BY VICTOR COLETTE, LIGE, NO. 1807, CIRCA 1860
Details
A Fine And Rare Cased 70-Bore Colette Patent Gravity-Feed Breech-Loading Target Pistol
By Victor Colette, Lige, No. 1807, circa 1860
With blued partly fluted octagonal rifled barrel finely engraved with rocailles and floral sprays, bright magazine cover mounted above the barrel incorporating the fore- and back-sights, pivoting bullet-seater, bright rising breech-block, hammer with chequered spur, and bright thumbpiece safety-catch, case-hardened action and spur trigger-guard finely engraved en suite with the barrel, fluted ebony butt carved in relief with vine leaves and tendrils and stamped with the initials 'VC', case-hardened pommel chiselled in relief with further vine leaves and tendrils, and nearly all its original finish (bright parts with some light pitting); in original veneered fitted case lined in tooled pigskin (minor damage) with some accessories including case-hardened bullet mould en suite with the pistol and bullet-mould plug with fluted ebony grip, the lid with brass stringing, corner plates and vacant escutcheon
14in. (36.2cm.)
Victor Colette exhibited his gravity fed multi-shot system at the Paris exhibition of 1855, but the invention probably dates from about 1852. It was patented in Belgium in 1857. The bullets are hollow and contain their own propellant
By Victor Colette, Lige, No. 1807, circa 1860
With blued partly fluted octagonal rifled barrel finely engraved with rocailles and floral sprays, bright magazine cover mounted above the barrel incorporating the fore- and back-sights, pivoting bullet-seater, bright rising breech-block, hammer with chequered spur, and bright thumbpiece safety-catch, case-hardened action and spur trigger-guard finely engraved en suite with the barrel, fluted ebony butt carved in relief with vine leaves and tendrils and stamped with the initials 'VC', case-hardened pommel chiselled in relief with further vine leaves and tendrils, and nearly all its original finish (bright parts with some light pitting); in original veneered fitted case lined in tooled pigskin (minor damage) with some accessories including case-hardened bullet mould en suite with the pistol and bullet-mould plug with fluted ebony grip, the lid with brass stringing, corner plates and vacant escutcheon
14in. (36.2cm.)
Victor Colette exhibited his gravity fed multi-shot system at the Paris exhibition of 1855, but the invention probably dates from about 1852. It was patented in Belgium in 1857. The bullets are hollow and contain their own propellant