HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (based on internet commentaries)
Samuel Colt was the initiator and driving force in the company’s early years. His Patterson belt pistol not only changed the way Anglo-Texans interacted with the other inhabitants of the region, but on the global scale, Colt generally defined the mass production process of the machine age.
But the Colt Pattersons (named after the Patterson New Jersey plant) were rickety guns with a multiplicity of moving parts, mostly prone toward breakage from being under constant strain.
In 1847 the plans Colt had for a financial empire were killed off by the end of the Mexican War in 1847 which also killed the demand for the big .44 calibre Horse Pistols. In 1849 the combination of the California Gold Rush of ’49, the Missouri-Kansas range feuds, and the influx of new settlers into Texas fortuitously opened up a civilian market that proved the most reliable venue for Colt’s (and others') arms trade.
Able to sell ALL the .31 pocket revolvers he could make, he continued refining and simplifying the design at the same time. By 1851, the new Model 1851 in the .36" "Navy " Calibre was released. It was a far better for belt carry than the large calibre Walkers and Dragoons weighing a few ounces less than three pounds.
It was also clearly more effective than the popular .31s.and it gained immediate acceptance. In its day the 1851 Navy became the most popular Colt revolver ever made, sold, and fired. It was chambered for the .36 or .44 ball shot. The Colt 1851 Navy was produced from 1851 until 1873 and in that time over 250,000 Navies were made.
In Hartford, Connecticut 215, 340 pistols were produced and 42,000 were produced in London, England after Colt set up another factory there.
However the era of the percussion revolver was possibly the shortest epoch in the history of firearms. It extended from 1836 to about 1872 when general production gave way to metallic cartridge arms.
The Japanese MGC version was also short-lived when it was produced in 1967, failing to find favour among its customers who much preferred metallic cartridge-chambering replicas. Comparatively few were made, and today the all-metal MGC 1851 Navy Colt is a collector’s item, that currently (2011) lists for sale in Japan at over US$1000.
REVIEWMy MGC Model arrived in its original box having arrived here in NZ from the USA and clearing Customs in just 4 days! '
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It is all-metal apart from the usual plastic "wood: grips.
It appears un-fired, and was in excellent condition. The action is crisp and tight. When I used the loading lever I was surprised to find that the end-catch – which is normally spring-loaded – was in fact a dummy. The spring that allows the latching was actually situated inside the lever hinge below the barrel.
The next surprise was to discover that the take-down wedge is also a dummy – take-down being achieved by the removal of the cylinder spindle-bolt with a hex-wrench. This is situated under the hammer, with just enough room to manoeuvre.
The barrel is fully blocked and the only markings are a serial number under the frame, and the words “Old Frontier Navy Revolver” and “Japan” on the top left rear of the barrel/frame.
It is a fine example of early MGC Engineering and I'm extremely happy with it as an addition to my Western Collection - which also includes an MGC M-73 Winchester, RMI Frontier Colt, an MGC nickle-plated Derringer and a quality (really!) Denix British Bulldog (they sold like hot-cakes in the USA). '
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Kiwigunner 
Sat May 21, 2011 11:01 am
It sounds like you really love them yourself.
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