RIFLE COLT
This rifle with percussion COLT Patent was manufactured in Belgium under licence COLT by an unknown manufacturer (no raised mark) It carries the punches of BE is ELG in an oval (08.09.1846/11.07.1893) and the Peron (16.06.1853 until today’s)
SAMUEL COLT, in good commercial that it was quickly understood that the place of LIEGE was impossible to circumvent for the manufacture of its weapons to cheaper to equal quality and to face the many orders which it could not ensure in his US factory.
Thus several manufacturers of Liège worked UNDER LICENCE for COLT what implies the use of the official punches COLT. Other arms manufacturers not having this licence copied all! COLT made many lawsuits!
For the remainder, not being a specialist in the American weapons, it is to MARCEL to play.
GG
It is a Colt rifle called the Colt-Berdan Military Rifle. The model goes back to 1866 and it calibre is 42.
Colt received in 1868 an order of 30.000 of these rifles on behalf of the Russians, and this order was delivered in 1870. With their practice, the Russians had given precise instructions as for the model of the gun, etc.
Those sold in the USA and bearing as this one the address of Hartford, are very rare.
It is told that with the Berdan ammunition with armoured head, a good shot made a success of a grouping of 3 feet with 1200 steps.
It is very first Colt rifle confined for a metal cartridge "bottle-neck" with external central starting (Berdan).
There is also a version rifle, of a third shorter and whose barrel goes only until semi-length of the gun.
Hiram Berdan was a marksman which invented this special cartridge. This rifle, like good of others, is in fact a conversion of rifle Colt Rifled Musket with percussion, used during the American Civil War and very resembling lawful rifle Springfield.
Other conversions are either of the type "Springfield Trapdoor", or "Enfield Snider".
Marcel
Many thanks to the "ROYAL ARMY MUSEUM" Bruxelles for the pictures.
(N° identification : F2 Collection of "Comte de Ribaucourt")
