Original U.S. Colt .45cal Single Action Army Revolver Made in 1893 with 4 3/4" Barrel and Rubber Grips - Serial 153730

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 used Colt SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has an original "gunfighter friendly" 4 3/4" barrel and and lovely worn Colt hard rubber grips, bearing the iconic Colt "Prancing Pony" on top. Blued from the factory, it has seen decades of careful cleaning, and now displays a lovely mottled patina on the frame, with scattered oxidation peppering on the barrel and other components. The markings are still mostly crisp, and we do not see any evidence of major cleaning or restoration. The revolver's serial number is 153730, which dates production to 1893. It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, and grip frame, making this an "ALL MATCHING" example. 1883 was 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 681 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 original double line Colt address marking on the top of the barrel is still fully legible, correct for the shorter length barrel:

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

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, introduced in 1891. The left side of the barrel is clearly marked 45 COLT., 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. The original Colt hard rubber "gutta percha" grips have a fantastic lightly "broken-in" look, with the original checkering and logos still clearly visible, but worn in areas, and there is also the brown color that the grips acquire over long periods of time. There are a few scratches and the usual wear around the bottom of the grips, as well as a small chip on the rear right grip.

Mechanically, this revolver really is "tight as a drum"! The action is smooth, with a solid cylinder lock up, crisp dry fire, and almost no slop in the mechanics. The action has all four clicks, and cycles correctly, without any of the finicky behavior we often see on revolvers of this age. As with all revolvers of this age we recommend being relatively gentle with cycling it, so we do not recommend "fanning" or "fan firing". The bore is in very good service used condition, showing a dull finish with clear lands and grooves. There is overall wear and past oxidation and fouling, now cleaned away, but overall it is very nice considering it is from the age of black powder, and looks to have been relatively well cared for. The ejector rod is present and works great, with no sticking or other issues.

Pistols such as this are extremely difficult to find today at any reasonable price. This honest used example is just ideal for any Wild West Collection! A great collector's revolver, ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1893
Caliber: .45 "Long" Colt
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.