Kids Toy or early bearcat style smoke wagon?

[Slacker]

Found here while metal detecting:

70 years after closure, Neely School ready to provide lessons to next generation - Salisbury Post

CHINA GROVE — A piece of local civil rights history buried in the woods off a small road in Rowan County for more than 60 years is turning into a tool to teach this generation. Neely School, located off of off Neelytown Road between Salisbury and China Grove, was built in the woods to avoid […]

www.salisburypost.com

It's heavy, has the weight of brass but not the patina. Definitely not zinc / diecast. Very little corrosion. If it's a toy, it's a heavy duty one.
It reminds me of a bearcat. No markings I can find.

 

[GymB]

magnetic?

 

[rdinatal]

magnetic?

Not to me as not enough rust. Brass?

 

[Slacker]

Not to me as not enough rust. Brass?

Maybe. Certainly has the heft of brass.
Two people have said Colt SAA although I'm not convinced. It's really small. Were the SAA really small framed? Trigger guard is so small a gloved finger would barely fit.

 

[Sharps40]

Prolly from 49 Colt or similar pocket percussion of another maker. Prolly brass.

Pic of repo 49 Colt attached for idea of size.

 

[Slacker]

I found a marking. 9068
Maybe an assembly number? Did serial numbers get used in this era?

 

[Sharps40]

Sporadically.