1865 Schoolhouse Gives Up Vintage Colt Revolver

[miserman]

I hunted an 1865 one-room schoolhouse site that I was able to locate on an old plat map. The long gone school site is now a farm field, and after gaining permission from the owner, I hunted it for about six hours this week. After finding several Indian Heads and Wheat Cents, I hit a target that sounded like a shallow quarter signal in the mid 80's . After cutting a 5 inch deep plug the partial pistol frame came out of the hole. Hoping to find the rest of it,I searched the area for another similar signal but didn't locate any more of it. After getting the frame piece home I was able to determine that it was a Colt Open Top Pocket .22 that was manufactured between 1871-1877. I also was reminded that the cylinder and barrel were made of steel and would not have had a high reading like the brass piece that I found. I need to go back to the site and look for the "steel' part that I should have realized it would be made of. The sample photo shows what the complete revolver would look like. The 7 Indian Heads and 4 Wheat Cents had quite a bit of fertilizer damage so I'm not holding out much hope for the other parts of the revolver...Thanks for looking.

 

[jim tn]

Rather neat find, non the less. Nice tribe of Indians, too. Well done with your research!! HH jim tn

 

[still looking 52]

That's a cool find, nice research on the gun.
There should be some seated silver in there, maybe you could use that coil scrub method to get it?

 

[Odanscoils]

I hunted an 1865 one-room schoolhouse site that I was able to locate on an old plat map. The long gone school site is now a farm field, and after gaining permission from the owner, I hunted it for about six hours this week. After finding several Indian Heads and Wheat Cents, I hit a target that sounded like a shallow quarter signal in the mid 80's . After cutting a 5 inch deep plug the partial pistol frame came out of the hole. Hoping to find the rest of it,I searched the area for another similar signal but didn't locate any more of it. After getting the frame piece home I was able to determine that it was a Colt Open Top Pocket .22 that was manufactured between 1871-1877. I also was reminded that the cylinder and barrel were made of steel and would not have had a high reading like the brass piece that I found. I need to go back to the site and look for the "steel' part that I should have realized it would be made of. The sample photo shows what the complete revolver would look like. The 7 Indian Heads and 4 Wheat Cents had quite a bit of fertilizer damage so I'm not holding out much hope for the other parts of the revolver...Thanks for looking.

WoW
Really interesting find.
Congratulations.

 

[MuddyMo]

Good find! Congrats

 

[Ronstar]

Miserman, good recovery for sure! I found a toy gun last December at a friends place, had to take a deep breath and put my firearms skills to work. Exhaled when I realized it was a toy. And I agree, has to be some silver out there. Looks like another 30 minutes and you should have that small are completed!

 

[Mark kus]

Real nice finds that's more Indians than I find in a year! You'd think with being minted 50 years that I would find way more!
Mark

 

[laplander]

Research, permission and a long hunt paid off, congrats!
HH Jeff

 

[fwcrawford]

That research paid off big time for you… those are nice finds!
Hope you can find the other parts of that pistol… at least the cylinder would be good to find.