Original Item: Only One Available. The romance around Colt "Cowboy" Revolvers never ceases to amaze us. This is a fine example of the Model 1878 "Frontier Six Shooter" Double Action Revolver, in the popular .44-40 Winchester chambering. This model was manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1878 to 1907, and is often referred to as the "Frontier" or the "Double Action Army" revolver. A total of 51,210 Model 1878 revolvers were manufactured from 1878 to 1907, including 4,600 for the US Ordnance Department. These are known as the "Philippine" or "Alaskan" models.

This revolver is in great shape, with some of the original blued finish present, and the rest faded to a lovely plum patina. The original black hard rubber Colt grips clearly show the "Prancing Pony" logo, and are in great condition, with virtually all of the original checkered texture still present. As this is relatively early production, there is no Colt logo stamped into the frame, which began in the early 1890s. It is marked on the bottom of the grip with serial number 16315, indicating it was made in 1886. The back of the cylinder is marked with shortened number 15, so this is a MATCHING revolver, without any major parts swapped out.

This example has a "gunfighter length" 4 3/4 inch barrel, which shows no signs of alteration. There is however wear on the left side of the barrel as well as oxidation, so there are no traces of an etched "COLT FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER" marking. However, it is stamped with a small 44 on the bottom of the barrel, and with 44 CAL on the trigger guard, which indicates chambering for .44-40 Winchester Center Fire cartridges. This was a very popular cartridge for revolvers and rifles of the time, and this way the owner would only need bring one type of 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.

The Colt two line address marking on the top of the barrel is still legible and crisp:

This marking was used on the shorter barrel lengths, confirming that the barrel was not cut down from a longer length. The front sight is the correct shape as well, with no signs of alteration.

The condition is very good, with a lovely patina of overall. There is still a lot of the original bluing, probably retained at 50% with other areas showing peppering and pitting. This definitely looks to be from storage in a holster, as much of the oxidation is on the sides of the barrel and on the cylinder, not on the recessed areas of the frame. The original Colt "Gutta Percha" composition grips are in lovely shape, with just a bit of wear to the checkering, great "Prancing Pony" markings, and a lovely dark brown color.

The bore shows that the revolver saw significant use on the frontier. It still has lands and grooves visible, but the bore is mostly dark from powder fouling and oxidation. We tested the functionality in both double and single action, and it cycles well, though there is a bit of slop in the mechanics due to wear of the hand and ratchet. The ejector works great, with no sticking.

A very nice service used example of an early design Colt Double Action Cartridge Revolver in the very popular .44-40 caliber! An ANTIQUE made in 1886, in lovely condition and ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1886
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 4 3/4 inches
Overall Length: 9 3/4 inches
Action: Double Action Army
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

More on the Colt M-1878 Double Action Revolver:

Samuel Colt experimented with double-action revolver systems, but he considered them to be unreliable. After Colt's patent expired in 1857, other manufacturers began producing double-action revolvers, but Colt's Manufacturing did not manufacture its own double-action revolver until 1877, twenty years after the patent had expired.

The M1878 was designed by William Mason, Colt's factory manager and Charles Brinckerhoff Richards, Superintendent of Engineering. It was similar in design to the Colt Model 1877. The Model 1878 had a larger frame, and is therefore sometimes referred to as the "large frame" double-action revolver, while the Model 1877 is likewise referred to as the "small frame" double-action revolver. The Model 1878 was considered a more robust and reliable design than the Model 1877.

The design of the Model 1878 was based on the Model 1877, which in turn was based heavily on the design of the earlier Colt Single Action Army revolver. The double-action revolver is not dramatically different in design than the single-action revolver. A strut is added to connect the trigger movement to the hammer. The top of the trigger slips beyond the strut so that the hammer will stay in full cock if it is pulled back manually.

The Model 1878 had a larger frame than the Model 1877, which allowed it to fire larger and more powerful cartridges, such as the .45 Colt and .44-40 and used the same barrel, ejector parts, and a very similar cylinder to the Single Action Army revolver. At one time, the factory modified Model 1878 cylinders for use in single-action revolvers in an attempt to use up spare parts.