recently aquired colt hammerless side by side very good shape has been fired any info on value or buyers.I do know that it does have some value i looked into the blue book of gun value but looking for some harder numbers. I dont have the serial number is 1047 i believe.
colt hammerless sXs
- Thread starter Open Season
- Start date
No matter what model - it's a keeper!!
Colt was originally not in the shotgun business. With the popularity of Winchester and other repeating shotguns, Colt started designing and building a few models of shotguns. The story, as I understand it, was that Winchester promptly made a couple of sample revolvers and took them to Colt. Basicly, the threat was, "You make a move on our market and we'll take you on in the hand gun market." Colt decided that carving out a small share of the shotgun market would not be worth the risk of having a new major player such as Winchester enter the handgun market and the two companies respected an unwritten arrangement not to step on each other's toes going forward.
I can't vouch for the veracity of this story, but I've never heard it refuted by anyone.
Colt shotguns were manufactured only for a few short years and did not sell in any great quantities. They are highly sought after by American Colt collectors. If you ever decide you aren't keeping it, look me up.
Colt was originally not in the shotgun business. With the popularity of Winchester and other repeating shotguns, Colt started designing and building a few models of shotguns. The story, as I understand it, was that Winchester promptly made a couple of sample revolvers and took them to Colt. Basicly, the threat was, "You make a move on our market and we'll take you on in the hand gun market." Colt decided that carving out a small share of the shotgun market would not be worth the risk of having a new major player such as Winchester enter the handgun market and the two companies respected an unwritten arrangement not to step on each other's toes going forward.
I can't vouch for the veracity of this story, but I've never heard it refuted by anyone.
Colt shotguns were manufactured only for a few short years and did not sell in any great quantities. They are highly sought after by American Colt collectors. If you ever decide you aren't keeping it, look me up.
Colt 1883
That shotgun is at least 90 years older than you so I not would expect you or to many other people to know what they looked like new. It is probably a 1883 colt if it is hammerless as they only made two sxs shotguns one hammerless (1883) and one hammergun (1877or78 can't remember which one). They are among the least common american made sxs shotguns and are bringing decent money now. When I see a pic I will give you some more info.
Regards
That shotgun is at least 90 years older than you so I not would expect you or to many other people to know what they looked like new. It is probably a 1883 colt if it is hammerless as they only made two sxs shotguns one hammerless (1883) and one hammergun (1877or78 can't remember which one). They are among the least common american made sxs shotguns and are bringing decent money now. When I see a pic I will give you some more info.
Regards
You first have to upload them to a host web site (such as your personal space on your ISP or one of the free sites like Photobucket). Then, you enter the link here in your post after clicking the "insert image" icon.
The story has basis in fact, but the "discussions" were over the repeating rifle business, brought on by the introduction of the Colt-Burgess Lever Action Rifle, a direct competitor to the Winchester repeaters, and are detailed in one of John Campbell's books on the Winchester Single Shot Rifle (second book, IIRC). This took place right around the turn of the century, or a bit before. Basically, the gentleman that had worked for Colt (William Mason, IIRC), and who had been instrumental in developing the patents that Colt's revolvers were protected under, was then working for Winchester, and as he knew what the patents actually covered, it was not difficult to be able to build a revolver that bypassed those patents. Colt built somewhere around 1000 rifles before they agreed to get out of the Lever Action business. Winchester stayed out of the revolver business too.
AFAIK there was no agreement between them as related to the shotguns or other long guns, just that Colt's core business was built around the revolver handguns at the time, and the other long guns were more or less incidental to the company's product lines.
That's what I have read, in any case.
If you get a chance to read the two Campbell books, do so. Lot's of interesting insights into the people involved, and how business was done.
Cheers
Trev
We'll know once we see the proof marks.
