Original & Very Rare Antique Colt Double Action New Navy Revolver, Swing Out Cylinder Model of 1895 Manufactured in 1897 Agentine Contract, One Of Only 5000 Made, And Many Used By The Argentine Cowboy's, The Gaucho's UK Deactivated

Many were acquired by and used by the South American cowboys, the Argentinian Gauchos.

Superbly functioning main spring action. The revolver featured a counter-clockwise rotating cylinder, which could be opened for loading and ejection by simply pulling back on a catch mounted on the left side of the frame behind the recoil shield. It was easily manipulated by the thumb of the right hand, and upon release the cylinder could be poked out sideways with the shooter's forefinger. Empty cases were removed by simply pushing back on an ejector rod to activate a star extractor. The six-shooter could then be quickly reloaded and the cylinder clicked back into place.This type of double action revolver represents a significant step in the evolution of the revolver, as it was Colt's first swing out cylinder revolver. It was both double and single action, it utilized the spring-loaded ejector rod, and the later models could fire the new (at the time) smokeless powder cartridges. All of these features appealed to the armed forces. The earlier D.A. 38 guns, such as the 1894, were designed to fire black powder cartridges only.

The .38 Long Colt was a very early centre fire revolver cartridge, first appearing in 1875 in the Colt New House and New Line revolver models. It gained greater popularity when the Colt Model 1877 double action revolver was introduced. Nick-named the “Lightning” in .38 Long Colt, this model revolver in .41 Long Colt was popularly referred to as the “Thunderer”. The .38 Long Colt was commonly available throughout the last three decades of the 19th century, playing a part in the settlement of the West.
The Colt double action Army revolvers and their .38 cartridge were called to action in 1898 for the Spanish American War. Teddy Roosevelt obtained one that had been retrieved from the Battleship Maine, sunk in Havana harbor. He galloped up San Juan (actually Kettle) Hill towards a blockhouse and its Spanish defenders with this Colt in hand, dispatching an enemy soldier with the revolver. The United States emerged from that war with new possessions in the Caribbean and the Philippines.

Very Rare Colt Modelo Argentino 1895 Made in 1897
It was adopted to replace the Smith & Wesson – Russian Model in use to date, being provided between 1897 and 1898, with copies whose serial number ranges between 80,000 and 85,000, that is, 5,000 units. This revolver is numbered 81587

It was based on the model used by the US Army, with some detailed modifications, which lead to the text that accompanies the "Special Instructions for Chiefs and Officers who direct the lectures at the Academies" ( Internal Regulations of the Military Academy for the National Guard of the Capital - Decree 02/29/1896), {translated} signed by A. Capdevilla on 10/10/1895, indicate: “originated the designation “Revólver Colt, DA .38””. The same text indicates what seems to have been the official designation of its calibre: 9.22 mm., while it corresponded to the .38 Colt Double Action (.38 Colt D.A.).
It is so scarce that so little reference to the contract in Colt records still remains, only the antique Argentine military records contain reference to them

Deactivated with UK certificate not suitable for export.

Code: 25695