SOLD - Rare, Engraved Colt Revolver - Fitz Special

Description

11/23/21 - This is a rare, engraved Colt revolver referred to as a Fitz (or Fitzgerald) Special. We featured this exact firearm in one of our Youtube videos, but these were a concept pioneered by John Henry Fitzgerald, who was an employee of Colt from 1918-44. These revolvers featured a snub-nose design with barrel that was shortened to two inches or fewer, a shortened ejector rod, bobbing the hammer spur, removing the front of the trigger guard and rounding/shortening the butt. This facilitated quick trigger acquisition and wouldn't snag on clothing. This particular example is also engraved, and the work appears to be factory done or at least factory quality. The engraved portions also feature excellent bluing, but there is thinning throughout on the grip frame and some on the cylinder. The left side of the frame has a medallion inset with the initials JBN, though we could not verify who this refers to. The grips are custom as the frame is modified, and they do have a layer of lacquer on them. Bore has strong rifling with minor signs of use. This listing also comes with an early, original copy of Fitzgerald's book "Shooting", which is renowned in the firearms community.