Original Item: Only One Available. This is every School boy's dream! A real Cowboy six gun! This fantastic Colt SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver however is definitely a bit different than most, as it looks to have been possibly returned to the factory and reworked, which involved the installation of a MASSIVE 12 inch long Colt "Buntline Special" 45cal barrel, giving it an extremely impressive profile! The cylinder was most likely worn or damaged, so it was also replaced when the barrel was, and both replaced items have a lovely blued finish. The frame was also buffed and refinished, giving it a great "case hardened" look, and it is possible that other components were replaced as well, including the grips, which look nearly new.

The Colt "Buntline Special" was a long-barreled variant of the Colt Single Action Army revolver, which Stuart N. Lake described in his best-selling but largely fictionalized 1931 biography, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal. According to Lake, the dime novelist Ned Buntline commissioned the production of five Buntline Specials. Lake described them as extra-long Colt Single Action Army revolvers, with a 12-inch (300 mm)-long barrel, and stated that Buntline presented them to five lawmen in thanks for their help in contributing local color to his western yarns.

Lake attributed the gun to Wyatt Earp, but modern researchers have not found any supporting evidence from secondary sources or in available primary documentation of the gun's existence prior to the publication of Lake's book. After its publication, various Colt revolvers with long (10-inch or 16-inch) barrels were called Colt Buntlines or Buntline Specials. Colt manufactured the pistol among its second-generation revolvers produced after 1956.

The Colt Single action army's "First Generation" of production spanned over 65 years, from 1873 to 1941. The model was then discontinued in 1941, so they could focus on WWII production and more modern weapons. However, classic Western Themed movies and shows on the new television medium resulted in a huge resurgence of popularity in the design. In 1956 Colt re-launched the "Single Action Army" revolver, in what is referred to as the "Second generation", which ran 1956–1974. There was then a "Third Generation" from 1976–1982, and a "Late Third - Fourth Generation" starting in 1994.

As part of this, many owners of older Single Action Army revolvers began sending their older revolvers with worn barrels and other components to the factory to have replacement parts fit. This was more economical than purchasing a new one, and also meant you could have a functional revolver for "Wild West" shooting that was also "really there" during the "Old West" period. These later generation barrels have deeper markings and also slightly different address markings and fonts, but otherwise were identical to the originals. Also, only after 1956 did Colt start marking their long barrels with the "COLT BUNTLINE SPECIAL" designation.

That is exactly what happened with this revolver, which really is a lovely example. The revolver's serial number 132480, is stamped on the front underside of the frame, which dates production to 1890. The other components have all lost their serial numbers due to wear, while the replaced cylinder is marked 321 on the front, and bears the Colt "Rampant Horse" on the rear. There is also assembly number 26 marked on the loading gate. It is in full working order and condition, with a fantastic finish and great grips, sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

The Colt address marking on the top of the barrel is clear:

The left side of the barrel bears the distinctive special order designation:

COLT BUNTLINE SPECIAL .45

There is also BB 638 marked onto the bottom of the barrel. The patent and other markings on the frame were all removed by the cleaning and refinishing that the pistol underwent. The caliber marking .45 is clear on the left side of the barrel as part of the 2nd Gen Roll Stamp, 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 has a great look, with the replacement barrel and cylinder retaining their blued finish very well, showing just a bit of wear around the muzzle. The other blued components also look great, with only the original loading gat showing any type of past oxidation. The walnut grips look great, with a lovely finish and color, showing very little in the way of wear. The revolver disassembles correctly, with what looks to be the original cylinder arbor pin and securing screw.

Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a good cylinder lock up, and strong mainspring. The action have all four "clicks", and was probably completely reworked when the new barrel was installed. It does not exhibit any of the the usual finicky behavior we usually see with revolvers of this age. Still, 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, with a bright finish and clear rifling, showing little to know wear. The chambers on the replacement cylinder look close to unused. The ejector door swings open easily, and the ejector itself works great.

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 example with HUGE 12" Colt Buntline barrel and replaced cylinder, ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1890
Caliber: .45 "Long" Colt
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 12 inches
Overall Length: 17 1/2 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.