Original Item: Only One Available. This is every School boy's dream! A real Cowboy six gun! This great looking Colt SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has an original long 7 1/2" barrel and lovely worn walnut wooden grips. Originally issued with case hardened frame other components blued, it now has a lovely "frontier worn" polished steel patina.

The revolver's serial number is 40333, which dates production to 1877, very early during this model's production! It has the serial number on the frame, trigger guard, grip frame, and even 0333 on the cylinder! In 1883, Colt would stop marking the cylinders until 1912, making this a rare treat as a confirmed "ALL MATCHING" revolver, with no parts swapped out. There is also assembly number 4360 marked on the loading gate. It is in full working order and condition, showing a lovely patina of age, sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

The original Colt single line address marking, correct for this barrel length, is still legible on the top of the barrel:

The left side of the frame has the Colt 2nd Pattern patent dates fully legible, with just a bit of overall wear:

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

These are the early pattern markings, and this was made before the "Prancing Pony" logo began appearing on the frame. The markings are all clear, so this revolver does not look to have been refurbished at any time, which would have worn down the markings during refinishing. The caliber marking 45 CAL is mostly clear on the trigger guard, and we also have checked the cylinder and barrel with real cartridges to confirm. 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 the look of a gun that so use on the frontier, but was well cared for and cleaned regularly. This eventually wore the finish to its current condition. The original grips have a lovely color, looking to have been finished at some point in the long past, and the left side bears the initials R T. They show the usual wear, but no major cracks or chunks are evident.

Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a good cylinder lock up, and strong mainspring. 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, showing clear lands and grooves with a partly bright finish. There is some overall light oxidation and fouling, however a bore this good is a real rarity for any 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!

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!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1877
Caliber: .45 "Long" Colt
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.