Original U.S. Colt Frontier Six Shooter .44-40 Revolver Made in 1884 with 4 3/4" Barrel and Factory Letter - Serial 109539

Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is it! Every young "Old West" fans dream: A real Colt Cowboy Six-shooter! This very nice Colt Frontier Six Shooter SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has a "Gunfighter Length" 4 3/4" barrel and lovely worn Colt hard rubber grips, bearing the iconic Colt "Prancing Pony" on top and U.S. Federal Eagle on the bottom. Original nickel-plated 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 109539, 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 7371 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 an original Colt Factory letter from the office of the Colt Historian Beverly Jean Haynes, which has her signature in the lower left corner. The paper used has the correct Colt Letterhead and bears a raised Colt seal stamp over the signature. It is dated December 7, 2022, and indicates it is a COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER in .44/40 caliber, also known as a Frontier Six Shooter. The gun was made with a Nickel finish, with the barrel length 4 ¾" and the stocks listed as Rubber. The gun was shipped on April 1, 1884 with 20 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, having lost virtually all of the original nickel plating.

The original double line address marking on the top of the barrel, correct for this length of barrel, is still mostly 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 faintely 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 1884, 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 nickel finish worn away except in a few recessed areas on the frame. The gray mottled patina is lovely, showing use, servicing, and cleaning during its life, however there is no major rust or pitting present that we can see. The hard rubber "gutta percha" trips are lovely, with overall wear and just a small chip on the left scale. There are no large cracks or repairs, and the designs are worn but still discernable.

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 is in very good condition, still showing clear rifling and a mostly bright finish. There is some wear and grooves as well as some light past oxidation and fouling, but overall this is in great shape for a frontier used black powder revolver. 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, ready to display along with the original Colt Letter!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1884
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
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.