Original Antique U.S. Colt Frontier Six Shooter .44-40 Revolver Made in 1893 with 4 3/4" Barrel and Factory Letter - Serial 149711

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 Length" 4 3/4" barrel, and very nice original Colt logo hard rubber grips! The revolver's serial number is 149711, which is MATCHING on the frame, trigger guard, and grip frame, with assembly number 875 on the loading gate. As this revolver was made after 1883, the cylinder on this example was never marked with a serial number.

The revolver came to us with a letter from the Firearms Division of what was then Colt Industries, a very early Colt Factory letter from the office of the Colt Historian M. S. Huber. It is dated June 18, 1981, and indicates it is a COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER, with the caliber listed as .44/40 and barrel length listed as 4 3/4". The finish is listed as Blue and stocks are Not Listed, which for the time period indicates, hard rubber grips, so this revolver is still completely in the original configuration as shipped from Colt.

The gun was shipped on September 29, 1893 as part of a shipment of 50 similar guns to the Simmons Hardware Co. in St. Louis, Missouri. The dealer was a well-known retailer and hardware manufacturer founded in 1874, which at its peak had 6 locations. They often would buy up their suppliers to ensure the best quality merchandise, and purchased the Walden Knife company based in Walden New York. The company actually merged with Winchester Repeating Arms Co. in the early 20th century for a time.

The revolver is in very nice "frontier used" condition, sure to delight any Americana Collector. The original blued finish has faded to a lovely gray patina over the entire gun, with a few areas of light peppering. The only place where the bluing is still retained is under the ejector rod. The hard rubber Colt grips show the "prancing pony" logo clearly, with lots of the original checkering still present. The surface has faded to brown in many areas, a process that takes decades to achieve, though there is also a crack on the right side, caused as the rubber ages. It is in full working Order and Condition, showing a gorgeous patina of age.

The markings on the top of the barrel are still fully legible, with some wear around the edges:-

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

The left side of the frame bears the Colt "Prancing Pony in Circle" Logo, introduced in 1891, and to the left of this are the patent dates, which are still fully legible:

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

The frame, grip, and trigger guard all bear the serial number clearly, so this pistol has definitely not been refinished at any time. 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. It has the correct small 44 stamp on the underside of the barrel next to the frame. 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 produced after 1889, it has the correct roll stamped marking on the left side of the barrel, though it is slightly worn:

COLT FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER

Colt considered these revolvers to be the same as the Single Action Army for record keeping, and they were grouped under the same serial number series. Between serial number 45000 and 65000, the "FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER" marking was etched onto the side of the barrel, but for many years it did not appear. This changed in 1889, when it returned, roll stamped onto all .44-40 versions of this revolver until the end of production.

Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a good cylinder lock up, and crisp dry fire. The cylinder base pin slides out easily, allowing the cylinder to be removed for cleaning and inspection. The action has all four clicks with a functional loading position, and we have not noticed any of the usual finicky behavior of old revolvers. Really a great solid action on this example! The ejector door swings open easily, and the ejector itself works flawlessly. The bore is in very good condition, with crisp lands and grooves and a mostly bright finish. There is some fouling haze present in the grooves, though no major oxidation, so it looks to have seen light use, probably not cleaned correctly after it was used.

Pistols such as this are extremely difficult to find today at any reasonable price. This example is just ideal for any Wild West Collection! Ready to display and cherish for decades to come!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1893
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 4 3/4 inches
Overall Length: 10 1/4 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.