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 full length 7 1/2" barrel, with a lovely worn gray patina on the metalwork and "frontier worn" walnut grip. This definitely looks to be an example that saw long use on the frontier, giving it an impossible to duplicate look!

The revolver's serial number is 51241, which dates production to 1879. It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, grip frame, and side of the cylinder, though the latter two are relatively worn and hard to see. We checked under the ejector, and there was not any number present due to wear. In 1883, Colt would stop marking the cylinders and barrels until 1912, making this a very nice "Mostly Matching" revolver, and we do not see any signs that the barrel has been swapped out in the past. There is also assembly number 681 marked on the loading gate. It is in full working order and condition, with a great honest used look, sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

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 in the lower left corner. The paper used has the correct Colt Letterhead and bears a raised Colt seal stamp over the signature. It is dated February 26, 2020, and indicates it is a COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER in .44/40 caliber, also known as a Frontier Six Shooter. The gun was made with a Blue finish, and the barrel length and type of stocks are both Not Listed, which the letter indicates for this period indicates the standard 7 ½" barrel and walnut grip. This means that the gun is still in the original sold configuration. The gun was shipped on March 29, 1879 as part of a shipment of 25 similar guns to Winchester Repeating Arms Co. in New Haven, Connecticut. We have never had a revolver previously shipped to Winchester, but can see why they would want some on hand to pair with their Model 1873 rifles.

The revolver is in full working Order and Condition, showing a gorgeous worn gray patina, with the single line Colt address marking on the barrel still clear:

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

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

The trigger guard is faintly stamped 44.CF. on the side, indicating the .44-40 WCF caliber. The "Frontier Six Shooter" model was almost 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. We have checked the cylinder with a real cartridge and confirmed the caliber.

As this revolver was manufactured in 1878, it originally had an etched panel that read "Colt Frontier Six Shooter", as the serial number range for such marked revolvers was between 45000 and 65000. Revolvers like this were marketed to the civilian frontier market, as the U.S. Cavalry issued the identical model finished in blue. Unfortunately the etched panel is completely worn away now, and there is a good amount of oxidation on that side of the barrel.

The revolver presents beautifully, and really has the look of a sidearm that was "really there" in the old west, with the finish worn overall. The gray patina is lovely, showing use, servicing, and cleaning during its life. There is however some more advanced oxidation on the barrel, particularly the left and bottom, which look to probably have been in contact with a leather holster for a long period of time. The tanning agents used are corrosive, and also the leather draws water to the metal, causing oxidation. The walnut grip shows a good amount of wear, with the corners worn or chipped off, but showing no major cracks. There is just a bit of wood filler on the left side.

Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a relatively good cylinder lock up, accurate indexing, and strong main spring. The action has all four clicks, with a functional loading position, though if it is cycled to fast it can overshoot. 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 on this revolver is in fair condition, and looks to have seen extensive use, along with a lack of cleaning. We can still see some rifling in areas, but also peppering and past pit rusting, resulting in erosion of the rifling. The ejector door swings open easily, and the ejector itself works great, with a fully functional spring. 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 along with the original Colt Letter.

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1879
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 7 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 13 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.