Original U.S. Colt .45cal Single Action Army SAA Revolver Made in 1877 with 7 1/2" Barrel and Ivory Grips - Matching Serial 39470

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 long 7 1/2" barrel and lovely worn and yellowed ivory grips. Original blued from the factory, it now shows a worn oxidized patina overall from exposure and repeated cleanings. This definitely looks to be an example that was carried for a long time on the frontier, giving it an impossible to duplicate look! The revolver's serial number is 39470, which dates production to 1877. It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, grip frame, and even a faint 470 on the cylinder and 9470 on the underside of the barrel. In 1883, Colt would stop marking the cylinders until 1912, making this a rare treat as a confirmed "ALL MATCHING" revolver. There is also assembly number 3378 marked on the loading gate. It is in full working order and condition, showing a gorgeous patina of age, sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

The original single line address marking on the top of the barrel is present and a bit worn, but still fully legible:-

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

The left side of the frame has the Colt patent dates still present, but they are definitelyi worn:-

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. As with the rest of the exterior of the revolver, the markings on the frame are definitely a bit worn from oxidation and subsequent cleaning. We checked the trigger guard, and we were not able to locate any caliber marking. However, 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 .44-40 W.C.F. chambering was not available until around the time this revolver was made, so they may not have marked the 45cal examples previously.

The revolver presents beautifully, and really has the look of a sidearm that was "really there" in the old west, with the blued finish worn to a lovely dark gray patina from use, servicing, and cleaning during its long life. There is definitely some past peppering present on the frame, but no major pitting or rust that we can see. The barrel does look to have been partly resurfaced at some point, and on the top forward of the address marking, there are what actually look to be past weld marks, so it's possible that some kind of sight was a one time fitted to the top of the barrel, and was later removed and filled. We did not see ANY evidence of repairs on the bore interior. The ivory grip has matured beautifully, with the grain visible, and there is age checking an cracking at the bottom, just like we love to see. There are some small chunks missing on the rear toe of the grip, but no major damage. We can see clear "Schreger's Lines" on the bottom and sides of the grips, which have some fantastic grain and checking. The grip is also a bit loose in the frame, probably having shrunk a bit during the past 125+ years.

Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a relatively good cylinder lock up, and strong main spring. The action has all four clicks and indexes correctly, with the only issue being that wear to the cylinder and lock means that turning the cylinder hard can cause the lock to skip out of the inlet in the cylinder. 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 excellent condition, showing a bright finish clear lands and grooves. There is just a bit if past fouling present towards the forcing cone. Really a fantastic bore for a revolver from the age of black powder! The ejector door swings open easily, and the ejector itself works great. Overall this is a great pistol with loads of patina and history.

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, especially with the fantastic bore! A great collector's revolver, ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1877
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.