Rare four-screw frame, Colt Model 1860 “Fluted” Army percussion revolver, serial number 2706. This is a historically significant, early-production “Fluted” revolver shipped directly to the U.S. Quartermaster Corps in New York on April 4, 1861—just eight days before Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter to ignite the American Civil War. 

Serial number 2706 was manufactured with 7½ inches (standard for very early production models), full 6-chamber fluted cylinder, rebated to fit the lighter .36-caliber Navy frame, 4-screw frame cut for a detachable shoulder stock, equipped with standard iron backstrap and brass trigger guard. The grips are of one-piece walnut.  The round barrel is stamped with the standard address ‘ADDRESS SAML COLT HARTFORD CT’, with the left side of the frame marked ‘COLT’S / PATENT’. There is a sub-inspectors letter “P” stamped on the left shoulder of the trigger-guard.

Good well used condition. No original finish remaining. All matching numbers except the wedge which is unnumbered. There appears to be a small crack on the left side of the frame. The number “7” in “2706” has been over-stamped on the barrel, frame and trigger-guard. This is obviously a production error. The revolver is in good working order, with 7/10 bore with good rifling. This rare “Fluted” Army was present throughout the Civil War and must have witnessed a lot of military history. It brings to mind “If only this gun could talk”.   

Historical Significance of the “Fluted” Army

The fluted cylinder Model 1860 Army is one of the rarest and most collectible variations of the Model 1860 series.

1. Experimental Weight Reduction: When Samuel Colt designed the “New Model Army” in 1860, he utilized higher-strength steel (referred to as “silver spring steel”). To reduce total weight compared to the heavy Dragoon series, early production models incorporated fully fluted cylinders.
2. Short Production Window: Colt discovered that full fluting reduced cylinder wall strength, occasionally leading to burst chambers under heavy service loads. Colt quickly reverted to the smooth, rebated cylinder with the roll-engraved naval battle scene around serial number 8,000.
3. Pre-War U.S. Military Delivery: Most early Model 1860 Army revolvers produced in late 1860 and early 1861 were sold commercially or shipped to Southern distributors prior to the outbreak of hostilities. Serial number 2706 represents one of the very first contract shipments delivered directly to the Union U.S. Ordnance/Quartermaster Department right as the war began.