Barrel - Length

The following table lists the approximate proportion and therefore number of barrel lengths found in each of the eight basic models. The numbers quoted are based on the percentages (ref. Jordan & Watts) times estimated total production of each model.

(Pictures all show guns "with rammers" - but of course the figures apply to models with or without them, as applicable to each)
  3 inch

4 inch

5 inch

6 inch

Baby Dragoon without rammer

21% (1)

(2,803)

32% (1)

(4,272)

24% (1)

(3,204)

23% (1)

(3,071)
Baby Dragoon with rammer

None

10%

(153)

55%

(842)

35%

(535)
"Short Frame" Wells Fargo

94%

(2075)

6%

(125)

None

None
"Long Frame" Wells Fargo

100%

(4,200)

None

None

None
"2-Line New York"

0.2% (2)

(400)

46%

(74,100)

27%

(42,800)

27%

(42,800)
"2-Line Hartford"

None

34%

(6,800)

24%

(4,800)

42%

(8,400)
"1-Line New York"

None

45.5%

(57,785)

22.5%

(28,575)

32%

(40,640)
"London"

None

32%

(3,442)

34%

(3,657)

34%

(3,656)
TOTAL Production

3%

(9,478)

44%

(146,677)

24%

(80,978)

29%

(99,102)
Notes:  
(1) P Shumaker, in his book "Colts Variations of the Old Model Pocket Pistol 1848 to 1872" pub. 1957, puts these ratios at 17%, 26.5%, 27.5%, and 29%. Differences are likely to be due to sample sizes, and the early period of Shumaker's research.
(2) J & W quote a figure of 3% for 3 inch barrels on the 2-Line New York model (and 45%, 26%, & 26% for the others) based on the proportions they found among the guns used in their study (644 in total). If applied to the entire production, this would equate to 4,803 for the three inch. However, they also state "The three inch is very rare and only about 400 were ever produced". This table uses a combination of these two pieces of information to compute estimated total production for each variant.