Colt 2nd Gen Single Action Army SAA 5 1/2″ .44 Special Revolver, 1965 C&R
SOLD FOR: $2,975
LSB#: 231118JL003
Make: Colt
Model: Single Action Army, 2nd Generation
Serial Number: 41473SA
Year of Manufacture: 1965 (https://www.colt.com/serial-lookup)
Caliber: .44 Special
Action Type: Single Action Revolver with Side Loading Gate Cylinder
Barrel Length: 5 1/2”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a quarter-round blade fixed to the front of the barrel. 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 colt in oval at the top of each panel. The inside of each panel is hand-scribed with “473”. The grips have minor handling wear with only a few small marks. The checkering is well defined and there is good detail in the rampant colts. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Fine-Excellent condition.
Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color
Finish Originality: Original to the parts. The front face of the cylinder is marked “41471”. Being off by only one digit, this may well be a factory error.
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 thinning at some edges. There is some handling wear and discoloration in the grip areas. There are some scattered small nicks and scratches, mostly on the barrel and ejector housing. The action shows operational wear including turn-wear on the cylinder. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this revolver is in Very Good-plus condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. Lockup produces barely perceptible play on all six chambers. The trigger is crisp. The cylinder’s bushing is removable. 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 pistol comes with a period-correct “Stagecoach” box with model-matching label.
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 is one such example from 1965. It is in Very Good-plus condition with a great bore, strong mechanics and light wear given its age of nearly 60 years. The gun is chambered for the .44 Special cartridge, a more mild round than the .44 Magnum suitable for target shooting and some small game, also desirable among collectors. The chambering is scarce in 2nd Generation production. According to George Garton’s book on the post-war Single Action Army revolvers, only 1,131 were produced with a 5 1/2″ barrel and blued finish, such as this one. This example was made toward the end of .44 Special production with only 73 of this variant produced in 1965, 80 a year later and just 1 in 1967, the last of the 2nd Generation. The revolver comes with a period-correct “Stagecoach” box. This would make a great addition to a Colt collection as an early second generation and should prove to be a fun and classy shooter. Please see our photos and good luck!
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud
