Original Item: Only One Available. Few firearms are as closely associated with the American West as the Colt Single Action Army. Its distinctive profile, short barrel, exposed hammer, and one-piece grip became the familiar sidearm of ranchers, lawmen, soldiers, and armed travelers during the closing decades of the frontier era. That image later became inseparable from Western films and television, but surviving period revolvers such as this example show the practical, hard-used character behind the legend.

Introduced in 1873 and commonly known as the SAA or “Peacemaker,” the Colt Single Action Army was developed for the U.S. military and quickly found a much wider civilian market. Its durable design, powerful chamberings, and simple operation made it one of the defining American handguns of the late 19th century, and Colt would return the model to production more than once after its original discontinuation.

This 1893-production example has the classic appearance associated with a working Western revolver: a 4¾-inch barrel, worn Colt hard-rubber grips with the "Prancing Pony", clear period markings, and a gray patina developed through decades of use and cleaning. Chambered in .38-40 W.C.F., it was factory shipped to E.C. Meacham Arms Company in St. Louis, Missouri, placing it within one of the major commercial gateways supplying firearms to the American West. Although its individual history after shipment is unknown, its documented configuration and well-used appearance give it the unmistakable character collectors seek in a late frontier-era Colt.

The revolver's serial number is 153533, which dates production to 1893. It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, and grip frame, making this a very nice "ALL MATCHING" example, without any serialized parts swapped out over the years. As this revolver was made after 1883, the cylinder and barrel on this example were never marked with a serial number. There is also assembly number 412 marked on the loading gate. Please note that due to the long and continuing production of the SAA, replacement parts have always been available, and many revolvers of this age have had parts replaced with originals during the normal course of servicing. It does look like the trigger, hammer, and hammer screw were replaced, though there is no way to know when.

The revolver came to us with an original Colt Factory letter from the office of the Colt Historian Beverly Jean Haynes, which has her signature and correct raised seal applied in the lower left corner. The paper used is the correct Colt Letterhead and is dated March 13, 2026, indicating it is a COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER, with the caliber listed as .38/40 and finish listed as Blue. The barrel is listed as 4 ¾", while the stocks are Not Listed. The present hard-rubber grips are consistent with the standard factory configuration for the period, so this revolver is substantially in the original configuration as shipped from Colt. The gun was shipped on November 23, 1893 as part of a shipment of 10 similar guns to E.C. Meacham Arms Company in St. Louis, Missouri. This company operated from 1871-circa 1915, and initially sold inexpensive imported firearms and later transitioned to higher quality American firearms.

The original double line Colt address marking on the top of the barrel is still fully legible, correct for the shorter length barrel:

The left side of the frame has the Colt patent dates still fully legible as well:

PAT. SEPT. 19. 1871.
JULY. 2.72. JAN. 19.75

These are the correct later pattern markings, and to the right is the correct Colt "Prancing Pony in a Circle" logo on the frame, introduced in 1891. The markings are all relatively clear, so this revolver does not look to have been refurbished at any time, which would have worn down the markings during refinishing. The left side of the barrel is marked 38 W.C.F., indicating that it is chambered for Winchester .38-40, a very popular rifle and handgun cartridge of the time, only surpassed by .44-40. While some may question why Colt would make a revolver chambered for a competitor's cartridge, having a rifle and revolver that took the same ammunition was a big selling point.

The revolver has the great worn look that only use in service can give. There are no signs of overly aggressive cleaning or past restoration, and it has a great honest used look. The original Colt hard rubber "gutta percha" grips have a fantastic lightly "broken-in" look, with the original checkering and logos still clearly visible, but worn in areas, and there is a bit of the brown color that the grips acquire over long periods of time. There are a few scratches and the usual wear around the bottom of the grips, but no cracks or chunks missing.

Mechanically, the action has all four clicks, and cycles correctly, with accurate indexing and a strong cylinder lockup. It has a functional loading position at the second click, and we did not notice any of the finicky behavior we often see with these revolvers. Really a nice functioning action with just a bit wobble in the cylinder, though as with all revolvers of this age we recommend being very gentle with cycling it, so we do not recommend "fanning" or "fan firing". The bore is in very good condition, showing a mostly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There is definitely wear to the lands, and evidence of past oxidation and fouling, now cleaned away, so it does look to have seen a good amount of use while in service. The ejector door swings open easily, and the ejector itself works great.

This 1893-production Colt Single Action Army Revolver is documented by a Colt factory letter as having been shipped in .38-40 W.C.F. with a 4¾-inch barrel and blue finish to E.C. Meacham Arms Company of St. Louis on November 23, 1893. Serial No. 153533 appears on the frame, trigger guard, and grip frame, confirming a matching numbered configuration, while the loading gate retains assembly number 412. The revolver shows extensive age and use, with most of the original finish worn to a gray patina, scattered oxidation and peppering, and well-worn hard-rubber grips that remain free of cracks or major loss. Its documented factory configuration, clear period markings, matching serialized components, and well-preserved mechanical condition make it a particularly appealing example of an early smokeless-era Colt Single Action Army.

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1893
Caliber: .38-40 W.C.F.
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 4 3/4 inches
Overall Length: 10 1/4 inches
Action: Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

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.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to most US States and most U.S. territories.

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