INTRODUCTION

The first Colt Paterson reproductions appeared in the early to mid 1960’s with the markings of MOFRA and the Double Diamond of Euromanufacture, with MOFRA di Mainardi A as the actual maker of the revolver for Euromanufacture and imported by Replica Arms. The first Pietta marked Paterson that shows up is in 1969 made for Navy Arms with the only 7 ½” barrel observed. Most all Pietta’s have 9” barrels without loading lever. The only 7 ½” barrel Paterson with a loading lever was made by Uberti. In 1971 Replica Arms was bought out by Val Forgett and Navy Arms. Uberti started making the Paterson in 1988. Some also had loading levers like the Uberti "Texas" Paterson.

Uberti made the Paterson both with and without the loading lever, both in 7 ½” barrel. The Paterson without loading lever had square back cylinders. The model with loading lever had round back cylinders. The Uberti was discontinued around 2008 but some very lucky collector may still run into “old inventory” that a dealer may have. Cimarron offered the Paterson with loading lever in three finishes, antique, charcoal blue, and standard.

An Ehler and Belt Model Paterson were offered by America Remembers in a couple of Commemorative issues which are still very expensive.  Colt only produced a Paterson in its 3rd Generation or Signature Series. This had a loading lever and was produced only as a Commemorative. These are very expensive and still escalating.

THE REPLICA PATERSONS

Following is a list of all of the replica Paterson revolvers that Dr. Davis and I have thus far uncovered.

1838 Paterson

       
1.  Ehlers Model Paterson with LL - Round Back Cylinder - 3” barrel - Capping Cutout Straight Grip - America Remembers Commemorative Issue
     
2.  Belt Model Paterson with LL - Round Back Cylinder - 5” barrel - Capping Cutout - Straight Grip           
     
3.  Paterson “Texas” Engraved In White without Loading Lever - 9” barrel - Square Back Cylinder
       
4.  Paterson “Texas” Frame Engraved in White with Loading Lever - 9” barrel - Square Back Blued Cylinder – Inlayed Silver bands around cylinder & barrel
       
5.  Paterson with Loading Lever - 7 ½” barrel - Round Backk Cylinder – Capping Cutout
         
6.  Paterson “Texas” without Loading Lever - Square Back Cylinder
     a.  6” barrel
     b.  7 ½” barrel
     c.  9” barrel
     d.  12” barrel

COLT BLACKPOWDER ARMS SIGNATURE SERIES PATERSONS

In 1998, Colt Blackpowder Arms began creating a new generation of Colt Paterson models. These third-generation CBA models were produced with parts made to Iver Johnson (Lou Imperato) specifications in Italy by Uberti and shipped to the U.S. “in the white.” The guns were hand-fitted, blued and color-casehardened using Colt’s original proprietary formulas under a Colt license.

Colt Blackpowder Arms was originally established to handle the manufacturing of Colt’s second-generation blackpowder "F" Series models, but that never came to fruition, so the second-generation Colt "F" Series were finished by Lou Imperato via Iver Johnson and did not include a Paterson model. The "F" Series are considered products of Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, while the third-generation guns, which introduced the 1842 Paterson No. 5 Holster Model, are regarded as Colt Blackpowder Arms products. They’re still Colts in name only, but Colt Blackpowder Arms was not working directly with Colt as it had for the second generation. The noteworthy difference is that second-generation models can be lettered by the Colt factory, while third-generation models cannot. In terms of construction, there are slight differences in the bluing, silver plating and the use of Samuel Colt’s signature on the backstraps of third-generation models to quickly differentiate them from the second generation. 

The third-generation CBA Paterson—considered the first Colt-branded Paterson in 150 years—was introduced in 1998 as a deluxe model (above). It was an 1842 Paterson No. 5 Holster Model with a 7 1/2" barrel and loading lever assembly. Features include Colt Royal Blue finish and deluxe hand engraved period style scroll work with punch dot background on both sides of the barrel lug, frame and recoil shield. Additional engraving coverage is found on the top of the loading lever, on top of hammer and along the length of the backstrap. Single flush inlaid gold bands encircle the breech end of the barrel and the front of the recoil shield while two flush inlaid gold barrel bands encircle the muzzle end of the barrel and cylinder. The design copied the original engraved No. 5 models. These were always made in very limited editions and selling for $4,500 at the time of production.

It wasn’t until 2002, the final year of third-generation CBA production, that a standard blued No. 5 Holster Model was introduced, with a retail price of $1,200. This was an 1842 Paterson No. 5 Holster Model standard production model without engraving or gold inlays. This revolver has a full blue finish with a 7 1/2" banel and loading assembly. The "Sam Colt" signature is not engraved on the backstrap of this model. The barrel address reads from breech to muzzle "Patent Arms Mfo. Co. Paterson. N. J. Colts Pt." None of this, however, would have happened if legendary Italian arms-maker Aldo Uberti had not begun producing No. 5 Holster Model reproductions in 1988. 

For Colt Blackpowder Arms, the end of production came in 2002, with the final run of Colt percussion models and the blued No. 5 Holster Models. Uberti discontinued the Patersons in 2008 after 20 years of Paterson manufacturing. Additionally, Beretta purchased Uberti after Aldo’s passing. But it wasn’t quite over yet.

COMMEMORATIVES

With virtually the entire catalog of historic Colt percussion models available by the 1980s, Aldo Uberti ventured further back in time to add the first circa-1842 Paterson No. 5 Holster Model in 1988, some 30 years after building his first Colt Navy reproduction. This Paterson was initially a blued gun with the standard 7-inch barrel and roll-engraved cylinder. The guns were of the first No. 5 design without a loading lever. Uberti then followed Colt and added a second variation with a loading lever to duplicate the original designs. These were the same parts that would eventually be used to build the third-generation Colt Blackpowder Arms Paterson models, all three versions of the America Remembers Patersons and a handful of additional special limited editions for America Remembers, the U.S. Historical Society and the American Historical Foundation. 

America Remembers purchased the very last Patersons in the Colt Blackpowder Arms inventory in 2002 and put them in storage for a future project that would become the most ambitious and rarest Paterson reproduction series ever done. After five years in development by America Remembers, Dennis Adler began working with gunsmith and engraver Conrad Anderson to put a limited edition of just 20 original-style Paterson cased sets into production in 2011. Each hand-engraved gun came with a rare 4-5/8-inch barrel as well as a scarcer 12-inch barrel.

Technically, only the No. 5 Holster Model, in both variations—the first without a loading lever and the second with a loading lever—has been reproduced. I say “technically” because between 2001 and 2008, America Remembers and Dennis Adler teamed up with master gunsmith Robert L. Millington to produce a limited edition of the Ehlers Belt Model No. 2 Paterson and Improved Belt Model No. 2 by reverse-engineering Uberti’s No. 5 reproductions to create a .36-caliber Pocket Model with a 3½-inch barrel. Each gun was handcrafted and only 100 were made with charcoal-blued, antique-blued or aged-gray finishes. Each came with a walnut presentation box, a small Paterson powder flask, a single-cavity bullet mold and a combination tool. This marked the first of three significant breaks with traditional Paterson reproductions that would be created for America Remembers. The second version was a hand-engraved Ehlers model with carved ivory grips, a 5-inch barrel, Colt bluing and Turnbull casehardening.

These limited models varied in terms of availability, engraving and finish options. Among the rarest is the cased Samuel Colt Texas Paterson from the U.S. Historical Society and the Samuel Colt Heritage Museum of Fine Firearms. This handsome, hand-engraved pistol, with its blued finish, fine engraving, color-casehardened bottom frame plate and silver inlaid details, was limited to 1,000 examples.

Today, the only Paterson reproduction made is the Texas Paterson with the 9-inch barrel (favored by Texas Rangers in the 1840s), and manufactured in Italy by Pietta. It differs from those Uberti and CBA produced, but it’s as close as anyone making them today will likely ever come. Even reproductions can be very collectible!



References:

The notes of Dr. Jim Davis, RPRCA

Guns of the Old West Magazine, October 14, 2019, "Finding Colt Paterson Reproductions Is Just as Hard as Finding Originals", Dennis Adler