My dad’s Old New Service

Wow, thats some well-worn patina! I bet that thing could tell some stories..........

Nature Boy said:

My dad passed his Colt New Service on to me yesterday. A few years ago I posted some pics he had sent me looking for some info on it. Now that I have it I’ll post some more.

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Its hard to beat a gift from Dad....especially an heirloom gun...

.45 ACP?

Nature Boy said:

He bought it in 1959 and it probably didn’t look much different than it does now

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Blows your mind a little that it was already an antique then, doesnt it?

Is it a 45LC? Looks like a 1909 production based on the serial number.

Beautiful!

A nice shooter grade 1909 is my grail gun.

The shape of the frame over the trigger guard makes this an early production New Service. The OP, Nature Boy, already knows that. That exhausts my New Service knowledge. Thanks for putting up good pictures of a handsome vintage gun!

That is a beautiful old Colt. I have a model 1917 in .45 acp (would much rather it had been in .45 Colt). Mine was a bit too beat up looking to leave as is, so I had it reparkerized. I love shooting it, its a really accurate old handgun.

Colt lookup says 1909 which makes it one of the last New Service with the stepped down trigger guard. It may even be a transitional model on the old frame but with the hammer block that was to be advertised as the Colt Positive Lock.

But hey, we went around that five years ago.

Nature Boy said:

that is correct, 45 LC, however, the consensus was that this was one of the earlier production pistols made sometime between 1898 and 1909

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It couldn't have been made before 1903 -- it has been proof marked for smokeless powder (the proof mark is on trigger bow where it meets the frame.) It doesn't have a "collar" on the barrel where it meets the frame, though, so this makes it an early gun. 1909 seems correct -- without checking the serial number.

Sweet old revolver!