Early features include: First type barrel marking, octagonal 3 1/2 inch barrel, half inch priming cut-out, round cylinder with cabin & indian scene, in .28 caliber.

Purchase includes a signed copy of “A Collector’s Guide to THE COLT ROOT SIDEHAMMER Manufactured 1855 Through 1870” by Malcolm R. Burnette.

This particular Root revolver is the one mentioned and photographed in Robert Q. Sutherland and R. L. Wilson’s book The Book Of Colt Firearms published in 1971.

From The Burnette Collection.

The Burnette family have owned Model 1 Colt Root, serial number 68, since March 2008. It came in the Colt case with accoutrements. This is the First Model Colt Root mentioned and photographed in Robert Q. Sutherland and R. L. Wilson’s book The Book of Colt Firearms published in 1971. It is pictured on page 146 and captioned “The First Model Sidehammer revolver, c. 1855. Serial #68.”; and on page 153 and captioned “Serial #68, the First Model

Sidehammer revolver. Left side pictured in color on page 146 F.”. Malcolm left an absentee bid  on this particular Model 1 Root when it was auctioned in October 2002 by James D. Julia Auctioneers, auction number 8478, lot number 310. The hammer price was $5,750.00 which was above his bid of $5,000.00.

Malcolm spent the next six years trying to find it again, and finally ran into the high bidder at the March 2008 Baltimore Antique Arms Show. He made a deal for its purchase and bought serial number 68 from Kevin Doring. The owner did not give any information as to the previous ownership of this Model 1 Root. Therefore, it can only be said that it was in the Robert Q. Sutherland collection in 1971 at the time of the photo session for the book. It was later sold in Julia’s October 2002 auction. At that time, we know it went into the collection of Kevin Doring where it stayed until we bought it in March 2008. It was auctioned as a loose pistol and was cased up by Kevin Doring prior to the sale to the Burnette family.