Salvage Sailor
Member
Aloha Everyone,
I have a .455 New Service Eley, completely original with British proof markings, July 4 1905 patent, along with the original brown English leather service issue holster for the Revolver manufactured by Hobson & Sons, London, two (2) sealed boxes of .455 Eley Cartridges from 1942 & some loose rounds from the same lot. The revolver was purchased by my Grandfather in the Straits Settlements (Singapore) in 1931 and being a packrat, he even kept the bill of sale & his firearms permit issued in Singapore.
Does anyone have a reference for the military proof marks?
On the left side of the receiver under the broad arrow is a crown with U4 over E stamped on it. There are also crossed pennants on the receiver, between the black rubber Colt grips, and on the cylinder. There is a VP in a triangle just forward of the trigger guard on the left side of the receiver (anyone know what this is?). It also has a flat latch for the cylinder release.
It has a low 5 digit serial number 648XX
The revolver is in excellent shape, completely original. I'm thinking it's British service issue manufactured in 1914, possibly for service in India or the Western Frontier.
The serial number could be an early WWI issue (5 digit), and the patent date is 1905. I looked around the web and found a number 47XXX that was made in 1914 for the US Postal Service. I also found an identical .455 revolver on the web with the s/n 624XX (mine is 648XX - how's that for horseshoes) also purported to be manufactured in 1914.
http://www.joesalter.com/detail.php?f_qryitem=2873
This revolver also noted the '1905 patent date and the early flat latch' - take a look at the photos for this revolver, it's a dead ringer to mine. The only difference to mine is that although there is also crescent moon stamp beneath my barrell, I have no lettering. Otherwise, it's identical. You can see the triangle VP in the photos too.
But my Colt is obviously a British service issue revolver.
There are no 'C' markings anywhere on my revolver, only crossed pennants in three (3) places (receiver, buttstrap, cylinder). The 'broad arrow' is above the crown, with 'U4' beneath that, then 'E' (see below)
broad arrow
crown
U4
E
So it's most likely a Colt .455 Eley made for British issue in India, that ended up in Singapore between the wars. I'll try to get some photos posted of mine.
My grandfather was a manager for the Goodyear Rubber plantations from 1927 to late 1941 in Malaya, who escaped ahead of the Japanese invasion. This revolver was his personal sidearm and he brought it out of Singapore in 1942 when he returned to the states. He purchased it because he could not easily get .45 ammo in the British colonies, but .455 was plentiful.
He is the hunter in center of the photo below posted on my website, taken after bagging a Leopard in Malaya around 1931. The Colt in in the holster on his hip.
http://www.historic-battles.com/ForumSoftware/index.php?topic=1549.0
Anchor's Aweigh
PS - The hunting rifle is an 8mm Manlicher which is also still in the family.
Note: I received an answer to a PM from Old Fuff noting that this is an early 1914 serial number - thanks for the info Fuff.
Anchor's Aweigh
I have a .455 New Service Eley, completely original with British proof markings, July 4 1905 patent, along with the original brown English leather service issue holster for the Revolver manufactured by Hobson & Sons, London, two (2) sealed boxes of .455 Eley Cartridges from 1942 & some loose rounds from the same lot. The revolver was purchased by my Grandfather in the Straits Settlements (Singapore) in 1931 and being a packrat, he even kept the bill of sale & his firearms permit issued in Singapore.
Does anyone have a reference for the military proof marks?
On the left side of the receiver under the broad arrow is a crown with U4 over E stamped on it. There are also crossed pennants on the receiver, between the black rubber Colt grips, and on the cylinder. There is a VP in a triangle just forward of the trigger guard on the left side of the receiver (anyone know what this is?). It also has a flat latch for the cylinder release.
It has a low 5 digit serial number 648XX
The revolver is in excellent shape, completely original. I'm thinking it's British service issue manufactured in 1914, possibly for service in India or the Western Frontier.
The serial number could be an early WWI issue (5 digit), and the patent date is 1905. I looked around the web and found a number 47XXX that was made in 1914 for the US Postal Service. I also found an identical .455 revolver on the web with the s/n 624XX (mine is 648XX - how's that for horseshoes) also purported to be manufactured in 1914.
http://www.joesalter.com/detail.php?f_qryitem=2873
This revolver also noted the '1905 patent date and the early flat latch' - take a look at the photos for this revolver, it's a dead ringer to mine. The only difference to mine is that although there is also crescent moon stamp beneath my barrell, I have no lettering. Otherwise, it's identical. You can see the triangle VP in the photos too.
But my Colt is obviously a British service issue revolver.
There are no 'C' markings anywhere on my revolver, only crossed pennants in three (3) places (receiver, buttstrap, cylinder). The 'broad arrow' is above the crown, with 'U4' beneath that, then 'E' (see below)
broad arrow
crown
U4
E
So it's most likely a Colt .455 Eley made for British issue in India, that ended up in Singapore between the wars. I'll try to get some photos posted of mine.
My grandfather was a manager for the Goodyear Rubber plantations from 1927 to late 1941 in Malaya, who escaped ahead of the Japanese invasion. This revolver was his personal sidearm and he brought it out of Singapore in 1942 when he returned to the states. He purchased it because he could not easily get .45 ammo in the British colonies, but .455 was plentiful.
He is the hunter in center of the photo below posted on my website, taken after bagging a Leopard in Malaya around 1931. The Colt in in the holster on his hip.
http://www.historic-battles.com/ForumSoftware/index.php?topic=1549.0
Anchor's Aweigh
PS - The hunting rifle is an 8mm Manlicher which is also still in the family.
Note: I received an answer to a PM from Old Fuff noting that this is an early 1914 serial number - thanks for the info Fuff.
Anchor's Aweigh
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