What makes a "baby dragoon" revolver?
I've unfortunately developed an interest in small-caliber percussion revolvers (Italian repros). (Who needs another vice, right?) I see various guns labeled "baby dragoon" but haven't been able to pin down what makes a .31 with a trigger guard, for example, a "baby dragoon." Is "baby dragoon" a generic name for small-caliber percussion revolvers with trigger guards, or is there something specific that sets them apart from other small-cal. balck-powder revolvers -- e.g., frame shape, barrel length, etc.? Any coaching for a novice cap-and-ball fan is appreciated.[:)]
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After Sam Colt's Paterson revolvers failed and the company went into bankruptcy, he modified his revolver to what has become known as the Colt Walker which was issued to the U. S. Dragoons. The Walker then evolved to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Model Dragoons. All of these models are large, four+ pound revolvers and .44 caliber.
Hence, when he introduced his next revolver, a much smaller .31 caliber "Pocket Model", it's referred to as the Baby Dragoon. I don't know if Colt officially called it the Baby Dragoon, but that it what collectors call it.
Johnny
P.S.: Just want to add that what I wrote above is very brief and general in nature. There have been entire books written about the evolution of Colt's Pocket and Baby Dragoon models, the best of which is the one by Jordan and Watts.0 -
If your just referring to the Italian repos, all bets are off, IMHO. They can make any fantasy gun they want, whether Colt actually made it or not.
Either take the previous posters advice and buy book(s). Or better yet do a GOOGLE image search for original Colt Baby Dragoons. Then buy the closest Italian made repo that you can find.0 -
The Colt "Baby Dragoon" is serial numbered from 1 - 15500, has a square-back trigger guard and is a 5-shot .31 caliber. Most of them have no loading lever and those that do are very rare. 
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