Original Item: Only One Available. This is every School boy's dream! A real Cowboy six gun! This great looking Colt SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has a "gunfighter friendly" original 4 3/4" barrel and lovely worn walnut grips. It was originally made with blued steel components attached to a "case hardened" frame, and it still looks fantastic, with much of the bluing retained, and the case hardening faded to gray.

The revolver's serial number is 100147, which dates production to 1883. It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, grip frame, and even 0147 on the cylinder AND underside of the barrel under the ejector. In 1883, Colt would stop marking the cylinders until 1912, making this a rare treat as a confirmed "ALL MATCHING" revolver, with no parts swappedout. There is also assembly number 7819 marked on the loading gate. It is in full working order and condition, showing a lightly worn patina of age, sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

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

The left side of the frame has the Colt patent dates mostly legible, with just a bit of fading in the upper left corner:

[P]AT. SEPT.19.1871.
   "    JULY.   2. --72.
   "    JAN. 19. --75.

These are the early pattern markings, and this was made before the "Prancing Pony" logo began appearing on the frame. The markings are all clear, so this revolver does not look to have been refurbished at any time, which would have worn down the markings during refinishing. The caliber marking 45 CAL is clear on the trigger guard, and we also have checked the cylinder and barrel with real cartridges 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.

The revolver the look of a run that was used a bit and then carefully cleaned and put away, possibly being taken out periodically to be cleaned and re-oiled. The original walnut grips are in very good shape, and show evidence of having been refinished in the past, which then started to flake off. We have left this intact to preserve the history of the revolver. There is some scratching and wear, but no major chips or cracks.

Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a strong cylinder lock up, and crisp dry fire. The action has all four clicks, and we did not notice any finicky behavior during cycling, as we often would on a revolver from this time period. The bore is in excellent condition, showing clear lands and grooves with a mostly bright finish. There is just a bit of fouling in the grooves, a real rarity for any revolver from the age of black powder. The ejector door swings open easily, and the ejector itself works great. Overall this is a great pistol!

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: 1883
Caliber: .45 "Long" Colt
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 4 3/4 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.