utm fk

gun room | February 2020 g&A 19
somewhat different. As it
is Belgian-made, engraved
and nickel-plated with ivory
grips, I think it is highly
unlikely that it is a French
police sidearm. I’m quite
sure it was intended for the
civilian market. There were
so many Belgian makers
that without some sort of
manufacturer’s designation
it is very difficult to pinpoint
the revolver’s builder.
101 RANCH COLT
.38 DA REVOLVER
Q: I have recently received
this pistol. It is in excellent
shape and has engraving
on the side “101 ranch
Blue Steel Joe round up”.
All numbers matching and
I have replaced two broken
springs. The rifling is excellent.
All I have read about
these suggest they had
wood or rubber grips. This
one has bone and the Colt
logo in in the frame instead
of on the grips. I have
attached photos and ask
if you could give me some
information and worth.
J.T.
Email
A: From what I can see, it
appears you have a Colt
New Army and Navy (A&N)
military revolver that has
been “civilianized” some
time in its past. The serial
number, 14XXX, indicates
it was made in 1894. The
grips certainly appear to be
pearl. The A&N was made
featuring several major
and minor modifications
from 1892 to 1907. Though
it was Colt’s first revolver
with a swing-out cylinder
and the U.S. military’s
premier double-action
general service revolver, the
mechanism left something
to be desired and, despite
a production run of some
291,000 units, reception of
the piece was mixed. Too,
the .38 Colt chambering was
also criticized as being less
than a sure-stopper. The
rather crude engraving on
the revolver is interesting
and undoubtedly goes back
a ways. The 101 Ranch in
northeastern Oklahoma was
the initial site of an early
COLT MODEL 1892 NEW ARMY AND NAVY (MODIFIED), .38 COLT, 60%: $300
travelling wild west show
similar to Buffalo Bill’s operated
by the Miller Brothers
from around the turn of
the 20th century until the
latter 1920s. The Round Up
was an annual event at the
ranch. One of the originators
was Joe Zack, so perhaps
that is what the “Joe”
refers to in the markings.
Maybe one of my sharpeyed
readers more versed in
the history of the 101 Ranch
than I can provide us with
further information.