#Colt 2nd generation black powder serial numbers 272 how to#
Here’s how to discern between the three at a glance. This has caused the collecting fraternity to label them 1st, 2nd and 3rd Model Dragoons. Samuel Colt continued to improve his big. Sharp eyed readers now are saying, “Three versions of Dragoon revolvers?” That’s correct. Precise hitting with handguns, say at a rattler’s head, is just something movie script writers dreamed up. These handguns were intended for shooting people and doctrine called for them to be aimed “center of mass.” A “belly-button” hold at 20 yards would likely still hit a man in the chest and if he was out at 100 yards a “belly-button” hold would give a “belly-button” hit. There was no provision for adjusting point of impact in regards to point of aim.Īnother thought regarding point of aim with Colt Walker and Dragoon sights is that evidently they were meant to hit “on” for elevation at about 100 yards. Rear sight was a likewise tiny notch cut into the hammer nose. Front sight was a tiny blade silver soldered into a small groove milled in the barrel. The Walker and all three Dragoon versions shared the same sight arrangement. Older gents couldn’t even see such sights as Samuel Colt felt appropriate for handguns. Judging from the sights, fighting with a handgun in those days most certainly was a young man’s realm. At this point a word about the sight arrangement of Colt’s big. With the three versions of Dragoon revolvers Samuel Colt began putting a latch at the end of the rammer so it stayed-put during shooting. Perhaps the most significant change pertained to function.