Original U.S. Colt .45cal Single Action Army Revolver Made in 1884 with 7 ½" Barrel and Factory Letter - Serial 105265

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 worn walnut grips. Original blued from the factory, it now shows a worn oxidized patina overall. 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 105265, which dates production to 1884. It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, and grip frame, while the cylinder and barrel are unmarked. Colt had stopped marking the cylinders in 1883, mostly due to how often they wore away, and they did not start these markings again until 1912. That makes this a very nice "Mostly Matching" example, and we do not believe any parts have been swapped out over the years. There is also assembly number 2745 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 a 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. It is dated June 7, 2024, and indicates it is a COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER, with the caliber listed as .45/c and finish listed as Blue. The barrel length and type stocks are Not listed, which usually means the standard 7 1/2" barrel and a walnut grip, which were standard for this time period. The gun was shipped on July 31, 1884 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.

The original single line address marking on the top of the barrel is present, but very faint, and can only be easily read with a magnifier:

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, but no major oxidation or rust. The walnut grip has a lovely aged look, with overall wear, and some wood chipped away from the front toe on both sides. There is a crack on the right side next to the back strap. The grip is also loose in the frame due to having shrunk a bit, and also probably due to wear. We can see some carved designs that used to be easier to see.

Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a good cylinder lock up, and strong mainspring. The action has all four clicks, and cycles correctly, though there is definitely slop in the lockup, and the cylinder can be rocked back and forth a bit at full cock. 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 fair condition, still showing rifling, but also showing past fouling and oxidation on most of the interior surface. There is some past pitting, now removed, and it looks to have seen long service without being properly cleaned.

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.