Real Nice early Colt handgun found hidden in Distillery

[CaseHardened]

Distillery owner shocked by loaded Al Capone-era gun hidden in wall: 'Relieved we found it'

Owner of Thornton Distilling Company in Illinois uncovered a loaded, century-old pistol sealed inside an underground limestone well. It's believed to date to the Al Capone era.

www.foxnews.com

Even in a holster !

 

[CaseHardened]

I think this is the actual firearm.

Posted upside down, as the news article showed it that way.

 

[Saltwater60]

I could only be so lucky.

 

[That_FNG]

Looks like a 1903 hammerless. Would be interesting to know if after 100 years of being load the magazine would still feed cartridges reliably.

 

[That_FNG]

yup that’s a 1903 pocket gamer less finished in nickel or chrome. Running the serial number thru colts website it’s either a 32acp 1903 that was made in 1921.

 

[Robin]

Got one and gave to one of the kids. .32, very good quality gun.
Robin

 

[Cavalry]

Call me a pessimist but I call bullshit on this story. The founder (and also conveniently director of marketing) for unknown reasons was tracing a route for new conduit. Given its a small company but doesn't he have people for this? For more unknown reasons he started digging around in some loose mortar for this discovery. Is was in a limestone well, I would assume for water, but for more unknown reasons there is a chimney for a stove in the well? The pistol appears to be only in a leather holster sitting in what appears to be coal ash or ash of some kind which is corrosive. Sure, nickel plating offers some corrosion resistance but we are to believe that it was sitting in a corrosive medium, in almost a 200 year old basement which is not located in a desert environment, poorly sealed, and is in nearly pristine condition after 100 years?

 

[CaseHardened]

I've read enough screwy stories of unlikely "finds" that I think this real.

Trivia: For a period of time the .32 held the title of the nations most deadly caliber. The reason was it was so common, and antibitoics were not invented yet. So those shot may not have died on the spot, but they most certainly died from infection.

 

[thegatman]

Dillinger carried one.