jasper33 wrote:
Third serial # on butt matches. Wish I had the rifle here to post pics.
As I read the NRA firearms museum list, your Colt would have been made in 1903.
The serial numbers listed are what they started to work on that year. They made
10-11 thousand a year so your Colt might have been made early in 1903, barring some
oddity which perhaps curtailed production that year.
http://www.nramuseum.com/media/940941/s ... acture.pdfYou might look for other forum sites in which members and visitors list serial numbers
and documented production dates or, (more likely) sales dates. This allows you to extrapolate
more closely.
Wikipedia says the Model 54 was produced from 1925 until 1930, some 50 thousand+ sold.
Of course, Wikipedia says on the same page it was produced until 1936 which makes more sense
since the Model 70 was introduced in 1937.
Curious, what caliber is the rifle?
Bruce at DJ's in Bothel is also a good source or value estimation.
And many of us use online auction sites with care. To get accurate value you must find an auction
with a low entry price, no reserve and wait until it's sold to see what the market decided. And you need
a good many bids made to ensure the market knew it was there! Tough when valuing an antique.