Colt 2nd Generation Single Action Army SAA 7 1/2″ .45 LC Revolver, 1959 C&R
SOLD FOR: $3525
LSB#: 230316MG003
Make: Colt
Model: Single Action Army, 2nd Generation
Serial Number: 28113SA
Year of Manufacture: 1959 (https://www.colt.com/serial-lookup)
Caliber: .45 Colt
Action Type: Single Action Revolver with Side Loading Gate Cylinder
Barrel Length: 7 1/2”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a quarter-round blade fixed to the front of the barrel. The top of the blade has been narrowed slightly and touched-up with cold blue. The rear sight is a square notch at the rear of a groove in the top strap.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered black hard rubber with rampant colts in ovals at their tops. The grips have minor handling wear and no notable damage. The checkering is well defined, generally sharp, and there is good detail in the rampant colts. There are no chips or cracks. The interior of the grips are hand-scribed “113”, but the scribing does not match what we’ve seen on other grips from this same period, we suspect that they are foce-matched replacements. Overall, the grips are in Fine condition.
Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color
Finish Originality: Original to the parts. Both portions of the grip frame and the cylinder are replacement parts.
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 10 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This revolver retains about 90% of its metal finish. The finish is lightly thinning at most edges. There is some finish wear at the muzzle-end of the barrel. The grip straps show light handling wear and minor surface oxidation. There are a few scattered minor nicks and scratches. The cylinder has no notable wear or damage. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with serviceable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this revolver is in Very Good-plus condition as not parts-original.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. Lockup produces barely perceptible play on all six chambers. The trigger is crisp. The cylinder’s bushing is separate from the cylinder. We did not fire this revolver. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This revolver comes in a later-vintage “Stagecoach” Colt box.
Our Assessment: The Colt Single Action Army is perhaps the quintessential old west handgun, produced for more than a century, serving the U.S. Army as its sidearm from 1873 into the first world war and captivating audiences on the silver screen. The SAA was discontinued by Colt as it tooled up to provide for the WWII war effort, and it was thought by Colt that the design was obsolete, swing-out cylinder revolvers had been around for half a century and autoloaders were gaining in popularity. Then, with the advent of television and western programs such as Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, and The Gene Autry Show, American interest in the guns that won the west was reborn. In 1956, Colt reintroduced the Single Action Army, this new production run now referred to as the 2nd Generation SAA’s.
This example is from fairly early in the 2nd generation, 1959 and is chambered for the classic .45 Colt cartridge. Originally developed as a black powder cartridge, smokeless powder breathed new life into the cartridge, giving it comparable power to modern self-defense revolver cartridges as well as being suitable as a hunting sidearm. The revolver has had some modifications over the years. The backstrap has a non-matching serial number, the trigger guard has no serial markings at all, and the cylinder is without markings, appearing to be recently manufactured with no sign of use. The whole thing comes in a Colt “Stagecoach” box which would be used by Colt starting in the mid-1960s. Given how hard it is to bring oneself to fire an all-original 2nd Gen SAA these days, this would make a neat addition to a Colt collection for someone who would like to take one out to the range and shoot it. It will also display well in a collection missing a 2nd Gen Single Action Army. Please see our photos and good luck!
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud
