The .31 caliber. revolvers are an interesting group of replica revolvers that offer enough variations to be collectable in and of themselves. There are many models and variations within those models of the .31 caliber revolvers, yet some are quite rare. Listed are a number of the variations that Dr. James H. Davis had uncovered in his extensive research. It is interesting to note that in the original Colt .31 caliber revolvers, two different size frames were produced, the short frame with no capping groove and the transition to the longer frame with a capping groove. [1] In the lists below, the Short Frame (SF) and Long Frame (LF) are listed beside each revolver as well as the Loading Lever (LL).

1848 Baby Dragoon .31cal. Five Shot (Square Back Trigger Guard)

1. 1848 Baby Dragoon Short Frame(SF) with LL - Brass SqBk TG & BkS
2. 1848 Baby Dragoon Short Frame(SF) with LL - Silver SqBk TG & BkS
3. 1848 Baby Dragoon Short Frame(SF) with LL - Brass SqBk TG & BkS - Barrel
Wedge from Right
4. 1848 Baby Dragoon Short Frame(SF) without LL - Brass SqBk TG & BkS
5. 1848 Baby Dragoon Short Frame(SF) without LL - Silver SqBk TG & BkS
6. 1848 Baby Dragoon Long Frame(LF) In White without LL -
Brass SqBk TG & BkS - Oval Cylinder Stops
7. 1848 Baby Dragoon Long Frame(LF) with LL - Brass SqBk TG & BkS -
Oval Cylinder Stops
8. 1848 Baby Dragoon Long Frame(LF) with LL - Silver SqBk TG & BkS –
Oval Cylinder Stops

1849 Pocket Model .31cal. Five Shot (Oval Trigger Guard)

1. 1849 Pocket Model Short Frame(SF) - Brass TG & BkS
2. 1849 Pocket Model Short Frame(SF) - Silver TG & BkS
3. 1849 Pocket Model Short Frame(SF) - Brass BkS & TG - Dragoon Barrel
4. 1849 Pocket Model Long Frame(LF) - Brass TG & BkS
5. 1849 Pocket Model Long Frame(LF) - Silver TG & BkS

1849 Wells Fargo Model .31cal. Five Shot (Oval Trigger Guard)

1. 1849 Wells Fargo Short Frame(SF) - Brass BkS & TG
2. 1849 Wells Fargo Short Frame(SF) - Silver BkS &
3. 1849 Wells Fargo Long Frame(LF) - Brass BkS & TG
4. 1849 Wells Fargo Long Frame(LF) – Brass BkS & TG
5. 1849 Wells Fargo Long Frame(LF) - Silver BkS & TG)

1855 Roots Side Hammer

1. 1855 Roots Side hammer .31cal. - 3 ½” barrel
2. 1855 Roots Side hammer .31cal. - 5 ½” barrel

Baby Dragoon Revolvers .31cal. - Brass Frame

1. 1848 Baby Dragoon Brass .31cal. with loading lever - 4” Barrel
2. 1848 Baby Dragoon Brass .31cal. with loading lever - 4” Barrel - Engraved
3. 1848 Baby Dragoon Brass .31cal. with loading lever - 6” Barrel
4. 1848 Baby Dragoon Brass .31cal. with loading lever - 6” Barrel - Engraved
5. 1849 Wells Fargo Brass .31cal. - 4” Barrel

Remington New Model Pocket

1. 1863 New Model Pocket Brass
2. 1863 New Model Pocket Steel
3. 1863 New Model Pocket Nickel

The Replica Arms Baby Dragoons and Pocket Models are all five shot and not six shot. Colt produced the 1849 Pocket Model in both five shot and six shot but Dr. Davis was not aware of any replicas with six shot cylinder. This information is taken from part of the book that Dr. Davis had been researching for many years.

In the replicas the only difference between the Baby Dragoon and the Pocket Models is that the Baby Dragoons have a square back trigger guard. The Pocket Model with oval trigger guard without the loading lever is called the Wells Fargo Model.

Manufacturers of the .31 cal Replica Revolvers.

It is interesting to note again that the original Colt .31 cal. revolvers had two different size frames and used oval cylinder stops and rectangular cylinder stops. Also, on the early original Baby Dragoons, the frame is shorter than on the later models. This is found in the replica revolvers as well but in reverse order.

Only four manufacturers made the Colt .31 cal. replica revolvers. They were Armi San Marco, Palmetto, Uberti, and Colt in both 2nd & 3rd Generation Series. Both ASM and Pietta made the Remington 1863 Pocket Model. Only Pietta made these in steel and nickel plated.
Armi San Marco was the first to produce the Baby Dragoons and Pocket Models. They all have the Short Frame and Rectangular Cylinder Stops. This is just the opposite from the original which had short frames but oval cylinder stops. ASM produced both the Baby Dragoons and Pocket Models in addition to the Remington 1863 New Model Pocket. The first observed ASM markings on .31 cal. revolvers are in the mid to late 1960’s.

Palmetto produced both an 1855 Roots Sidehammer in .31 caliber and an 1849 Colt Pocket Model.  The only observed .31 cal. Palmetto production was an 1849 Pocket Model. It was marked “HARTFORT POCKET MODEL “ on top of the barrel. The Serial Number was on the Cylinder with the Palmetto logo of a Palm Tree. It has a Long Frame with Rectangular Cylinder Stops.

There were three options for those wishing to tackle a Palmetto Root pistol. The .31 cal. version comes with a plain round cylinder and a three and a half inch round barrel or the 5 and a half inch barrel.  The octagonal barrel offered on the original Colts is not available in this reproduction. While the large caliber and longer barrel of the pistol are historically incorrect, it is nevertheless a very interesting combination and could prove popular with those wanting a little more punch from a pocket pistol.

The Uberti .31 cal. Baby Dragoon revolvers have the Long Frame and Oval Cylinder Stops, again, just the opposite of the original Colt revolvers. The Pocket Models have Long Frames and Rectangular Cylinder Stops. From revolvers observed (over 100) it appears that Uberti did not start producing any .31cal. revolvers until the early 1980’s. They did, however, provide rough cast parts to Colt in the late 1970’s for its 2nd Generation “F” Series Baby Dragoon.

Colt produced the 1848 Baby Dragoon in both the 2nd & 3rd Generation Series. It offered a Cased Limited Edition of this model in a 1 of 500 edition, as well as, a regular issue in the 2nd Generation Series. Colt Blackpowder Arms offered only a regular issue in the 3rd Generation or Signature Series. Since Colt had Uberti making rough castings of certain parts, the Colt 2nd Generation Baby Dragoons had this same configuration as Uberti of Long Frame with Oval Cylinder Stops and since Colt Blackpowder Arms was using all Uberti parts, the 3rd Generation Baby Dragoons had this same configuration as Uberti of Long Frame with Oval Cylinder Stops.

The Replica Arms .31 cal. revolvers may have either plain cylinders, the Ormsby’s Ranger & Indian Fight, or Ormsby’s Stagecoach Holdup engravings. The size of the frame is measured from the face of the flash guard to the front of the frame where the barrel attaches to the frame. The Short Frame measures 1 5/8” and the Long Frame is 1 ¾”. They can be readily be identified by the difference in distance between the back of the barrel and the front of the cylinder.

An added note:

It is not really known when Colt stopped using the Oval Cylinder Stop and started using the Rectangular Cylinder Stop. Even though the Oval Cylinder Stop is usually associated with the short frame this style could very easily have been used on the first Long Frame Baby Dragoons. The cylinders are the same length. It was the barrel that was modified to accommodate the longer frame. This change took place in what was called the “Transition Period” in the manufacture of the original Old Model Pocket Pistol.[2]

One of the more unusual replica Baby Dragoons is the short frame with rectangular cylinder stops. EIG, an importer in Florida, imported these. EIG was also the first importer to bring in the replica Schneider & Glassick. They marketed the Schneider & Glassick as a Reb Navy. The EIG Dragoon also has an unusual cylinder engraving that Dr. Davis had never seen before. It is not the usual Ormsby Stagecoach Scene, but appears to be the variation of the original Ormsby engraving on the 1848 Baby Dragoon. The manufacturer appears to be Armi San Marco. The only other would be Palmetto but the Baby Dragoons and Pocket Models they produced had the Long Frame.

All brass frame revolvers that Dr. Davis had seen marked EIG are from a manufacturer using a "GLB" logo on the butt. Luciano Giacosa, using the GLB logo, also made revolvers imported by EUROMANUARMS . Euromanuarms was created in the 60s by Giacosa in Brescia who distributed antique weapon reproductions he made in the USA under the brand name Euromanuarms. The marking on weapons was the same stylized GLB punch. This firm no longer exists. EIG also went out of business as a result of a legal action and their surplus stock was purchased by FIE, another Florida importer. RPRCA has a Schneider & Glassick marked "GLB" and FIE on the butt which was one of EIG's revolvers. FIE used a manufacturer using a "PR" logo, used by Italian arms maker Officina Meccanica Armi Riva Esterina & Co for his black powder replicas line. Riva Esterina also used the DART mark for another line of guns. The PR marking is to be found on replicas made from 1971 or 1972 up to 1979 or 1980. The PR line was imported into the USA and sold there by EIE, FIE, EIG and other importers.

At this time it is difficult to put a definite value on any replica revolver because the collecting market is still in its infancy. Dr. Davis did not consider the Blue Book as a legitimate guide for replica percussion revolvers because they have no real basis for their pricing. He did, as do I, consider the Blue Book as a starting point for the special commemorative issues because they list the original list price and the number that were to be produced. Dr. Davis was working on a way of establishing a collector value for the replica revolvers that is based on the number made (if available), what the revolvers seem to sell for on various auctions and classified ads, and the number of revolvers that have appeared on the market (this is based on the number that he had actually seen or was informed about over the past 25 years.). He was working on putting a "rarity" value based on these three categories of say 1-5 or 1-10. It is very speculative just as all the other price guides. Dr. Davis was also seeking input on some system from current and interested collectors.

Endnotes:

[1] P. L. Shumaker, Colt’s Variations of the Old Model Pocket Pistol 1846 – 1872, Fadco Publishing, 1957.

[2] P. L. Shumaker, Colt’s Variations of the Old Model Pocket Pistol 1846 – 1872, Fadco Publishing, 1957.