Original U.S. Colt .45cal Single Action Army Revolver Made in 1882 with 7 ½" Barrel and Factory Letter - Matching Serial 74111

Original 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.

This great frontier-worn Colt SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has an original long 7 1/2" barrel and lovely walnut grips. Original blued from the factory, it now shows a worn oxidized patina overall, with a few areas of removed past peppering, but no signs of major restoration. 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 74111, which dates production to 1882. It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, grip frame, and even 4111 on the cylinder and on the barrel under the ejector. In 1883, Colt would stop marking the cylinders until 1912, mostly due to how often they wore away, and they did not start these markings again until 1912. That makes this a fantastic rare treat as a confirmed "ALL MATCHING" revolver. There is also assembly number 758 marked on the loading gate. It is in full working order and condition, showing a gorgeous worn patina of age, 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 and correct raised seal applied in the lower left corner. The paper used is the correct Colt Letterhead and is dated August 23, 2024, indicating it is a COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER, with the caliber listed as .45/c and finish listed as Blue. The barrel length and stocks are Not Listed, which indicates the standard 7 ½" barrel length and walnut grips at that time. That means this revolver is still completely in the original configuration as shipped from Colt.

The gun was shipped on April 8, 1882 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.

This is really a lovely example, and the Colt "Single Line" address, correct for the longer barrel, is still crisp on top of the barrel:

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

The left side of the frame has the Colt patent dates still fully legible as well:

PAT. SEPT.19.1871.
 "  JULY.   2.  --72.
 "  JAN.   19. --75.

These are the early 2nd pattern markings, and this was made before the "Prancing Pony" logo began appearing on the frame in 1891. The markings are all relatively clear, so this revolver does not look to have been refurbished at any time, which would have worn down the markings during refinishing. The trigger guard is marked with 45CAL on the left side, and we have also checked the cylinder and barrel with real cartridges to confirm the chambering. 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 has the great worn look that only use in service can give, showing some evidence of peppering on the exterior, as well as some more advanced oxidation on the right side of the frame. It looks like a revolver that may have been stored in a holster for a good period of time, which allowed the tannins in the leather to work on the steel. The walnut grip has a lovely aged look, with overall wear, but no cracks, chips, or other major damage. It really looks like a grip that was used used by well cared for over a long period of time.

Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a good cylinder lock up, and strong mainspring. The tumbler is however missing the "Safety" and "Loading" click positions, and has almost a hair trigger, so we believe it may have been adjusted in the past for accurate shooting. There is very little slop in the lockup, so this is definitely a pistol that was worked on in the past, so the missing positions may have been removed deliberately. 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 good condition, still showing strong rifling on the interior, however fouling and oxidation have made the finish relatively dark. It definitely looks like the bore was not cleaned properly after the last use, however it definitely is still better than a lot we see.

Pistols such as this are extremely difficult to find today at any reasonable price. This honest worn 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: 7 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 12 3/4 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.