In House Shipping:
Make: Colt
Model: Aircrewman
Serial Number: 6724-LW, Air Force No. 501
Year of Manufacture: 1951 (reference Factory Letter)
Caliber: .38 Special
Action Type: 6-Shot Double / Single Action, Swing-Out Fluted Cylinder Revolver
Barrel Length: 2"
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a serrated ramped blade integral to the barrel. The rear sight is a square notch at the rear of the top strap. The edges of the sight groove in the topstrap are serrated for glare reduction.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered walnut with silver-colored USAF medallions at their tops. The grips have even light to moderate handling wear. There are a few minor nicks and handling marks. The checkering shows wear, but is generally well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Very Good Condition.
Type of Finish: Black Aluminum Alloy Cylinder & Frame with Blued Steel Barrel & Yoke
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright and the rifling is sharp. There are a few spots of minor erosion, and there’s some stubborn fouling in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 8+ out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 65% of its metal finish. There is a short, very thin crack in the front edge of the frame under the barrel. The most notable finish loss is in the backstrap where the "PROPERTY OF U.S. AIR FORCE" marking has been almost completely removed. There is wear on each side of the barrel, more notable on the left. There is a patch of wear on the right of the frame below and in front of the cylinder and there is handling wear in the grip areas. There is even wear around the exterior of the cylinder outside the flutes. The barrel's finish has a plum hue. There is some discoloration from oxidation on the unfinished side faces of the hammer. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The remaining markings are clear. Overall, this revolver is in Good Condition (see Mechanics, Our Assessment).
Mechanics: Due to the alloy construction of the cylinder, we do not recommend shooting this revolver. The action functions correctly. The cylinder lockup has no play when the trigger is depressed. The single action is crisp. We did not fire this handgun. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This revolver comes with an original 1950s "USAF" marked black leather flap pistol holster and a Colt Archives factory letter indicating that this revolver was sent on November 13, 1951 to the Port Transportation Officer, San Francisco Port of Embarkation in San Francisco, California as one of 150 revolvers of the same type in the shipment.
Our Assessment: When the Korean War erupted in 1950, the US Air Force put out a call for lightweight, compact personal defense weapons that could be issued to aircrews. Colt and Smith & Wesson, two of the largest and oldest revolver manufacturers in America, both submitted prototypes that used aluminum alloy in their designs. After initial testing, orders were placed for 1,189 Colt and 1,210 S&W revolvers, each receiving their own Air Force numbers on the butt, with all 2,400 revolvers considered prototypes. The Air Force adopted Smith & Wesson’s design and ordered over 40,000, though the initial 2,400 revolvers would also remain in inventory. Those prototypes would arm not only aircrewmen, but agents in the Office of Special Investigations, who carried them as “BUGs” (back up guns). Unfortunately, the aluminum alloy that was so cutting edge and lightweight was also the design’s ultimate demise. By 1959, many of the aluminum alloy cylinders and frames of those revolvers showed significant breaks, cracks, and weaknesses, with some units having ruptured altogether. The Commanding Officer of the Air Materiel Command ordered that all Aircrewman revolvers be destroyed by mutilation and sold as scrap. Given their limited production, very few of the Colt Aircrewman revolvers escaped the crusher and torch. Author Kevin Williams noted in his Summer 2009 article in “The Rampant Colt” that he had been able to catalog only 50 surviving examples which were believed to be authentic.
This Factory Lettered USAF Korea Colt Aircrewman Aluminum Alloy Snub Nose DA/SA Revolver was made in 1951 and is in Good Condition. It features a 2” snub nose barrel, 65% of its original “black and blue” finish, with the barrel’s finish having a plum hue, the classic two-piece checkered walnut grips with silver-colored USAF medallions at their tops, a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling (there are a few spots of minor erosion, and there’s some stubborn fouling), an original 1950s "USAF" marked black leather flap pistol holster, and a Colt Archives factory letter indicating that this revolver was sent on November 13, 1951 to the Port Transportation Officer, San Francisco Port of Embarkation in San Francisco, California as one of 150 revolvers of the same type in the shipment. There is a short, very thin crack in the front edge of the frame under the barrel. The most notable finish loss is in the backstrap where the "PROPERTY OF U.S. AIR FORCE" marking has been almost completely removed. Due to the alloy construction of the cylinder, we do not recommend shooting this revolver. While this example's U.S. Air Force Property marking has been removed, it retains its Air Force number, “A.F. No. 501”, factory engraved on the butt, matching the included Colt Archives factory letter, which also lists this revolver’s factory serial number. These revolvers were the beginning of a revolution in gun materials, and this one, with its factory letter, is a wonderful example of the Colt Aircrewman. Whether you’re a firearms collector, military historian, or specifically a Colt fan, this incredibly scarce revolver would improve any collection.