Original U.S. Colt .45cal Single Action Army Revolver Made in 1883 with 4 ¾" Barrel and Factory Letter - Serial 90390

Original Item: Only One Available. This is every School boy's dream! A real Cowboy six gun! This great frontier-worn Colt SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has a "gunfighter friendly" original short 4 ¾" barrel and a lovely worn Colt walnut grips. Originally fully nickel plated, the revolver has lost almost all of that finish, with just a few traces left, including one next to the frame serial number. It now displays a lovely lightly oxidized patina.

The revolver's serial number is 90390, which dates production to 1883. This is marked on the bottom of the frame in front of the trigger guard. Many of the other parts on the revolver look to have been replaced and/or remarked, however these are definitely not original markings, as they are in the wrong font. They also weren't quite paying attention, and marked the components with serial 90930, with the third and fourth numerals flipped. This revolver was made during 1883, when Colt stopped marking the cylinders, which they did not do again until 1912. There is also assembly number 1386 marked on the loading gate. It is in full working order and condition, with a great patinated look, sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

The revolver came to us with a Colt Factory letter from the office of the Colt Historian Beverly Jean Haynes. The paper used has the correct Colt Letterhead and bears a raised stamp. It is dated September 15, 2023, and indicates it is a COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER, with the caliber listed as .45/c and finish listed as Nickel. The barrel length is listed as 4 ¾" and type stocks are Not Listed, which usually means a walnut grip, which was standard for this time period. The gun was shipped on April 11, 1883 with 50 other guns of the same type to Hartley & Graham in New York City, a very prestigious outfitter founded in 1854. This revolver is still in the original configuration that it shipped from Colt in, and really has a great "been there" look, though as mentioned previously the Nickel Plating is almost completely gone, and the grip components and trigger guard were most likely swapped out.

The original two line address, correct for this length of barrel, is still partly legible on the 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 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, but no major oxidation or rust. The walnut grip has a lovely aged look, with overall wear, but no major chips or cracks that we can see. It is definitely somewhat reduced in size due to cleaning and wear.

Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a good cylinder lock up, and a strong mainspring. The action has all four clicks, and cycles correctly, with just a bit of wobble in the cylinder when locked. 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 very good condition, showing clear lands and grooves, but also some overall wear and light oxidation from use. The ejector door swings open easily, and the ejector itself works great. Overall this is a lovely service used pistol!

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: 4 ¾ inches
Overall Length: 10 ¼ 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.