With all due respect, 2nd and 3rd generation black powder Colts have nothing to do with the 2nd and 3rd gen Colt SAA's. To get the skinny on the Blackpowder lines, one would need either the blackpowder Blue book (I have the on-line subscribed version) or Dennis Russell's " Colt percussion revolvers--The 2nd generation-- Collector's handbook and Price guide" Russell also covers the 3rd gens in his book. There is also limited info on both generations in "Black Powder Revolvers--Reproduction and Replicas" by Dennis Adler which I believe is out of print.
What is now called the 2nd generation of Colt black powder or percussion revolvers were produced from 1971 to 1982. There were 11 standard models with 3 of those being also produced in stainless steel. There were also a few minor variations plus several commemoratives, special limited runs plus special order and short runs of engraved models. Colt did not include the Paterson in this series. The serial numbers for all of these 2nd gens, generally started off where Colt ended production or the originals in the 19th century. The special runs and commemoratives are the exceptions---having their own sets of numbers. The first two models-the 1851 Navy and the 3rd model Dragoon were assembled at the Hartford plant and are the C series. When Colt decided to expand the line to include other models, all production was moved to Iver Johnson
as a sub-contractor to Colt. Iver Johnson was owned by Lou Imperato at the time. Lou had been one of Colt biggest distributors and had also been responsible for procuring some of the parts for the black powder line from Uberti. The barrels, cylinders, loading levers, trigger guard, and back strap were manufactured to Colt's specifications by Uberti and shipped in the white to the US. The frames, small internals, screws, springs,
American walnut grips, etc were manufactured or sourced in the US. All of the Iver Johnson production was returned to Hartford for inspection,
cataloging, and distribution.
The 3rd gen black powder Colts or "Signature series" were produced from 1994 to 2002 under license to the very same Louis Imperato who had formed a new company called "Colt Blackpowder Arms Co". This company only existed under the license agreement and was not part of
Colt Manufacturing Company, LLC. Lou even used some of the same craftsmen to work on the 3rd gens. However, for this line his company was responsible for both marketing, inspection, distribution, and warranty service. The 3rd gens were distinguished from the 2nd gen by the addition of the stamped facsimile Sam'l Colt signature on the back strap.
They led off with the Paterson and since there never had been a 2nd gen reproduction of that model, they omitted the stamped signature.
These were quite expensive. The plain model retailed at an MSRP of $1200 while the engraved initially was $2995. Thus the Paterson
is usually associated with the 3rd gen line even though there was no 2nd gen version of it. In effect it really is a 2nd gen but I don't think anybody really cares that much.
There were other variations in the 3rd gen line that were not included in the 2nd gens. Most notable was that they included an 1849 pocket
which was essentially the baby Dragoon with a loading lever. However the original 1849 outsold any other single 1st gen percussion model that Colt made--including the popular 1851 Navy.
There are some hard core Colt collectors who do not consider either the 2nd or 3rd gen Colts as real Colts since they had some Italian parts.
Then there is another even larger set of collectors who do consider the 2nd gen Colt percussion's real Colts, but not the 3rd gens versions.
A respected publication such as the Blue Book series categorizes both as real Colts
Those who do not think the 3rd gen percussion's are real Colt mention that the 2nd were produced by a sub contractor while the 3rd gens were produced by an independent company under license, but they add that the real litmus test is that Colt firearms
will letter the 2nd gens while they
will not letter the 3rd gens.
(To those unfamiliar with the term "letter" it means that for a fee, you can provide the serial number of your Colt firearm to
the Colt records department and if they have it on file they will provide you with an official factory letter with as much pertinent info as they have on your particular firearm--such as date of production, where or who it shipped to, and any special features if it was a custom order. You see these letters included all the time in the high price collector's market for antique models and they can add to the value.)
Colt Blackpowder Arms Co was responsible for maintaining all the serial number records under the license agreement. For whatever reason when they shut down or were forced to shut down because Colt withdrew the license---all of those records were claimed to have been lost and thus were never provided to Colt. I'm sure there was some animosity involved in the shutdown as there was when the 2nd gens were discontinued, so the lost records story sounds a bit suspect to me.
Regardless, without those records, Colt has no way to letter the 3rd gens and whether they would or not will remain an unanswered question. It also means that no one knows how many of any of 3rd gen models were produced. This also holds true for the Paterson models produced by Imperato's company.
Personally, I consider the 3rd gens as much a Colt as the 2nd gens and from the pricing I see, so does the marketplace. In my opinion--when Colt licensed Imperato to legally stamp Colt's trademark name and markings on a reproduction on a product that they are specifically known for and associated with ,they made it a real Colt. Once again though, that's just my opinion.
Cheers
P.S. Here's the complete line of standard model 2nd gens that I have collected. I did not attempt to collect the stainless steel models since they did not exist originally--plus there are only 8 each of the 1861 Navy in existence. The last two that sold went for $20k and $24k respectively in a Rock Island auction. This does not include the 18% buyer's premium. I can't see spending that much money on a reproduction.
Starting at center: The Walker, then top center the Pocket Police, going clockwise, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd model Dragoon, then the 1851 Navy, bottom center: Baby Dragoon, continuing clockwise: the Pocket Navy, 1861 Navy, 1860 Army, and 1860 Army with fluted cylinder
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