1881 Colt Single Action Army...

T

TheRaskalKing

New member
Hey all,

I have an 1881 Colt SAA revolver in decent condition and I'm wondering what it's worth. Also, I'm not at all sure if it is in firing condition, as it has been sitting for a very long time. Other than loading it up and taking it to the range, is there a decent way to tell?

I'll put pictures up in a minute. Thanks in advance!
 
Do the pieces match? butt of pistol, and the two numbers forward the trigger guard on the bottom?

If it matches, its fairly valuable IMO. It looks to be the original 7.5 in barrel length. Does it have any "US" markings?
 
Possible (Probable) that it's a black powder only frame, meaning no smokeless. At least until it's professionally confirmed otherwise do not shoot smokelss thru it.

Caliber and serial number would be a help in really nailing it down.

Mods ought to move this to the research forum, where more expertise awaits.



Willie

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Definitely a black powder frame. Original barrel length, parts appear to match, unusual caliber as well.

I'm not an expert on these but...it wouldn't surprise me if that's a $5,000 gun. Or more.
 
I can't seem to pick out the caliber. ??

$5000 is probably high for anything in that condition, which is probably NRA Antique Good or Very Good (would need lots better pics), but it's not of insignificant value either. This is a thing to have carefully evaluated by someone who knows them (meaning NOT the local gun store). Looks like a lovely old lady.


Willie


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Always, always, get a letter from Colt with whatever history they have on your gun. A lot of the time it adds very little to the value of the gun but I have seen the value of a Colt SAA go up by 10 times because of who ordered the gun or where it was sent. Years ago a gun was documented as having been ordered by Bat Masterson, it went from being a $1000 to being a $50,000 gun. The odds are against you but you never know.
 
Check with the Utah Gun Collector's Association, they have a website.
Should be somebody there who could direct you to an accurate local appraisal in person.
Your photos can't do that here.
Denis
 
Well, some good photos might help, but those are about worthless.

Jim March, out of curiosity, how do you know it is an unusual caliber; were you able to work on the photos?

The long barrel and wood stocks point to a military gun but it would have to be .45 caliber. (The absence of the U.S. could mean it was ground off; I have seen ones where that was done, just as the "United States Property" was removed from "liberated" GI auto pistols.)

Jim
 
Huh. My bad. I was reading too quickly and somehow got the idea the gun was a .41Colt. Damned if I know why...I haven't slept right at all in over a week due to a pulled muscle in my chest :(.

Sorry. Yeah, it's a .45LC based on the chamber sizes. Still possibly a very valuable gun.
 
In Photo2.jpg (first of the second batch), there appears to be a sort of scuffed area where the U.S. marking would be. Wood one-piece grips don't mean much with a 5-digit serial number, since they were pretty much standard for about the first 10 years of production.

Jim
 
Yeah, sorry the pics are pretty terrible, I took them quickly with a cell phone. It is chambered in .45(long colt?), notated on the trigger guard. I'll try and get some better pics up sometime soon. Thanks for your thoughts! I'll definitely do a little more in-person research, but TFL members are always a great place to start.
 
I can't imagine someone scuffing OUT a US marking as it would only make it that much more valuable with it, though I'm sure it has happened. As it is, I'm with Jim March on this one. An unmodified, numbers matching and unabused example of early first gen can be quite valuable in its own right. $2500-7500. Any special provenance beyond just a basic SAA, add even more, depending. Being in good but not stellar cosmetic shape, I'd tend toward the $2500-3500 end of that range, again absent any other special aspects. I would not shoot it, blackpowder or not. A careful cleaning by a professional SAA-savvy smith would not diminish value - I would think. And, I agree, a Colt letter is a must for this type.
 
I can't imagine someone scuffing OUT a US marking as it would only make it that much more valuable with it, though I'm sure it has happened.
Click to expand...

The idea here is that people removed the "US" or "US PROPERTY" (for 1911, S&W 1917, etc) markings when the gun was new/modern out of fear of prosecution, not 5 or 6 years ago when defacing markings would lower the value.
 
Winchester_73 said:
" The idea here is that people removed the "US" or "US PROPERTY" (for 1911, S&W 1917, etc) markings when the gun was new/modern out of fear of prosecution, not 5 or 6 years ago when defacing markings would lower the value."

Good observation. That'd give it a potentially valuable--or at least interesting-- provenance all its own!
 
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