Item:
ONCSS21079

Original U.S. Colt .45cal Single Action Army Revolver with 3 3/4" Barrel and Engravings made in 1881 - Serial 95009

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This is every School boy's dream! A real Cowboy six gun! This Colt SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has a "gunfighter friendly" shortened 3 3/4 inch barrel with lovely aged walnut grips. These are also heavily engraved, with checkering added, as well as a vine design down the center of the grips. The revolver is also engraved on cylinder, grip frame and trigger guard with somewhat crude designs, so this was definitely done by the owner, not a professional engraver.

The designs look to possibly be Native American or Mexican in origin, but they could just as likely have been added by any pioneer in the "old west". Definitely a great piece of history, with loads of research potential.

The revolver's serial number is 95009, which dates production to 1881. It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, and the grip frame. Serial numbers were stamped onto the cylinders until 1883, however it has worn off on this example, possibly due to the decorations. There is also assembly number 374 marked on the loading gate. It is in lovely "frontier worn" condition, showing a gorgeous worn patina of age, sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

Due to wear and cleaning, the colt address marking on the top of the barrel is completely missing, however the left side of the frame has the Colt patent dates all clearly legible:

PAT. SEPT. 19. 1871.
*    JULY. 2. --72.
*   JAN. 19. --75
.

This was made before the "Prancing Pony" logo began appearing on the frame. There is the correct 45 CAL marking on the left front trigger guard, but it is somewhat faint, so we have still checked with a cartridge to confirm. This revolver is definitely chambered for .45 Colt, also known as .45 "LONG" Colt, one of the most legendary handgun cartridges of the old west. When you hear people talk of a "Colt 45", this model gun is the reason why.

This revolver looks to have been blued from the start, however however years of cleaning have given it a worn bright steel patina. The carved wooden grips look to be original, and still have a great color. The barrel was definitely "cut down" to make it more concealable, and a very large front sight dovetail was added for a new sight, which is now missing.

Mechanically, the revolver does cycle, but the cylinder lock is definitely worn, and the cylinder does not index correctly. It can also be advanced when the hammer is in the fully cocked position, so there is definitely significant wear to the internal mechanics. The action has three of the four clicks that it should have, and definitely is very finicky.

The bore is nice, with clear lands and grooves and a dull finish, with areas of oxidation. The ejector door swings open easily, however the ejector itself was removed from this revolver when it was cut down. Most likely an hand held ejector was used in its place.

Pistols such as this are extremely difficult to find today at any reasonable price. This example is just ideal for any Wild West Collection. A great collector's revolver, ready to display!

History of the Colt Single Single Action Army

Bound by the Rollin White patent (#12,648, April 3, 1855) and not wanting to pay a royalty fee to Smith & Wesson, Colt could not begin development of bored-through revolver cylinders for metallic cartridge use until April 4, 1869. For the design, Colt turned to two of its best engineers: William Mason and Charles Brinckerhoff Richards who had developed a number of revolvers and black powder conversions for the company. Their effort was designed for the United States government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and adopted as the standard military service revolver. Production began in 1873 with the Single Action Army model 1873, also referred to as the "New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol".

The very first production Single Action Army, serial number 1, thought lost for many years after its production, was found in a barn in Nashua, New Hampshire in the early 1900s. It was chambered in .45 Colt, a centerfire design containing charges of up to 40 grains (2.6 g) of fine-grained black powder and a 255-grain (16.5 g) blunt roundnosed bullet. Relative to period cartridges and most later handgun rounds, it was quite powerful in its full loading.

The Colt Single Action Army revolver, along with the 1870 and 1875 Smith & Wesson Model 3 "Schofield" revolver, replaced the Colt 1860 Army Percussion revolver. The Colt quickly gained favor over the S&W and remained the primary US military sidearm until 1892 when it was replaced by the .38 Long Colt caliber Colt Model 1892, a double-action revolver with swing-out cylinder. By the end of 1874, serial no. 16,000 was reached; 12,500 Colt Single Action Army revolvers chambered for the .45 Colt cartridge had entered service and the remaining revolvers were sold in the civilian market.

The Colt .45 is a famous piece of American history, known as "The Gun That Won the West". The Single Action army is a very popular firearm, even today, and it continues to be produced in various configurations.

Specifications: 

Year of Manufacture: 1881
Caliber: .45 "Long" Colt
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 4 3/4 inches

Overall Length: 9 1/8 inches
Action: Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

  • This product is not available for shipping in US state(s): New Jersey

    This product is not available for international shipping.
  • Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon

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