Colt Black Powder Frame Model 1873 1st Generation SAAS, Blue & Case Colored 4 3/4“ Single Action Army Revolver, MFD 1891 Antique
SOLD FOR: $2,506.00
LSB#: 160630HC03
Make: Colt
Model: 1st Generation Late Black Powder Single Action Army (2 Line 3 Date Patents)
Serial Number: 141730
Year of Manufacture: 1891
Caliber: .45 Colt
Action Type: Single Action Revolver with Side Loading Gate Cylinder
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “45 COLT.”. This marking is deep, and stamped over the top of the original marking, which can barely be seen around the edges of the new marking. The top of the barrel is marked “COLT’S PT. F. A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A.”. The left side of the frame is marked “PAT. SEPT. 19. 1871. / JULY 2. 72. JAN. 19.75.”. The underside of the frame at the grip frame and the grip frame just behind it are marked “141730”. The underside of the backstrap is marked “141 / 730”. The left front of the trigger guard is marked with a tiny “G”. The inside rear face of the loading gate is marked with the assembly number “310”. The rear of the frame under the hammer is marked “O” and the rear face of the cylinder is marked “V”. The inside surfaces of the left grip is scribed “467” and the right grip “6”.
Barrel Length: 4 ¾”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a thin quarter-round blade fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a “V” groove in the top strap.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered black hard rubber with a Rampant Colt logo in an oval at the top of each grip. There is a tiny chip missing on the inside bottom edge of the right grip and a light round mark on the front edge of the left grip. There are few very light marks in the smooth areas around the grip screw escutcheons, a tiny ding in the edge of the oval in the right grip and two tiny dings in the edge of the oval in the left grip. The checkering is sharp and without mars. The grips are slightly proud of the metal along the backstrap and the left grip is slightly loose on the frame. The grips are in about Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: We think the revolver was originally blued with a case colored frame.
Finish Originality: There is no finish remaining, except for traces of bluing in the bottom of the backstrap, and on the ejector rod housing and trigger guard. We think we can see a few extremely light traces of case coloring in the frame, but what we can’t see is the Rampant Colt logo that was added to the left side of the frame at about SN 134996. We can also see areas where the metal was heavily polished, but no evidence that the revolver was refinished. We suspect the logo was either worn off or polished off when the surface was removed to clean it up after erosion had begun.
Bore Condition: The bore is gray and the narrow lands in the rifling are well defined. There is light erosion sprinkled throughout the bore with several spots of moderate erosion in the grooves, with a few spots that cover both a groove and one of its adjacent lands.
Overall Condition: This revolver retains about 4% of its metal finish. There are traces of bluing remaining in the bottom of the backstrap, along the underside of the ejector rod housing and on the trigger guard. There is light pitting scattered over the sides of the frame and trigger guard, and over the backstrap. There are multiple tiny dings scattered over the underside of the barrel, with a few spots of extremely light erosion, several handling marks and a few spots around the caliber markings where the surface is uneven from grinding and polishing. There is a light drag line in the cylinder, and both the cylinder and the ejector rod housing are showing a mottled patina. The hammer checkering shows moderate wear. The screw head directly above the trigger on the left side of the frame and the grip screw are distressed, while the others are sharp. The markings on the top of the barrel are unreadable in spots, and the caliber on the left side of the barrel has been re-stamped, with extremely light remnants of the original marking still showing. Overall, this revolver rates in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions properly. The cylinder lock-up shows only a small amount of play and the trigger pull is crisp.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: From http://www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/322444596/digitalart/drawings/technical?view_mode=2#skins: “The Colt Single Action Army handgun is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six rounds. It was designed for the US government service revolver trials of 1873 by Colt’s Manufacturing Company and adopted as the standard military service revolver until 1892. Although the SAA has been offered in over 30 different calibers and various barrel lengths, its overall appearance has remained consistent since 1873. Colt has discontinued its production twice, but brought it back due to excessive demand.”. This revolver is a 1st Generation Late Black Powder SAA model in .45 Colt. It is in about Very Good condition with about 4% of its original finish remaining, mostly in the underside of the ejector rod housing and in remnants in the trigger guard and backstrap. The grips have been replaced with Colt grips from a later vintage, caliber marking on the left side of the barrel has been re-stamped, and the Rampant Colt logo is missing from the left side of the frame. Otherwise, the pistol is correctly marked for its vintage and functions properly. The blackpowder framed Colts are very collectible, and this one isn’t going to be an exception. There are dozens of variations of Colt SAA revolvers to collect between the three generations, blackpowder vs. smokeless frames, army marked vs. civilian, etc. making it almost impossible for the collector to obtain one of each, and making all of them desirable.
