Home Index Search Handguns Visual Selection British North American Italian German Belguim French Spanish Austrian Russian Czechoslovacian Turkish South African Hungarian Brazilian Israeli Competition Firearms Shotguns References Links Gunsite SAGA PAAA SAAACA Contact E-mail me!

Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing (1847-1947), (1955-1964) Colts Manufacturing Company (1947-1955) Colt’s inc. Firearms Division (1964- ) The Colt New Service was introduced in 1898. It was an up-sized and strengthened Colt Model 1892 and Colt Firearms first large caliber revolver with a swing-out hand ejector cylinder. It was made in the popular large caliber revolver cartridges of the day: .38-40, .44-40, .44 Russian, .44 Special, .45 Colt, and .455 Webley. It was made with a blued finish or nickel plating, and with a 4", 4½", 5", 5½", 6", and 7½" barrels. It also came with walnut or hard rubber grips. The Colt M1892 revolver was thought of as a decent handgun for its time, but complaints soon arose concerning the .38 Long Colts stopping power. Beginning in 1899, combat reports from the Philippines campaign showed that the .38 caliber bullets repeatedly failed to stop Moro fighters, even when shot multiple times at close range. The complaints caused the U.S. Army to hurriedly re-issue the now retired .45 caliber Colt Single Action Army revolvers with newly shorten 5½" barrels. These old war horses handily stopped the kris and bolo wielding fighters and played a central role in the Army's decision to replace the M1892 with the .45 caliber New Service revolver in 1909. It also played a key role in the Army's decision to adopt the .45 ACP M1911 Colt pistol. The Model 1909 in .45 Colt with a 5½" barrel, was adopted by the U.S. Armed Forces as the "Model 1909 U.S. Army", the "Model 1909 U.S. Navy" and the "USMC Model 1909". In 1899 Canada acquired a number of New Service revolvers (chambered in .45 Colt) for Boer War service, to supplement its existing M1878 Colt Double Action revolvers in the same caliber.[7] In 1904/5 the North-West Mounted Police in Canada also adopted the Colt New Service to replace the less-than satisfactory Enfield Mk II revolver in service since 1882. New Service revolvers, designated as Pistol, Colt, .455-inch 5.5-inch barrel Mk. I, chambered for the .455 Webley cartridge were acquired for issue as "substitute standard" by the British War Department during World War I. British Empire Colt New Service Revolvers were stamped "NEW SERVICE .455 ELEY" on the barrel, to differentiate them from the .45 Colt versions used by the US (and Canada). The Colt New Service was a popular revolver with British officers and many of them had privately purchased their own Colt New Service revolvers in the years prior to World War I as an alternative to the standard-issue Webley Revolver. British Empire and Canadian forces received 60,000 Colt New Service revolvers during World War I and they continued to see official service until the end of World War II. New Service US Army Model 1909. During the Moro uprising in the Philippines in the 1890's the Colt New Army & Navy revolver in .38 Long Colt failed. Radical Islamic warriors, often using drugs attacked US soldiers and even though they were shot multiple times with the .38 Long Colt revolvers they would still manage to hack soldiers to death when the rounds failed to stop them. With the situation critical and all confidence lost in the standard issue .38 Long Colt cartridge, the Army quickly refurbished Colt Single Action Army revolvers, shortened the 7 1/2" barrels to 5 1/2" and rushed them to the Philippines. There the old .45 Long Colt did the job, convincing the Army that they needed a modern, more powerful service pistol. This eventually led to the adoption of the Colt Model 1911 .45 Automatic. However, this left the military without a viable pistol to use until a new pistol could be developed. To serve as a fill-in until a new pistol could be developed, the military turned to Colt and simply bought the Colt New Service revolver in .45 Colt. This was a well-proven pistol and cartridge, and it was a double action. It was decided that the New Service would be adopted to replace the failed New Army & Navy guns until a new pistol was ready. Since the New Service was already in mass production, the military simply ordered guns with US military stamps and serial numbers on the butt. This was the US Model 1909 revolver. It was a standard type New Service with a 5 1/2" barrel and a bright blue commercial quality finish. The butt was fitted with a lanyard loop and was stamped with US stamps and serial numbers. It was marked with US Army, US Navy, and US Marine stamps. The New Service US Army Model 1917. When the US entered World War One, General Pershing wanted to have every US combat soldier armed with a pistol. However, there weren’t enough Model 1911 pistols to go around, and not enough could be made fast enough. To increase the number of pistols for use, the government contracted with Colt and S&W to produce large frame double action revolvers chambered for the standard issue .45 Automatic cartridge. Both of these were designated Model 1917 Revolvers. Since the .45ACP was a rimless cartridge, a revolver was unable to eject fired cases. To allow the use of the .45ACP, stamped steel "half moon" clip devices were developed. Each of these flat clips would hold three rounds and allow the double action revolver ejector to eject the fired cases. To load the revolver two of the clips, each holding three rounds were dropped into the cylinder. Once fired, the cylinder was opened and the ejector rod pushed, ejecting all six cases and the clips. Colt built their Model 1917 on the large New Service frame. It was a standard New Service with a 5 1/2" barrel and a dull brushed blue finish. The early version had chambers that were bored straight through and these couldn't be fired without the flat clips since the cartridge case would fall into the chamber too far. Later production guns had chambers cut to allow the cartridges to head space in the chamber and these could be fired by loading individual cartridges without the clips, but the gun couldn't eject them. To eject a stick or rod was needed to push each case out. The Model 1917 had two serial numbers. The official US Military serial number was stamped on the butt, but Colt also stamped a Colt factory serial number on the frame below the barrel where the cylinder crane seats, on the cylinder crane, and inside the side plate. This causes some argument among collectors about which number is the "Real" number. The government used the butt number as the serial number and when the Model 1917 was sold as surplus in the 1960's, the butt serial number was on the government paper work. The Model 1917 was made from 1917 into 1919. When the War ended the Model 1917 was put into storage for possible future use. In the 1930's there was a rash of robberies of US Post Offices, so the government took quantities of Model 1917 revolvers out of storage and gave them to the Post Office. Most of these guns sat in Post Master safes until they were sold as surplus in the 1960's. During World War Two, there was again a shortage of pistols, so Model 1917 revolvers were taken out of storage and refurbished and rebuilt where needed. These were usually given a parkerized finish. These 1917 revolvers were issued to anyone needing a pistol, including some combat troops, MP's, and others. After the war they were again stored away until they were declared surplus in the 1960's and sold, often to National Rifle Association members through the Director of Civilian Marksmanship Program. The New Service Commercial Model 1917 These guns had checkered walnut grips with silver medallions, and with the barrel marked "Colt Model 1917 Auto Ctge". There were about 1,000 made during 1932. These had 5 1/2" barrels and were in .45ACP. The last patent date on the barrels was October 5, 1926 The New Service Commercial Model 1917 parts model. Following World War One, Colt had quantities of left over parts for the Model 1917 so they made a limited run of commercial models of it using those parts. These were made in .38-40 WCF, .44-40 WCF, or .45 Long Colt. These were available with 4 1/2" or 5 1/2" barrels. Grips were hard black rubber or checkered walnut with silver medallions. The last patent date on these barrels was July 4, 1905. There were about 1,000 made. New Service Target This was a target version of the New Service, available from 1900 to 1940. It had a flat top frame and adjustable front and rear target sights. It was available with a 6" (rare) or 7 1/2" barrel. It was made in bright blue or (rare) bright nickel. A round butt version was available after 1930. Grips were black hard rubber until 1913 and checkered walnut with silver medallions after that. The trigger and back strap were checkered. Calibers offered were .44 Special, .44 Russian, .45 Long Colt, and .45ACP. New Service Shooting Master The Shooting Master was a high grade Target version of the New Service. It was fitted with a flat top frame, adjustable target front and rear sights, a checkered trigger, and back strap. It was available with a rounded butt or a square butt after 1933. Barrel length was 6" and the grips were checkered walnut with silver medallions. Calibers available were .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Special, .45 Colt, and .45ACP. It was made from 1932 to about 1940. New Service Royal North West Mounted Police-Royal Canadian Mounted Police. (Mountie) These were ordered by the Canadian Mounties for use as their standard service pistol. These were made in .45 Long Colt and .455 Eley. Finish was blue. New Service British and Canadian military contract. During World War One the British and Canadian government ordered approximately 60,000 New Service revolvers for use by ground troops and the Royal Flying Corps. These were adopted as a limited standard issue model. These were usually in .455 Eley for British use and .45 Long Colt for Canadian. Prior to the war, many British officers bought commercial New Service revolvers instead of the British standard Webley revolver so choosing the New Service during the war was a natural choice. New Service "Fitz" custom. During the 1920's and 30's John Henry "Fitz" Fitzgerald was a Colt company representative who offered custom built firearms made to his idea of what a defense gun should be. Fitz Special revolvers are made by taking any standard size Colt revolver, shortening the barrel to two inches, shortening the ejector rod, bobbing the hammer spur, rounding the butt, and removing the front half of the trigger guard. Reshaping the hammer and the butt allows the gun to be drawn quickly with little risk of the weapon snagging on clothing. The halved trigger guard facilitates quick trigger acquisition, even for shooters with large fingers or gloves. Historians believe that somewhere between 40 and 200 Fitz Specials left the factory, made from various Colt revolvers, by Fitzgerald himself. The Fitz Special was the precursor to the modern snubnosed revolver and specifically the prototype for the Colt Detective Special the first production two-inch snubnosed revolver. The U.S. Army Model 1917 was created to supplement insufficient stocks of M1911 pistols during World War I] The Colt M1917 Revolver was a New Service with a cylinder bored to take the .45 ACP cartridge and the half-moon clips to hold the rimless cartridges in position. Later production Colt M1917 revolvers had headspacing machined into the cylinder chambers, just as the Smith & Wesson M1917 revolvers had from the start. Newer Colt production could be fired without the half-moon clips, but the empty cartridge cases had to be ejected with a device such as a cleaning rod or pencil, as the cylinder extractor and ejector would pass over the rims of the rimless cartridges. As a result of these issues, a commercial rimmed cartridge the .45 Auto Rim was developed that allowed the M1917 to be fired without the need for moon-clips. After World War I, the revolver gained a strong following among civilian shooters. The M1917s saw action again during World War II, when it was issued to "specialty troops such as tankers and artillery personnel." During the Korean War they were again issued to support-troops. The M1917s were even used by the "tunnel rats" during the Vietnam War. John Henry Fitzgerald first came up with the Fitz Special snubnosed revolver concept around the mid 1920s, when he modified a .38 Special Colt Police Positive Special revolver, whose shortest available barrel length was four inches. He later modified two .45 Colt New Service revolvers in the same manner, and was known to carry the pair in his front pockets. Fitz Special revolvers are made by taking any standard size Colt revolver, shortening the barrel to two inches, shortening the ejector rod, bobbing the hammer spur, rounding the butt, and removing the front half of the trigger guard. Reshaping the hammer and the butt allows the gun to be drawn quickly with little risk of the weapon snagging on clothing. The halved trigger guard facilitates quick trigger acquisition, even for shooters with large fingers or gloves. Historians believe that somewhere between 40 and 200 Fitz Specials left the factory, made from various Colt revolvers, by Fitzgerald himself. The Fitz Special was the precursor to the modern snubnosed revolver and specifically the prototype for the Colt Detective Special the first production two-inch snubnosed revolver. Even after the introduction of the Detective Special in 1927, Fitz continued to make custom revolvers for special clients. Colonels Rex Applegate and Charles Askins were proponents of the Fitz Special, and it would become a popular after-market conversion for many gunsmiths. Charles Lindbergh, William Powell and Clyde Barrow were also known to carry Fitz Specials. In 1933, the New Service was chambered for .38 Special, and the .44 Russian and other less common calibers were discontinued. In 1936, the New Service was chambered for new .357 Magnum cartridge. As one of the most powerful handgun cartridges available of the time, it was easily capable of penetrating the automobile bodies and body armor used by the gangsters, bank robbers and fugitives of that era. As such, it became instantly popular with Lawmen, State Troopers and Highway Patrolmen. These guns were offered with 4", 5" and 6" barrels. The early models came with checkered walnut grips, while the later models used plastic-like “Coltwood” grips. With the onset of World War II the Colt New Service was discontinued in 1941. It was the largest revolver ever manufactured by Colt and one of the largest production revolvers of all time until the introduction of the .44 Magnum Colt Anaconda in 1990. There are several generational variants including the "Old Model" (which refers to the first 21,000 units made),"Transitional Model" (which incorporated a hammer-block safety), "Improved Model" (325,000 units) and "Late Model" (manufactured from 1928 to 1941). A "Target Model", "Shooting Master" and "Deluxe Target Model" were offered as well. This is the heavy 1897/8 New Service double action revolver. This heavy model started with a simpler action with influences from the Chamelot/ Delvigne action. This included the safety mechanism in form of the rebound lever from the Italian Bodeo’s design. These hand fitted trigger mechanisms did not have the longevity of the Peace Maker and some other Colt mechanisms. The cylinder rotation is now clockwise and it is a six-shot with long flutes and large cylinder stop grooves. The firing pin is fixed to the hammer. The cylinder is rear locking only and is unlocked by pulling the cylinder release rearward and swinging the cylinder to the left. The simultaneous ejection is manual and accomplished by a reciprocating rod. The hammer fall and the trigger rebound are both powered by a single leaf shaped mainspring. The New Service is of all-steel construction. It was the service arm in the USA, Canada and England. This firearm is a Boer War vintage and was retailed by William R Pape of Newcastle-on-Tyne. It has London proof marks. It is classified as an antique in the USA. (Ref. ‘The Colt d/a revolvers’ by J Kuhnhausen, ‘Pistols and revolvers’ by JE Smith, ‘Price guide for collector handguns’ by R H Balderson, ‘Pistols of the world’ by Hogg and Weeks p67. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_New_Service http://www.coltfever.com/New_Service.html )

102112