Starr Arms Company STARR ARMS CO .44 Model 1863 .44 Revolver

Starr Arms Co. Model 1858 Army revolver in .44 calibre percussion — a genuine US government contract sidearm from the American Civil War era, retaining the inspector's cartouches on both grip panels that confirm its military issue history.

The Model 1858 is a six-shot double-action percussion revolver with a 6-inch round barrel rifled with six grooves, overall length of 11 5/8 inches and a weight of approximately 2 lb 12 oz. The action operates by a large trigger that cocks the hammer and rotates the cylinder, with a recessed extension tripping the sear to fire — a mechanism notably more complex than the single-action revolvers of the period. Cylinder removal is achieved via a knurled screw on the right side of the frame, allowing the hinged barrel to tip downward. Frame markings follow the standard government contract pattern: "STARR ARMS Co. NEW YORK" on the left side and "STARR'S PATENT JAN. 15, 1856" on the right.

The revolver presents in fair condition appropriate to its age with a good bore. The inspector's cartouches to both grip panels survive — these script stamps, applied by US Ordnance sub-inspectors during manufacture and acceptance, are among the most historically significant features of any Civil War contract arm and speak directly to authenticated military service.

Produced between 1861 and 1863, the Model 1858 was manufactured by the Starr Arms Company of Yonkers and Binghamton, New York. Approximately 23,000 were built, the great majority purchased by the US Army and issued to Union cavalry regiments across more than a dozen states. Starr was the third largest revolver supplier to the Union government during the Civil War, surpassed only by Colt and Remington. The double-action mechanism was ultimately deemed too expensive to produce, and the US Ordnance Department pressed Starr to replace it with the simpler single-action Model 1863. Surviving examples with legible government inspector markings are of particular interest to Civil War arms collectors.

Ref: Antique pistol cabinet

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