Rare Documented Patent Arms Mfg. Co. Colt Paterson Model 1839 Percussion Revolving Carbine, Pictured in "The Paterson Colt Book"

This is a fine example of the rare and highly desirable Colt Model 1839 Paterson percussion revolving carbine. Fewer than 950 of these carbines were reportedly manufactured at Samuel Colt’s Patent Arms Manufacturing Co. in Paterson, New Jersey, circa 1838–1841 (R.L. Wilson, The Book of Colt Firearms, 1971, p. 47), and far fewer survive today. Regarded as the most successful of the Paterson long arms, the Model 1839 was used by both the Republic of Texas and the U.S. Army. R.L. Wilson called it “the most practical and popular of all Colts longarms from the Paterson period” and noted that Colt continued to sell and display this model into the 1850s.

This model is also historically significant as one of the earliest practical repeating long gun designs. While other repeating firearms existed, none were as effective or suitable for larger-scale production. The Model 1839 appears in multiple paintings by frontier artist George Catlin, who helped promote Colt’s early firearms. This particular carbine is illustrated on page 212 of The Paterson Colt Book by R.L. Wilson.

The carbine features a smoothbore, part-round/part-beveled barrel with brazed lug, a professionally fitted replacement loading lever on the right side, a flat two-groove wedge, post front sight, and dovetail-mounted replacement notch rear sight. The left side of the barrel lug is roll-stamped “Patent-Arms M’g. Co. Paterson, NJ.-Colt’s Pt.” with decorative wavy line flourishes at the ends. The 2 1/2 inch cylinder retains roll-engraved scenery along with patent and address markings. Matching serial number “808” appears on the rear face of the barrel lug, wedge, rear of the cylinder, cylinder arbor pin, cylinder turning ring, and lower tang screw, with a faded marking at the toe of the buttplate.