POTD: Massachusetts Colt Second Model Dragoon – Surgeon’s Sidearm

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a big Colt with a Civil War story attached. This is a Colt Second Model Dragoon in 44 caliber, one of only 100 the Massachusetts militia received from the U.S. Ordnance Department in 1852 under the Militia Act. Roughly 20 are thought to surv...

By Sam.S •

Ayoob: The Guns of Cormac McCarthy

When I plucked the September-October issue of Smithsonian magazine out of my P.O. Box, the first article I turned to was “The Secret Life of Cormac McCarthy” by Richard Grant. As I skimmed it, a pull-quote leaped out at me: “He never left the house without a book. He never left the house wi...

By Massad Ayoob •

POTD: Splitting the Difference – Experimental .40 Caliber Colt 1851 Navy

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Colt 1851 Navy that isn’t chambered like a Colt 1851 Navy. This is one of a handful of experimental 40 caliber Navies built around 1859 and 1860, serial number 2 out of the separate range Colt used for prototypes. Colt had a gap in [...

By Sam.S •

Curious Relics #136: By the Numbers – The Colt 1862 Police Part III

Welcome, if you are a newcomer to this fun bi-weekly segment of AllOutdoor.com! We are three parts deep into the Colt 1862 Police now. Part I covered the history, design philosophy, and the story of Samuel Colt’s final years. Part II tackled variations, early versus late production identi...

By Sam.S •