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, and was most likely originally blued, and then later refinished in nickel plate during its working life. It must have been relatively oxidized before this, which resulted in a lot of cleaning and buffing before the plating, which unfortunately removed almost all of the markings on the metalwork except for the serial number. This includes the address marking as well as the Colt "Pony" logo on the frame. The original hard rubber Colt grips clearly show the "Prancing Pony" logo, and are in lovely condition, with much of the original checkered texture still present and a great worn look. They have faded to brown a bit, as is correct, a process that takes decades. It is marked on the bottom of the grip with serial number 37512, indicating it was made in 1897. The markings on the rear of the cylinder are unfortunately worn away.

This example has a "gunfighter length" 4 3/4 inch barrel, which shows no signs of alteration. The refinishing has unfortunately completely removed the "FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER" etching this revolver on the left side of the barrel when it was first made. However, it still has a faint 44 stamped on the bottom of the barrel. This indicates chambering for .44-40 Winchester Center Fire cartridges. We have also tested the cylinder with real cartridges to confirm the chambering. 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 condition is very good, with the nickel plating well retained, though the revolver definitely had suffered overall oxidation prior to the refinish. The bore is in very good condition, with a partly bright finish and clear lands and grooves. There is some light fouling and oxidation, as to be expected on a black powder cartridge revolver, and there also is a bit of wear.

We tested the functionality in both double and single action, and it cycles well, though it can be finicky at times. The cylinder indexes properly, however the lockup is loose due to wear, and occasionally the cylinder will roll back when the trigger is resetting. Given the amount of use and wear this revolver saw, this is not surprising. The ejector is present and functional, however it is definitely a fabricated replacement.

A very nice refinished example of an early design Colt Double Action Cartridge Revolver in the very popular .44-40 caliber! An ANTIQUE made in 1897, in lovely condition and ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1897
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.