Company revolver

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Leadeye

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jan 19, 2009
    36,696
    113
    .
    I've seen these but never found a good enough deal until now. American Merchants Union Express Co. was a mail express and freight company and operated in the 1800s moving goods and mail across the American west. With Butterfield Freight and Wells Fargo companies like this provided both shipping and banking services eventually expanding around the globe. I've seen both S&W 4th model DAs like this one and Colt 1877s marked as such, wondering if they were for railroad or other forms of security. In 1917 the federal government nationalizes all the railroads and nullifies all contracts due to problems with coal shipments and WW1. Ever wonder what the government can do if it wants to? Check out what it's done in the past. The company divests itself of it's railroad interests and becomes what it is known as today, American Express.

    Marked Am. Ex. Co. 1301 on the back strap, because of the nickle it's doesn't show up on a picture.
     

    Skullglide

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    11   0   0
    May 21, 2014
    617
    43
    Otterbein
    As always, you find the classy obscure piece. I wouldn’t buy you a steak dinner to see your collection, I would give you the whole damn cow.
     

    indy1919a4

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    41   0   0
    Jan 7, 2011
    2,009
    48
    Have never heard of these before thanks for sharing, So please post a photo of the back strap... And the Number after "AM.EX.CO" is that the Companies Rack number?? Any Idea of how many different type of pistols we are talking about??? Any guess to the number of pistols marked like this?? And what is the caliber and year of this little Jewel... ???

    Moocho thanks for posting.. that pistol looks very nice and clean..
     

    Hopper

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    31   0   0
    Nov 6, 2013
    2,291
    83
    Hamilton County
    If my uncle has what I think he does, he has this revolver in nickel and in near-perfect presentation condition. Leadeye, I'll try to snap a couple pics of it the next time I see it and send them to you, as I never really knew what he had the couple of times he's shown it to me.
     

    Leadeye

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jan 19, 2009
    36,696
    113
    .
    Have never heard of these before thanks for sharing, So please post a photo of the back strap... And the Number after "AM.EX.CO" is that the Companies Rack number?? Any Idea of how many different type of pistols we are talking about??? Any guess to the number of pistols marked like this?? And what is the caliber and year of this little Jewel... ???

    Moocho thanks for posting.. that pistol looks very nice and clean..

    Camera flash on the nickle plate keeps glaring out the back strap, I'll try the wife's phone. From what I've found on the net the 1301 is the rack number and these have been found as high as the 1500s. The only other models I've found purchased were the Colt 1877 Lightnings, about the same size. No idea how many bought or where they fit in at AMEX, maybe railroad security. This one is chambered for 38 S&W.
     

    Usmccookie

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Jan 28, 2017
    5,838
    113
    nwi
    I wish I could just subscribe to your posts. I have yet to be anything but impressed and fascinated with your finds! Kudos!
     

    indy1919a4

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    41   0   0
    Jan 7, 2011
    2,009
    48
    Camera flash on the nickle plate keeps glaring out the back strap, I'll try the wife's phone. From what I've found on the net the 1301 is the rack number and these have been found as high as the 1500s. The only other models I've found purchased were the Colt 1877 Lightnings, about the same size. No idea how many bought or where they fit in at AMEX, maybe railroad security. This one is chambered for 38 S&W.

    MOOCHO THANKS, do you know is the rack number unique to all firearms they had or did all the Colt 1877s get numbered 1 - xxxx and then in this case the S&W's get numbered 1 - xxxxx

    Not to be anal here but were the all m1877s that Am Ex purchased and marked lightnings????? or were a any Thunderers & Rainmakers..
     

    Leadeye

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jan 19, 2009
    36,696
    113
    .
    MOOCHO THANKS, do you know is the rack number unique to all firearms they had or did all the Colt 1877s get numbered 1 - xxxx and then in this case the S&W's get numbered 1 - xxxxx

    Not to be anal here but were the all m1877s that Am Ex purchased and marked lightnings????? or were a any Thunderers & Rainmakers..

    Good questions, I'll keep looking. Odds are they only bought the 38 Lightnings. While the 41s were popular, the 32 versions weren't big sellers. Those Colts hung around quite a while considering how cranky they were, just goes to show how a small handy gun can stay popular.
     

    indy1919a4

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    41   0   0
    Jan 7, 2011
    2,009
    48
    Good questions, I'll keep looking. Odds are they only bought the 38 Lightnings. While the 41s were popular, the 32 versions weren't big sellers. Those Colts hung around quite a while considering how cranky they were, just goes to show how a small handy gun can stay popular.

    You know you always read the complaints about the Colt M1877s not working right and breaking .. But if men like Mr Garret & Mr Hardin & Mr Bonney (who needed & valued a reliable gun) all owned and carried one. Well, there has to be something good about them in the day...
     

    Leadeye

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jan 19, 2009
    36,696
    113
    .
    The 1877 design has some weird hook shaped flat springs which give trouble. I see issues with the trigger return spring as well, but that's not a hard fix.
     

    indy1919a4

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    41   0   0
    Jan 7, 2011
    2,009
    48
    The 1877 design has some weird hook shaped flat springs which give trouble. I see issues with the trigger return spring as well, but that's not a hard fix.

    I always wondered why the Colt firearms designers who came up with the more complicated 1877 design and just did not lean back a little more to the Webley design .. But once again in the day it had not to be that much of a bad design, they produced it for almost 40 years. 150k made.

    Also colt had another perfectly good DA revolver in the M1878 and that model was not made as long and only like 50K made.

    So let me ask do you know how to repair m1877s??
     

    Leadeye

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jan 19, 2009
    36,696
    113
    .
    I always wondered why the Colt firearms designers who came up with the more complicated 1877 design and just did not lean back a little more to the Webley design .. But once again in the day it had not to be that much of a bad design, they produced it for almost 40 years. 150k made.

    Also colt had another perfectly good DA revolver in the M1878 and that model was not made as long and only like 50K made.

    So let me ask do you know how to repair m1877s??

    I've done some repair on my 1877s, completely rebuilt an 1878, finishing just recently. The old flat springs can sometimes be brought back to life with some heating and bending, then a trip through the molten lead to temper.
     

    JAL

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 14, 2017
    2,161
    113
    Indiana
    Camera flash on the nickle plate keeps glaring out the back strap, I'll try the wife's phone. From what I've found on the net the 1301 is the rack number and these have been found as high as the 1500s. The only other models I've found purchased were the Colt 1877 Lightnings, about the same size. No idea how many bought or where they fit in at AMEX, maybe railroad security. This one is chambered for 38 S&W.

    I'd guess it was acquired by AMEX in the 1890's - just as Wells Fargo did with many US Army surplus Model 3's. Thanks for the caliber - which was a black powder cartridge dating back to the 1870's - and a different animal from the evolution of the .38 Colt/Long Colt/Special.
     

    indy1919a4

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    41   0   0
    Jan 7, 2011
    2,009
    48
    I've done some repair on my 1877s, completely rebuilt an 1878, finishing just recently. The old flat springs can sometimes be brought back to life with some heating and bending, then a trip through the molten lead to temper.

    What if the springs are Fini... Are there repro parts out there???
     

    Site Supporter

    INGO Supporter

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    524,489
    Messages
    9,794,215
    Members
    53,638
    Latest member
    Dhlawson
    Top Bottom