Original Item: Only One Available. This is every School boy's dream! A real Cowboy six gun! This fantastic Colt SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has a full length factory-replaced 7 1/2" barrel and lovely Colt hard rubber grips, bearing the iconic Colt "Prancing Pony". We also believe that the gun was entirely refit at the factory, and now has a fantastic nickel plated finish!

The Colt Single action army's "First Generation" of production spanned over 65 years, from 1873 to 1941. The model was then discontinued in 1941, so they could focus on WWII production and more modern weapons. However, classic Western Themed movies and shows on the new television medium resulted in a huge resurgence of popularity in the design. In 1956 Colt re-launched the "Single Action Army" revolver, in what is referred to as the "Second generation".

As part of this, many owners of older Single Action Army revolvers began sending their older revolvers with worn bores to be rebarreled and restored at the factory. This was more economical than purchasing a new one, and also meant you could have a great shiny revolver that was also "really there" during the "Old West" period. These are somewhat easy to spot, as the "Second Generation" barrels had slightly different address markings, and has a larger "Shark Fin" front sight. They also were marked COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY .45 in modern print on the left side of the barrel.

That is most likely exactly what happened with this revolver, which really is a great example. The revolver's serial number is 147417, which dates production to 1892. It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, and grip frame, making this an "ALL MATCHING" example, except for the replaced barrel. 1883 had been 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 463 marked on the loading gate. It is in full working order and condition, with a fantastic finish and great grips, sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

The Colt single line address marking on the top of the barrel is still clear:

The left side of the frame has the Colt patent dates all clearly legible:

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" logo on the frame. The markings are all clear, except for the bottom of the logo, indicating a very high level refinishing, as would happen in the factory. The caliber marking 45 is clear on the left side of the barrel as part of the 2nd Gen Roll Stamp, 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 looks simply fantastic, with just a bit of wear and patination on the nickel plated finish. The Colt hard rubber grips have a lovely dark brown color, with just a bit of wear, and some dents on the very bottom. The checkering is still strong, and the "Prancing Pony" is clear. The revolver disassembles correctly, and the cylinder arbor pin and locking screw are in great shape.

Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a good cylinder lock up, and crisp dry fire. The action has all four clicks, and cycles correctly, without any of the finicky behavior that we often see. The bore is in excellent condition, with a bright finish and clear rifling, showing little to know wear. The chambers in the cylinder are in very good condition, showing a bit of oxidation on the nickel plating on the interior, which turns green when it oxidized. There is also some dried on grease present as well. 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 nickel plated factory refit revolver, ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1892
Caliber: .45 "Long" Colt
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.