Ainsworth was the ordnance sub-inspector at the Colt factory for the first 13 months (October 1873 to November 1874) of the Single Action Army's production. M1873 Colt .45 SA 1st Gen. Cylinder Bushing. Firing the revolver is accomplished by drawing the hammer to full cock and pulling the trigger. It can be identified by the U.S. on the frame, the inspector's stamps on different parts (such as a tiny A for Orville W. Ainsworth, DFC, HN, RAC for later inspectors and K for replacement parts) and the cartouche of Rinaldo A. Carr (RAC), the inspector who inspected the refurbished guns, on the grip. Quickview. The 1861 Navy is often acclaimed as Colt’s most handsome pistol. YP0410 Triggerguard for Reproduction Colt 1860 Army Revolver and Original Colt 51,60,61 and Conversion. The best price for colt 45 revolver peacemaker for sale online. [14] The .45 Single Action Army revolver was still standard issue to the Infantry, Artillery and other branches of the U.S. Army. Production began in 1877. The Colt Model 1871-72 Open Top is a metallic cartridge rear-loading.44-caliber revolver introduced in 1872 by the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company.This handgun was developed following two patents, the first one in 1871 and the second one in 1872, it is estimated that the production span lies primarily between February 1872 and June 1873. [11], A "Flattop Target Model" was listed in Colt's catalogs from 1890 to 1898. Colt engraved about one percent of its first generation production of the Single Action Army revolver, which makes these engraved models extremely rare and valuable with collectors. Colt has cancelled its production twice, but brought it back due to popular demand. This handsome percussion cap and ball sidearm is an early, original Civil War Model 1860 Army revolver in excellent condition overall. Colt had been criticized by this high price, and by 1865 the revolver was reduced to $14.50. [19] Most Bisley Standard Model Revolvers shipped to a United States address were not used for target shooting, but for self-defense, because the grip and hammer were ideal for fast shooting. We also carry 45 Long Colt ammunition. Colt’s revolvers of that time were made of wrought iron, which had obvious pressure limits. Our Price: $4.95 Compare. The Colt specimen is one of some 200,000 M1860 Army revolvers made from 1860 through 1873 and was the successor type to the larger Colt Third Model Dragoon horse pistol. In his highly fictionalized biography, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal, published in 1931, he wrote that Earp and four other lawmen—Bat Masterson, Bill Tilghman, Charlie Bassett and Neal Brown—were each presented with a customized revolver with a 12-inch-long (300 mm) barrel. Shop new and used handguns and revolvers including the Colt 1911, Mark IV Series, Colt Cobra, and more. With the adoption of the Colt Single Action Army revolver in 1873, the service cartridges were Copper-cased .45 centerfire Benét inside primed "Colt's Revolver Cartridges" loaded with 30 grains of black powder and an inside lubricated bullet of 250 grain. [8] In 1920, larger, highly visible sights replaced the original thin blade and notch. In 1873, Colt’s single-action Army (SAA) revolver became the Army’s standard sidearm. The Third Generation began in 1976, characterized by a change in barrel thread pitch and a solid cylinder bushing replacing the removable/replaceable part from the first and second generations. [5] For a time, the Government stopped orders for the longer Colt cartridge and used the Smith & Wesson round exclusively. [3][4], Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Prepared Under the Joint Committee on Printing of the House and Senate, Pursuant to an Act of the Fifty-second Congress of the United States, "Cimarron Firearms Colt 1871-72 Open-Top", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colt_Model_1871-72_Open_Top&oldid=994812566, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 December 2020, at 17:44. Very fine example with very good original blue in protected areas. Mason brought some innovations to his gun: apart of the breech-loading cylinder, he designed unique frame, cylinder and barrel for the first Colt revolver with non-interchangeable parts with the older percussion pistols and moved the rear sight to the rear of the barrel as opposed to the hammer or the breechblock of the earlier efforts. .38-40 and .32-20 (.32 WCF) also qualify as "Frontier Calibers" because 1873 and 1892 Winchesters were made in these calibers, offering the same convenience as the 44-40 (44WCF) caliber, namely using the same cartridge in both revolver and rifle. [41], Second generation Colt Single Action Army, Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, Smith & Wesson Model 3 "Schofield" revolver, "Wyatt Earp and the Buntline Special Myth", "Arizona Gets an Official State Gun – And It's Manufactured in Connecticut", The Colt Revolver in the American West – Single Action Army, THE COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY...JOHN TAFFIN, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colt_Single_Action_Army&oldid=998074170, Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1873, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [33], The original .45 Colt black-powder load of 40 grains propelled the 250–255 grain bullet at a nominal 970 feet per second (300 m/s). The Colt revolvers would accept the shorter round, but not vice versa. In 1870 when the Army tested Colt's latest revolver, they complained that the.44 rimfire round was too weak and that the open top design was too fragile. OUT OF STOCK (8) Cimarron CA855 Model 3 Schofield 6RD .45 LC 5" OUT OF STOCK (0) Bond Arms BAGR Grizzly 45 LC/410 3 Rosewood Grips OUT OF STOCK. This is identified as the "Pre War" or "First Generation" of the model. The "Kopec" letter, which is included, pretty well describes the condition of this Historical Revolver. Both the Nettleton and OWA Colts have the cartouche (OWA or HN) on the left side of the wood grip. The front sight consisted of a base with an interchangeable blade. The Colt “Army” revolver is to be distinguished from the Colt “Navy” revolver of which there were two models, the octagonal barrel Model 1851 Navy, and the round-barreled Model 1861 Navy, both Navy models being in the smaller .36-caliber. The late 1890s with increased urbanization in the West suggests the possibility that many of these pistols were companions to the lever action rifles of the same period and that the low slung hammer, less humped backstrap, and short barrel may have suited the city dwelling suit-coat-wearing clientele who still found themselves outdoors not only on horses but in buggies and automobiles. [38], The power, accuracy and handling qualities of the Single Action Army (SAA) made it a popular sidearm from its inception, well into the 20th century. This revolver is in .38 Colt. Especially valuable, often going for well over $10,000, are the OWA (Orville Wood Ainsworth) and the rare Henry Nettleton inspected Single Action Army Colts. It was manufactured from 1861 through to circa 1873 in a serial range from 1 through to approx. A. Uberti Firearms 1873 Cat Bird Head 45 Colt Revolver 344691. In 1895–1896, the U.S. federal government returned 2000 SAA revolvers to Colt to be refurbished; 800 were issued to the New York Militia with the ​7 1⁄2-inch barrel and 1,200 were altered to a barrel length of ​5 1⁄2 inches. Very nice gun with 95% of the original finish. The serial number for this series started at S02001A and continued to use the "S" prefix and "A" suffix to 2009. [29] Drawn back about half way, the hammer engages the second notch. [19] The most common calibers were .32-20, .38-40, .45 Colt, .44-40, .41 Colt, and the British calibers .450 Eley and .455 Eley. Only 1,900 Colt .44 rimfire revolvers were built. It was designated "Revolver Cartridge" and loaded with 28 grains of black powder and a bullet of 230 grain. Sell your 1860 Colt revolver for FREE today on GunsAmerica! The trigger and revolving mechanism were based on the same design as previous Colt revolvers, the well-improved cap & ball percussion guns that made the Colt's company prestige status. Nice sharp gun with clear markings. [2][3][4], Bound by the Rollin White patent (#12,648, April 3, 1855) and not wanting to pay a royalty fee to Smith & Wesson, Colt could not begin development of bored-through revolver cylinders for metallic cartridge use until April 4, 1869. Some commercial and custom revolvers and single-shot pistols (such as the Ruger Blackhawk, T/C Contender and others) employ high-pressure loads that are dangerous in the Single Action Army and other vintage arms chambered for the .45 Colt cartridge, especially 19th-century "pre-smokeless" revolvers, which should be fired (if at all) with black powder only. No Colt revolver has earned greater fame than the single action army - The Peacemaker. The replica revolver differs in one aspect, a safety has been placed on the hammer.