2076 EXCEEDINGLY SCARCE COLT EXPERIMENTAL FIRST MODEL

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[?]Live Online Auction Starts In 2026 Nov 07 @ 10:00 (UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT)
Category Firearms & Military
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 1,500.00 USD
Estimated at 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
COBRA REVOLVER, PICTURED & DESCRIBED IN "THE BOOK OF COLT FIREARMS" BY R.L. WILSON, WITH FACTORY LETTER. Cal. 38 Spl. S# 42461LW. Bbl. 2". The first revolver produced by Colt with an alloy frame, the Cobra began production in 1950 and in essence, was a lightweight variation of the Detective Special. This example, formerly of the Robert Q. Sutherland collection, was shipped from Colt in 1955 to one of Colt's salesman to garner customer interest and feedback, and is pictured and described on page 394 of "The Book of Colt Firearms" (Third Edition) by R.L. Wilson. This revolver notably differs from the standard "First Issue" Cobra revolvers with the inclusion of a bbl. that features a shroud for the ejector rod, a feature which would not appear until production of the "Second Issue", which started 18 years after this example was shipped (1973). The steel bbl. is properly unmarked, with only the Rampant Colt logo marked on the left side of the frame. The alloy frame and sideplate exhibit a black anodized finish, with the bbl., cyl., cyl. latch, and trigger exhibiting a blue finish. Top strap of hammer exhibits a matte blue finish, with the sides being polished in-the-white. Round butt frame is mounted with 2-piece Colt silver medallion checkered wood grips. Fixed blade front sight with frame notched rear sight. All serialized parts are matching, to include the frame and cyl. crane, the frame marked "42461/ X/ X LW K", the "X" indicating this example's factory status as an experimental model. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: Colt factory letter indicating: "Serial Number: 42461-LW/ Caliber: .38 Special/ Barrel Length: 2"/ Finish: Blue/ Type of Stocks: Not Listed/ Special Notation: "Protected ejector rod."/ Shipped To: Loan Account/ Hal L. Drake, Jr./ P.O. Box 557/ Address: Cedartown. Georgia/ Date of Shipment: October 3, 1955/ Number of Same Type Guns in Shipment: 1". CONDITION: excellent, with metal components retaining the vast majority of their original factory black anodized and blue finishes overall., exhibiting some light edge wear, with some superficial handling marks present overall. Forward right corner of frame, as well as the front and right edge of the trigger guard show an impression. Cyl. bears a light dragline. Sides of hammer show scattered spots of dark oxidation, which coincides with wear in documented photo. Mirror bore, retaining sharp and well defined rifling throughout. Proper manual mechanics. Grips are very good, showing some light smoothing, as well as a few minor superficial marks from handling and storage. An especially attractive example and a seldom presented opportunity for one to acquire a documented experimental Colt Cobra revolver, that is befitting of the advanced Colt collection. PROVENANCE: From the Lifetime Collection of Malcolm Zickler, Ret. USAF Lt. Col. (26-612/MLW). CURIO. $3,000-5,000.