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MARTIALLY MARKED STARR DOUBL-ACTION NAVY REVOLVER

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The Starr M-1858 “Navy” percussion revolver is a rarely encountered percussion pistol from the Civil War era. Only 3,000 of the .36 “Navy” revolvers were produced. Of those 3,000 only, 2,002 were purchased by the US government and very few of those were marked with government inspector marks, most being acquired on the open market and not via Government contracts.

The M-1858 Starr revolver was the result of patents and design work of Ebenezer Starr, whose family had been engaged in the arms making business since the 1790’s, and had received US Government arms contracts for much of that time. Starr actively sought government contracts for his improved “self cocking” pistols, as well as his breech-loading carbine and in early 1858 he submitted sample pieces to Washington Navy Yard for trials. The initial trials of the .36 caliber “double action” revolver were promising enough for the Ordnance Department to place an order for 500 of the revolvers on November 24, 1858. Starr quickly went to work establishing a new company, the Starr Arms Company of Binghamton, NY to produce the revolvers.

In 1861 the Ordnance Department acquired an additional 1,250 Starr Navy revolvers on the open market, and in January 1862 they purchased 150 more from William B Hartley. As was the common practice at the time, none of these additional 1,750 pistols were subject to inspection or marking in any way. The only other order for Starr Navy revolvers from the Ordnance Department was for the Navy. In the fall of 1861, 100 pistols were shipped to the Navy for inspection and acceptance (all in the 26XX to 28XX serial number range). Forty of the pistols went to the Washington Navy Yard on December 4, 1861, and sixty went to the New York Navy Yard. The 60 sent to the New York Navy Yard were accepted into service. Based upon the above information, it appears that only the 2 sample revolvers from 1858, the 500 from the 1858 contract and the 60 accepted by New York Navy yard would have received any government inspection marks. All other guns purchased by the Ordnance Department would have been unmarked.

The Martially Marked Starr M-1858 “Navy” revolver offered here is in good condition. The pistol appears to be one of the later Navy purchased arms, as it is not marked with the JT cartouche found on the original 500 pistol order. Additionally, the serial number 2668 places the gun in the latter portion of the production run of these pistols.

The pistol is clearly marked on the frame with the usual Starr Arms information. The right side of the frame reads “STARR.ARMS.Co.NEW.YORK.” and the left side of the frame reads “STARR’S PATENT JAN. 15, 1856.” The serial number 2668 appears on the bottom of the barrel (partially hidden by the loading lever), cylinder, hammer, on frame under the hammer, on the bottom of frame at the hinge, and on the trigger. The pistol retains no original finish showing a smooth gray patina with some light age staining and a thin, lightly oxidized brownish patina beginning to form. The round barrel is 6” long with pinched blade sight at muzzle. The bore is clean and clear with good rifling. The action is strong and crisp and the cylinder indexes. A knob that screws into the right side near the hammer secures the upper portion of the frame to the lower portion, and when removed allows the frame to swing open by way of the hinge at bottom.

The one-piece walnut grip shows honest use. They show the usual bumps and dings from service, as well as two strong cartouches.

A very fine example of a Starr Navy revolver.  [jet][ph:L]

DISCLAIMER: All firearms are sold as collector's items only - we do not accept responsibility as to the shooting safety or reliability of any antique firearm. All firearms are described as accurately as possible, given the restraints of a catalog listing length. We want satisfied customers & often "under" describe the weapons. Any city or state regulations regarding owning antique firearms are the responsibility of the purchaser. All firearms are "mechanically perfect" unless noted, but again, are NOT warranted as safe to fire!

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