RARE EXTREMELY EARLY COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER.

RARE EXTREMELY EARLY COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER. SN 44565. Cal. 44-40. Nickel finish with 7-1/2″ bbl, full front sight with block letter address. It has the “COLT FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER” etched panel on left side & a tiny “44” on bottom just in front of base pin. Last four digits of serial number are found under ejector rod housing. Ejector rod housing is 2nd type with bullseye ejector rod head. It has early beveled edge cylinder with a small “P” proof on rear face with its early style cylinder pin having a dimple in each end. Left side of frame has 3-line patent dates with caliber “44 C.F.” on left shoulder of trigger guard. Hammer slot has an “S” inspector mark. Fitted with varnished 1-pc replacement walnut grips. Bore has the extremely rare seven lands & grooves with left hand gain twist found only on the very earliest caliber 44 caliber SAA’s. These were the very first 44 caliber bbls produced before the August 1873 government production began by which time tests had proven that six lands & grooves had superior accuracy. It is known that fifty & maybe up to one hundred 44 caliber bbls in this configuration were produced in 1872 & 1873 and given Colt’s propensity for never throwing anything away, it stands to reason that the bbl on this subject revolver was recycled from this very first batch of “leftover” bbls. Reference p. 44 of the book A Study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver, Graham, Kopec & Moore. Accompanied by a Colt Factory letter identifying this revolver in 44-40 caliber, blue finish with bbl length & type of stocks “not listed”, shipped to Schuyler, Hartley & Graham, NY, NY on June 15, 1878 in a shipment of fifty same type revolvers. It is well known that these early etched panel SAA’s were originally finished blue with case colored frames & shipped to Adams Metal Plating for their nickel finish with Colt having applied the etched panels. According to the above publication there are only three other known examples with seven lands & grooves. Also accompanied by an early mail order holster of high quality made of 1-pc medium weight belting leather with attached single loop. Face of holster & edges of skirt are tooled in foliate & floral patterns with stippled background. The loop is tooled to match & holster has a sewn-in Cheyenne plug. There is a small hole in top center of face of holster & another in skirt. CONDITION: Very fine. Overall retains most of its fine nickel finish mixed with polished metal. Etched panel is thin near frame end of bbl which also has wrench marks. Frame has a few nicks on bottom edge & another on right bottom side of cylinder slot. Cylinder retains about 95% strong orig nickel & hammer retains about 75-80% faded case colors. Grip with light bruising on right side retains about 90% strong varnish. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore with scattered light pitting. Holster shows moderate wear retaining most of its orig black finish. 4-35115 JR92 (15,000-20,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2008

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	2336	$0.00	RARE EXTREMELY EARLY COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER. SN 44565. Cal. 44-40. Nickel finish with 7-1/2″ bbl, full front sight with block letter address. It has the “COLT FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER” etched panel on left side & a tiny “44” on bottom just in front of base pin. Last four digits of serial number are found under ejector rod housing. Ejector rod housing is 2nd type with bullseye ejector rod head. It has early beveled edge cylinder with a small “P” proof on rear face with its early style cylinder pin having a dimple in each end. Left side of frame has 3-line patent dates with caliber “44 C.F.” on left shoulder of trigger guard. Hammer slot has an “S” inspector mark. Fitted with varnished 1-pc replacement walnut grips. Bore has the extremely rare seven lands & grooves with left hand gain twist found only on the very earliest caliber 44 caliber SAA’s. These were the very first 44 caliber bbls produced before the August 1873 government production began by which time tests had proven that six lands & grooves had superior accuracy. It is known that fifty & maybe up to one hundred 44 caliber bbls in this configuration were produced in 1872 & 1873 and given Colt’s propensity for never throwing anything away, it stands to reason that the bbl on this subject revolver was recycled from this very first batch of “leftover” bbls. Reference p. 44 of the book A Study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver, Graham, Kopec & Moore. Accompanied by a Colt Factory letter identifying this revolver in 44-40 caliber, blue finish with bbl length & type of stocks “not listed”, shipped to Schuyler, Hartley & Graham, NY, NY on June 15, 1878 in a shipment of fifty same type revolvers. It is well known that these early etched panel SAA’s were originally finished blue with case colored frames & shipped to Adams Metal Plating for their nickel finish with Colt having applied the etched panels. According to the above publication there are only three other known examples with seven lands & grooves. Also accompanied by an early mail order holster of high quality made of 1-pc medium weight belting leather with attached single loop. Face of holster & edges of skirt are tooled in foliate & floral patterns with stippled background. The loop is tooled to match & holster has a sewn-in Cheyenne plug. There is a small hole in top center of face of holster & another in skirt. CONDITION: Very fine. Overall retains most of its fine nickel finish mixed with polished metal. Etched panel is thin near frame end of bbl which also has wrench marks. Frame has a few nicks on bottom edge & another on right bottom side of cylinder slot. Cylinder retains about 95% strong orig nickel & hammer retains about 75-80% faded case colors. Grip with light bruising on right side retains about 90% strong varnish. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore with scattered light pitting. Holster shows moderate wear retaining most of its orig black finish. 4-35115 JR92 (15,000-20,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2008 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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