SOLD - Rare Colt Lawman MK III "Air Marshall" Double Action Revolver

Description

5/24/24 - This is a rare Colt Lawman MK III "Air Marshall" Double Action Revolver with an interesting story. There are a few issues that make us unsure if this is the genuine article or a put-together. The barrel is unmarked, which is not typical for these and could mean it was replaced. The revolver correctly does not have an ejector rod, as there are no shells to eject. The gun has retained virtually all of its finish, with just a couple hints of wear on the either of the frame above the front of the trigger guard. Bore is minty, shiny with strong rifling. Fitted with factory checkered walnut grips with gold medallions which are in excellent condition, aside from one small ding on the left panel above the medallion. Developed by Colt Technik (a subsidiary of Colt) in Jericho, New York at the request of John Edward Shields (manager of operational security with Eastern Airlines) as a way to arm pilots aboard airliners to prevent hijacking. Hijackings were much more common in the late 60s and early 70s and in response the FAA started the Air Marshal program that would put armed officers on board commercial flights. Shield's specifications for the revolver were: the ammunition should not be able to penetrate the fuselage, over penetrate the target, or ricochet. It would also be stored and carried by the pilot and copilot in two pieces, to be assembled and then placed in a safe in the cockpit. This two-piece design renders the gun useless, as the frame will not accept a standard revolver cylinder, and the cylinder cannot be placed into a standard frame. Built on a modified Lawman Mk. III frame with blade and frame notch, roll stamp, serrated casehardened trigger, and checkered hammer. The cylinder is a black plastic called Zytel and has six steel sleeves that would have been individually loaded with a primer, low power propellant charge, plastic sabot, and plaster of Paris projectile, the cylinder is not reloadable, and the revolver is reloaded by discarding the fired cylinder and inserting a whole new one. The cylinder is numbered "41" but is otherwise unmarked.