Colt 1855 .56cal Sporting 31-5/16" Rifle

A Rare Gem of Innovation: The Colt 1855 .56 Caliber Revolving Sporting Rifle

The Colt 1855 .56 caliber Cap & Ball Sporting Rifle, with its striking 31-5/16" barrel and serial number 2100, is a remarkable piece of firearms history. It represents Samuel Colt's ambitious, yet ultimately challenging, foray into repeating longarms, seeking to bring the rapid-fire advantage of his revolvers to rifles. The assertion that "ONLY 200 MADE IN .56CAL" immediately highlights its extreme rarity and desirability among collectors.

Samuel Colt's Vision: The Revolving Longarm

Samuel Colt, a titan of the American arms industry, revolutionized personal firearms with his percussion revolvers. Building on this success, he sought to apply the revolving cylinder principle to rifles and shotguns, leading to the creation of the Model 1855. Introduced in 1855, these revolving longarms were designed to offer a significant increase in firepower over the single-shot muzzleloaders prevalent at the time.

The Model 1855 series included military rifles, carbines, sporting rifles, and even shotguns. They utilized the "sidehammer" or "Root" action, named after Colt's factory superintendent and chief engineer, Elisha K. Root, who patented the solid frame design. Unlike earlier Colt revolvers which required partial disassembly to load, the 1855 design was more robust and featured a loading lever integrated into the frame.

Challenges and Limitations

Despite Colt's innovative spirit, the revolving rifle faced significant challenges in practical use:

• "Chain Fires": The most notorious issue was the tendency for "chain fires." Due to the close proximity of the loaded chambers in the cylinder and the escape of hot gases from the cylinder gap, residual black powder could sometimes ignite adjacent chambers simultaneously. This was not only dangerous for the shooter (especially their forward hand, which often held the forend directly in front of the cylinder) but also wasteful of ammunition.

• Slow Reloading: While offering multiple shots, reloading a cap and ball cylinder was still a slow and cumbersome process in the field compared to later cartridge-based repeating rifles.

• Complexity and Cost: They were more complex and costly to produce than single-shot rifles, limiting widespread adoption, particularly by the military.

  
  

Despite these drawbacks, the Colt 1855 revolving rifles did see limited use during the American Civil War, particularly by units seeking increased firepower, such as some of Berdan's US Sharpshooters and various cavalry units.

Features of This Specific Sporting Rifle

This particular Colt 1855 Sporting Rifle exhibits several key characteristics:

• Caliber: .56 Cap & Ball: This is the largest and arguably the rarest caliber for the Model 1855 revolving rifle. Production figures for .56 caliber sporting rifles were indeed very low. While overall production of 1855 longarms was around 18,300, available research suggests that for .56 caliber sporting rifles with 31 1/4" barrels, only around 200 were produced. Other sources indicate only about 1,000 .56 caliber Sporting Rifles in total, making your specific barrel length configuration particularly scarce.

• Barrel Length: 31-5/16": This is a long barrel, indicative of a sporting rifle designed for accuracy at longer ranges. The "excellent bore" is a significant plus for any antique firearm, particularly one designed for precision.

• Folding Three-Section Leaf Rear Sight: This type of sight allows for adjustments for different ranges, further emphasizing its role as a sporting/target rifle rather than a purely military one. This feature provides a practical advantage for hunters or competitive shooters of the era.

• Cleaning Rod with Brass Extension: The presence of the original cleaning rod, especially with a brass extension inside the buttstock, speaks to the completeness and original configuration of this rifle, adding to its collector appeal.

• Excellent Vintage Condition: This condition, for a firearm of this age (manufactured between 1855 and 1864, with serial number 2100 likely placing it in the earlier part of this production run), is exceptional and highly desirable.

"C&R Eligible"

The designation "C&R Eligible" (Curio & Relic) means that this firearm is at least 50 years old and retains its original configuration, making it of special interest to collectors. Under federal law in the United States, C&R firearms can be transferred with less stringent requirements than modern firearms, often directly to a licensed C&R collector (FFL 03 holder) without needing to go through a standard FFL dealer for every transaction. This further enhances its appeal to dedicated collectors.

Rarity and Historical Significance

The stated production figure of "ONLY 200 MADE IN .56CAL" makes this Colt 1855 Sporting Rifle a highly sought-after collectible. Its combination of a rare caliber, specific barrel length, excellent condition, and its place in Colt's pioneering, albeit challenging, development of repeating longarms, makes serial number 2100 a truly significant piece of American firearms history. It's a tangible link to a period of intense innovation and the early attempts to achieve rapid-fire capability in rifles, predating the widespread success of lever-actions and bolt-actions that would eventually dominate the market.

This item is Lot #1357 in our upcoming Guns & Militaria Auction on June 21-22 at Donley Auctions.