I noticed there's a "step" down where the barrel meets the frame. Haven't seen such a design before. Is that the effect of backing the barrel? Just curious.
Good eye - just another peculiarity with this revolver.
It is a really snug and tight fight, contrary to the gap that appears in the photos, lol - again, it is an anachronism, and could have been hand fitted, using a file, causing the "step" -
This has been repaired since it first started going wrong, replacement screws, parts, over the years.
It was hanging over a bar in Nevada, and had been there some years when the owner bought it in the early seventies.
I do know the brass trigger guard is not a Colt original, because of the "bevel" quality - but, who knows from whence it came, maybe off an early Italian, reproduction, hand fitted to the real upper?
It's fun doing detective work on these isn't it - worth the price of admission.
*Wait until I post the first pattern Dragoon I stumbled across - we, (novice collectors here in the back-country) think it's a hand made pre-Italian replica, not a single original Colt part, but, lovingly a cloned fake, including a correct range serial number.Have not had a chance to properly photograph it - selling off a bunch of my WW2 collection which is taking time.
![](https://i.imgur.com/uAA8Yeml.jpg)