doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Railroad Stamped Gun

I have a Colt 1883, 10 Ga., double purchased here from John Mann back in 2004. I have posted previously about the gun and the restoration done especially the fine job of re-blacking the barrels by Dale Edwards and a goose hunting trip on the Yellowstone in Montana where it held its own with the 3 1/2 inch Benelli's especially when the temperatures dropped to -25 and they froze up(ha).

The gun is stamped "AT & SF RR" (Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad) stamped in four different places...on water table, on barrel flat near breech, inside forend wood (in the wood), and on the bottom of the frame on right side in front of trigger guard.

In light of what I have read about all the fake shotguns stamped "Wells Fargo", ever since the purchase I have scoured the internet trying to determine if the stamps were genuine or if railroads ever even stamped their guns in such a manner, all to no avail.

Recently the Antiques Roadshow was in our town and I took the gun to them to see if their appraisers could shed any light on the gun.

The roadshow appraiser said the AT&SF RR stamps were genuine and railroad guns were in fact stamped this way. He valued the gun at $1500 if it were not stamped. With the railroad stamps $2500-$3000. His rationale for the railroad stamps being real was that they were stamped in the appropriate places, were small, simple, and discreet, and were not accompanied by decals or other marks indicating railroad ownership.

So until further evidence is forthcoming I am going to imagine that this old Colt spent part of its life riding around in the baggage car of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.

I post this in case others run into or own a railroad stamped gun since it is the only information on them I have been able to find in eight years of searching.

Pictures??

I have a Colt Police Positive Special that's stamped "WF&CO" on the bottom of the butt. A letter to Colt confirmed that the revolver was in fact purchased by the Wells Fargo Company.
Since my understanding is that the Colt records for this model shortgun are complete an inquiry might just produce positive results and document the gun for you.
If you pull up the Colt site online directions are given on how to request a factory letter.
Jim

First thing I did was spring for a $100 factory letter. About all it indicates is the gun was shipped from the factory in Connecticut to Colts Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company in San Francisco in 1888. From their I hit a dead end.

Here are a couple of pics of the stampings on the barrel flats and water table.

Sorry to hear that Colt didn't ship the gun directly to the railroad! I'm assuming you also checked with AT&SF, or what remains of it, to see if they have any records?
Jim

Griz,
Did you note the "punch marks" on the water table and bottom of the barrels? This was an old method to tighten up loose guns(not reccomended). It has been around a while.
Mike

Yes, Der Ami the punch marks made in an effort to tighten this gun up were but one of several examples of amateur gunsmithing performed on this gun over the years.

Steve Bertram (SKB on this board) did a wonderful and professional job of putting the gun back on face and correcting several errors like this in order to make the gun usable.