Original Item: Only One Available. This is every School boy's dream! A real Cowboy six gun! This great frontier-worn Colt SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has a full length original 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 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 32625, which dates production to 1876, only a few years after the model was introduced! This is one of the earliest examples we have had, and it's a great one! It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, grip frame, and even shortened number 2625 on the cylinder AND underside of the barrel! In 1883, Colt would stop marking the cylinders until 1912, making this a very rare treat as a confirmed "ALL MATCHING" revolver! We have very rarely had Colt Single Action Army revolvers that were fully matching, so this is definitely a great find! There is also assembly number 5927 marked on the loading gate. It is in full working order and condition, with a great lightly patinated look, sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

The original single line address marking on the top of the barrel shows a bit of wear, but is still easily legible:-

The left side of the frame has the Colt patent dates fully legible:

PAT. SEPT.19.1871.
PAT. JULY. 2. 1972.

These are the first pattern markings with only two lines, and this was made before the "Prancing Pony" logo began appearing on the frame. These are just a bit worn from use, and the trigger guard is faintly marked with a partial [4]5CAL on the left side. 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 evidence of peppering on the exterior, as well as some past oxidation on the left side of the barrel and on part of the cylinder, probably due to long storage in a holster. This has now been cleaned away, giving a lovely "been there" look. 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.

Mechanically, the action is relatively smooth, with a good cylinder lock up, and strong mainspring. The action has all four clicks, and cycles correctly, with just a bit of wobble in the lockup. We did not notice any of the finicky behavior we often see. 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, showing a mostly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There definitely has been wear to the lands and some past fouling, now removed, but overall it's really a great example, especially considering it is from the age of black powder. The ejector door swings open easily, and the ejector itself works great, with the original spring still present.

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: 1876
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.