Original U.S. Colt Frontier Six Shooter .44-40 Named Revolver Made in 1883 with 7 1/2" Barrel, Ivory Grips, and Excellent Bore - Serial 87224

Original Item: Only One Available. This is it! Every young "Old West" fans dream: A real Colt Cowboy Six-shooter! 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. It was available in several chamberings, including the famous .45 "Long Colt", as well as those made for the very popular Winchester .44-40, known as "Frontier Six Shooters". 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 very nice Colt Frontier Six Shooter SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has a full length long 7 1/2" barrel and lovely worn and yellowed ivory grips. Original blued from the factory, it now shows a worn blued patina overall, with traces of past peppering in a few areas. 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 87224, which dates production to 1883. 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 5588 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.

We did note that the bottom of the grip frame is clearly stamped with the name C. SMITH, almost certainly the name of the owner, though unfortunately due to how common the last name is, finding the past owner would be a daunting task. The original single line address marking on the top of the barrel, correct for this length of barrel, is still clear:-

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, though the top line is worn and faint:

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

The trigger guard is clearly stamped 44.CF. on the side, indicating the .44-40 WCF caliber. The "Frontier Six Shooter" model was almost identical to the .45 "Long Colt" chambered Single Action Army model, except that it was designed for Winchester .44-40 ammunition, also called .44 W.C.F., which was and is a popular "cowboy" ammunition. While some may question why colt made guns chambered for a competitor's cartridge, having a repeating rifle and revolver that took the same ammunition was a big selling point. We have checked the cylinder with a real cartridge and confirmed the caliber.

As this revolver was manufactured in 1883, it never had an etched panel that read "Colt Frontier Six Shooter", as the serial number range for such marked revolvers was between 45000 and 65000. Revolvers like this were marketed to the civilian frontier market, as the U.S. Cavalry issued the identical model finished in blue.

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 light gray patina from use, servicing, and cleaning during its long life. We did not notice any major rust or pitting present that we can see. The ivory grip has matured beautifully, with the grain fully visible, and there is age checking an cracking at the bottom, just like we love to see. There is a small repair on the rear left, and 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 strong cylinder lock up, and strong main spring. The action has all four clicks, and we did not notice any finicky behavior during cycling, as we often would on a revolver from this time period. 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 on this revolver is as close to MINT as we have ever seen! It does not show any wear or signs of use, with the edges of the lands still crisp, and a surface like a mirror, which is definitely a contrast to the exterior. We do not know if the revolver was simply never used, or if the barrel was replaced at the factory at some point. It has the correct first pattern markings, without any caliber markings, correct for the period, an the front sight is the correct size and shape. 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 example is just ideal for any Wild West Collection. A great collector's revolver with fantastic aged ivory grips and a nearly mint bore, ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1883
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 7 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 13 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.