Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is it! Every young "Old West" fans dream: A real Colt Cowboy Six-shooter! This very nice Colt Frontier Six Shooter SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has a "Gunfighter Friendly" shortened 4 1/2" barrel, cut down to make it easier to draw. The revolver has definitely had work done and parts replaced over its live. It looks to originally have possibly been nickel plated, as we can see a few tiny spots in the recesses of the frame, however that has almost entirely flaked away. Now it has a great aged steel patina, and it still retains the original Colt "Prancing Pony" hard rubber grip scales.

The revolver's serial number is 51475, marked on the frame, which indicates manufacture in 1879. It also has shortened number 1475 on the cylinder, which Colt stopped marking in 1883. The grip frame and trigger guard are marked with a different serial number, 162363, which indicates 1895 production, so the trigger guard and grip frame were swapped out, a common occurrence in the old west. The loading gate is marked with assembly number 339.

The revolver is in very good "frontier worn" condition, sure to delight any Americana Collector. It may have been reblued after the Nickel Plate wore away, and that finish is now worn as well. It is in full working Order and Condition, showing a gorgeous lightly worn patina. The revolver still has a complete Colt "single line" address on the top of the barrel, usually seen on the 7 1/2" barrel revolvers:

COLT'S PT. F. A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD. CT. U.S.A.

The left side of the frame has the Colt patent dates still mostly legible:

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

While there is no caliber marking present on the revolver, we have confirmed with real cartridges that this revolver is chambered for the Winchester .44-40 cartridge. Colt considered the .44-40 "Frontier Six Shooter" revolvers to be the same as the Single Action Army for record keeping, and they were grouped under the same serial number series. The "Frontier Six Shooter" model was identical to the .45 "Long Colt" chambered Single Action Army model, except that it was designed for Winchester .44-40 ammunition, also called .44 W.C.F., which was and is a popular "cowboy" ammunition. While some may question why colt made guns chambered for a competitor's cartridge, having a repeating rifle and revolver that took the same ammunition was a big selling point.

As this revolver was manufactured in 1879, it originally bore an etched panel that read "Colt Frontier Six Shooter" on the left side of the frame. This is unfortunately completely worn away now. The serial number range for such marked revolvers was between 45000 and 65000, which this revolver fits right into. Revolvers like this were marketed to the civilian frontier market, as the U.S. Cavalry issued the identical model finished in blue.

The revolver presents beautifully, and really has the look of a sidearm that was "really there" in the old west. The mottled patina is lovely, and the original grips still have most of their checkered pattern, with clear colt "Prancing Pony" emblems still present, and no repairs that we can see.

Mechanically, the action is relatively smooth, with nice indexing, a good cylinder lock up, and crisp dry fire. The action has all four clicks, and we did not notice any finicky behavior during cycling. It does however have a rather strong mainspring, so some effort is required to cycle the revolver. The bore is in very nice condition, with clear lands and grooves and a partly bright finish, showing past light oxidation and fouling. The ejector door swings open easily, and the ejector itself works great. Overall this is a great pistol with loads of patina and history.

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.

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1887
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 4 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 10 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.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to most addresses within the United States.