Howdy Again
I bought this 38-40 Bisley Colt at auction a few months ago. Made in 1909. It was pretty far back in the catalog and a lot of bidders had gone home, so I did not have to fight very hard to win it. The finish is almost completely gone, from the barrel and ejector rod, and the colors are almost all gone from the frame. There is still plenty of blue on the grip frame. The ejector rod handle is slightly bent, and the cylinder pin is a little bit chewed up. The bore is pitted, but the rifling is strong. The chambers look like the gun just left the factory yesterday. All the Serial Numbers match, and the hard rubber grips are scratch numbered to the gun.
The words Bisley Model are almost worn off the barrel, but the caliber is still easily read.
It has the Verified Proof mark for Smokeless Powder (VP in a triangle on the trigger guard) but I only plan to shoot it with Black Powder.
First thing I did when I got it home was to completely take it apart, clean all the old oil and powder residue out with solvent, then lube it up with Ballistol before buttoning it up. I took a photo while I had it all apart.
The hammer spring is quite stiff, I need to either grind it down a bit or buy a modern replacement spring and see if that will fit. It has a bit of endshake, but I should be able to clear that up with some Power Custom cylinder bushing shims. The lockup is as tight as the day it left Hartford.
Did not get a chance to actually shoot it until a CAS match a couple of weeks ago. I shot three stages with it, putting five rounds through it at each stage. I just didn't have enough BP 38-40 ammo loaded up to do anymore shooting with it. Gotta load up some more 38-40 so I can put it on paper and see how well it actually groups.
