Here for your perusal is my Colt New Navy Model 1895 .38 Long Colt serial number 225854 1904 production which after USN service received British proofs; maybe shipped to UK during WWI or a WWII British Purchasing Commission bought pistol? The butt is marked "U.S.N" with an anchor, ".38 D.A.", "S" in triangle, "No / 15 / 478 / J.L.S. / 225 / 854; 15478 is the Navy Property Number; J.L.S. is Lt J. L. Sticht USN inspector for Colt Model 1895 .38LC revolvers 1895-1904 and 225854 is the Colt Production serial number.
As far as I can see it has British postwar proof marks.
Some of these were picked-up by the BPC in WW2, being put onto a quantity of them and some .45 DA revolvers,by the American Committee for Defense of British Homes, in America. This purchase is in covered in a file at the National Archives in London, along with entries in the large contract record ledgers.
If it entered British service it would probably have ended up being marked like the one in the photo. But of course this did not always happen.
Regards
Here for your perusal is my Colt New Navy Model 1895 .38 Long Colt serial number 225854 1904 production which after USN service received British proofs; maybe shipped to UK during WWI or a WWII British Purchasing Commission bought pistol? The butt is marked "U.S.N" with an anchor, ".38 D.A."...
Hi Alan D; thanks for your remarks. Do you have a reference number for that National Archives file and is available on-line? Cheers as always!
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