Welcome back, friends! Last time we took a four-part look at colt 1862 police The revolver covers the design philosophy that created it, the Civil War era that hampered its sales, the factory fire that made things worse, and the conversion craze that consumed most surviving examples before the 19th century was out. We also covered the naming problem, that dreaded “1862” tag that has been bugging people since the gun was new. Today we’re going a step further into that name problem, because it turns out Part I only scratched the surface of it. Let’s dive right in.
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Variations: Colt 1862 Police
Before we get into the production variations on the Cop, I want to make a few corrections from Part I, both because it’s worth getting right and because this is exactly the kind of thing that happens when you research Colt firearms from the mid-19th century. Available sources contradict each other, and older references do not always account for new scholarship.
Described in Part II 1862 police and Pocket Navy have been running together on the same production line since 1861, sharing the same serial number range. Most commonly cited older sources say this, including R.L. Wilson’s widely used references, and the source material I worked from has this implication. This suggests that the picture is more complex than that.
Research published by John Breslin in the American Society of Arms Collectors Bulletin in 2002, and later included in updated editions of the Flederman Guide, found no recorded factory shipments of Pocket Navy prior to 1865. Based on that work, the better current position is that the Pocket Navy is more accurately called the Model 1865 Pocket Navy, that it did not run concurrently with the Police from the beginning, and that both guns may have had different serial ranges rather than one. Shared run. Fledderman updated his designation accordingly. The Blue Book now lists the Pocket Navy under “Pocket Model of Navy Caliber, Model 1865”.
“Seward’s Folly? Not this Colt Pocket Navy Revolver!” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/riac-blog/sewards-folly-not-this-colt-pocket-navy-revolver. Accessed 22 June 2026.
None of these have been completely decided. The 1864 factory fire destroyed a large portion of Colt’s production records, which is why these debates continue. But the “concurrent, shared numbering since 1861” claim I made in Part I is old conventional wisdom, and I’d rather flag it here than let it stand unchallenged. When it comes to these guns, research is still developing.
What is not in dispute is that the frame dimensions, grip size, and trigger guard of both guns are identical, and their serial numbers were linked by the time both were discontinued in the early 1870s. It’s quite easy to tell them apart at a glance once you know what to look for, and we’ll get to that shortly.
Police: Initial Production
as soon as possible 1862 police The revolvers, which came out of the factory in 1861 with very short ranges of serial numbers, are meaningfully different from the revolvers most people encounter today.
Early examples have the barrel address written “ADDRESS SAML COLT/HARTFORD CT” instead of the New York address, which became standard on the vast majority of production. Hartford-addressed police revolvers are considered desirable among collectors and the change to a New York address occurred relatively quickly.
Grip straps and trigger guards on very early guns were iron instead of brass, silver plated. Brass grip straps quickly became the standard, but a small number of low-serial guns with iron furniture exist and are quite rare.
In early examples the serial number was inscribed on the inside of a cylinder flute. At some point in early production, probably between serial numbers 2,200 and 2,500, based on surviving examples that have been documented, Colt moved the cylinder serial number to the rear of the cylinder. A small detail, but useful when you’re trying to keep a gun in the production timeline.
“London Cased Colt Model 1862 Police Percussion Revolver.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4096/3189/london-cased-colt-model-1862-police-percussion-revolver. Accessed 22 June 2026.
On later production guns, the revolver was marked “36 CAL” on the left rear web of the trigger guard to distinguish it from Colt’s .31 caliber pocket gun, which shared the same general frame size. That marking does not appear in early examples. The patent date “Pat. September 10th 1850” was printed into the cylinder flutes of many early and mid-production guns, and was sometimes absent on later ones.
barrel length
1862 police Was offered in four barrel lengths: 3.5 inches, 4.5 inches, 5.5 inches and 6.5 inches. 5.5 inches was probably the most common configuration, and 6.5 inches is not encountered often and attracts a lot of attention when it does appear. Long barreled pocket revolvers of this era have a certain beauty that the shorter versions do not have.
The 3.5-inch barrel is worth marking separately. Every mainstream reference lists it as a legitimate production option, but also notes it as rare. Researcher Herbert Hose documented a short-barreled example that apparently lacked a loading lever altogether, suggesting that it was made specifically for deep pocket carry. I haven’t been able to independently verify that description beyond the hose’s work, so consider it reliable but not confirmed.
london export guns
a number of 1862 police Revolvers for the British market were sent to Colt’s Pall Mall agency in London. These guns can be identified by some consistent characteristics. These usually have iron grip bars, rather than brass, silver-plated. British proof marks are visible on the barrel and cylinder. Below the serial number is an “L” inspector mark denoting London.
“London Cased Colt Model 1862 Police Percussion Revolver.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4096/3189/london-cased-colt-model-1862-police-percussion-revolver. Accessed 22 June 2026.
A small number of London-addressed police revolvers exist, with the barrel address inscribed “ADDRESS COL COLT/LONDON” rather than a New York address. These appear in higher serial number ranges, suggesting they were sent later in the production run.
How to tell the police of 1862 from a pocket navy
This is the practical part, especially if you’re at a gun show or looking at an auction catalog and trying to figure out exactly what gun you’re looking at.
1862 police Developed under Elisha Root, it has a round barrel and creeping loading lever. That lever has a distinctive gear-tooth profile at the base and sits tightly against the underside of the barrel. The cylinder is half-fluted and has no roll engraving. Clear and smooth.
The Pocket Navy has an octagonal barrel and the old swinging-link loading lever, the same style used in the 1849 Pocket and 1851 Navy. The cylinder is round, unfluted, and engraved with the stagecoach holdup scene roll, the same scene used on the 1849 pocket. That cylinder engraving is the fastest. If you look at the Stagecoach scene, you’re looking at pocket navy. The half fluted panel with no view means you are looking at the police.
“Seward’s Folly? Not this Colt Pocket Navy Revolver!” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/riac-blog/sewards-folly-not-this-colt-pocket-navy-revolver. Accessed 22 June 2026.
Both guns rest on the same pocket-sized frame. Both are five-shot .36 caliber. Both have the same grip and trigger guard. From the grip end they are almost identical. They are clearly distinct from the tip of the snout. Barrel shape and cylinder surface are your two fastest identifiers, and cylinder wins every time.
Another thing worth noting: the Pocket Navy’s loading lever is slightly shorter relative to the barrel than the Police’s crawler lever. This is a result of the barrel assembly geometry. The police round barrel and crawling lever were designed together as a system. The octagonal barrel of the Pocket Navy came from an older pattern and the lever length was not exactly the same. It’s subtle, but once you see it you’ll notice it.
End of Part II: Colt 1862 Police
Main variations include 1862 police And how to distinguish it from its nearest twin, Pocket Navy. In Part III we’ll go over the specifications, dating, and whatever aftermarket support exists for both originals and Uberti replicas. Part IV will be Range Time. We are getting closer.
In conclusion, I hope that our Curious Relics section has provided information as well as entertainment. All of this was written in hopes of continuing gun appreciation and preservation. We just didn’t realize how guns were supposed to look and work. It was a long and difficult process that shaped the world we live in. So, I’m putting it before you! Are there any guns out there that you feel don’t get as much notoriety? What should our next curious relic topic include? As always, let us know all your thoughts in the comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
