{"product_id":"original-u-s-colt-38-40-w-cf-single-action-army-saa-4-3-4-barrel-revolver-made-in-1896-serial-133458","title":"Original U.S. Colt .38-40 W.CF. Single Action Army SAA 4 3\/4\" Barrel Revolver Made in 1896 - Serial 133458","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is every School boy's dream! A real Cowboy six gun! The Colt Single Action Army Revolver, often referred to as the SAA or M1873, was the first Colt cartridge revolver to see wide acceptance and use, having been developed to meet the needs of the U.S. Government. Dubbed the \"Peacemaker\", the design is a famous piece of Americana and the American Wild West era, due to its popularity with ranchers, lawmen, and outlaws alike. While Colt has fielded many other designs since its introduction, none have been able to capture the same type of romance, resulting in the design being reissued several times since originally being discontinued.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis great frontier-used Single Action Army Revolver in .38-40 Winchester has an original \"gunfighter friendly\" 4 3\/4\" barrel and and lovely worn Colt hard rubber grips, bearing the iconic Colt \"Prancing Pony\" on top and a Federal Eagle on the bottom. Blued from the factory, it has seen decades of use and cleaning, and now displays a lovely worn gray patina on the frame, with scattered past oxidation peppering on the barrel and other components.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe revolver's serial number is \u003cstrong\u003e133458\u003c\/strong\u003e, which dates production to \u003cstrong\u003e1896\u003c\/strong\u003e. It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, and grip frame, making this an \u003cstrong\u003e\"ALL MATCHING\"\u003c\/strong\u003e example. 1883 was the last year that serial numbers would be stamped on the cylinder until 1912, so the lack of the serial number there is correct. There is also assembly number \u003cstrong\u003e747\u003c\/strong\u003e marked on the loading gate. As this revolver was made after 1895, it has the correct \"push button\" release for the cylinder base pin, instead of the earlier screw. It is in full working order and condition, and with the lovely finish and aged grips is sure to delight any \"Old West\" Americana collector.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe original double line Colt address marking, correct for the shorter length barrel, is still mostly visible on the top of the barrel:-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ccenter\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCOLT'S PT. F. A. MFG. CO.\u003cbr\u003eHARTFORD. CT. U.S.A.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe left side of the frame has the Colt patent dates all clearly legible:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ccenter\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePAT. SEPT. 19. 1871.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJULY. 2.72. JAN. 19.75\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are the correct later pattern markings, and to the right is a partially worn away Colt \u003cstrong\u003e\"Prancing Pony\"\u003c\/strong\u003e logo on the frame, introduced in 1891. The left side of the barrel is very faintly marked \u003cstrong\u003e38 W.C.F.\u003c\/strong\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe revolver has the great worn look that only use in service can give. It does look to have been cleaned somewhat aggressively over the years, which has softened the geometry a bit, and made many of the markings a bit faint. The original Colt hard rubber \"gutta percha\" grips have a fantastic \"broken-in\" look, with the original checkering and logo still clearly visible, but worn overall, 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. We also can see what look like some scratched in letters on the bottom of the left scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMechanically, 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 of slop, 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 partly 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePistols such as this are extremely difficult to find today at any reasonable price. This honest used example is just ideal for any Wild West Collection! A great collector's revolver, ready to display!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYear of Manufacture: 1896\u003cbr\u003eCaliber: .38-40 W.C.F.\u003cbr\u003eAmmunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge\u003cbr\u003eBarrel Length: 4 3\/4 inches\u003cbr\u003eOverall Length: 10 1\/4 inches\u003cbr\u003eAction: Single Action\u003cbr\u003eFeed System: 6 Shot Revolver\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory of the Colt Single Single Action Army\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBound by the Rollin White patent (#12,648, April 3, 1855) and not wanting to pay a royalty fee to Smith \u0026amp; 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\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Colt Single Action Army revolver, along with the 1870 and 1875 Smith \u0026amp; Wesson Model 3 \"Schofield\" revolver, replaced the Colt 1860 Army Percussion revolver. The Colt quickly gained favor over the S\u0026amp;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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45317817401413,"sku":"ONSV26GTGS050","price":3895.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/E9A1D069-6E8E-4379-9ED3-EE5F69485E14.jpg?v=1783538689","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-colt-38-40-w-cf-single-action-army-saa-4-3-4-barrel-revolver-made-in-1896-serial-133458","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}