. ALL of these rare 3 inch models are found in the serial range 19900-21200. In a recent telephone conversation(12/17) with William Pirie, he commented this is absolutely a genuine 3 inch, and is listed in their survey by Serial Number, and will factory letter as it appears.
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In 1986, Colt's workers, members of the United Auto Workers went on strike for higher wages. This strike would ultimately last for four years, and was one of the longest running labor strikes in American history. With replacement workers running production, the quality of Colt's firearms began to slip. Dissatisfied with Colt's production, in 1988 the U.S. military awarded the contract for future M16 production to Fabrique Nationale.
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