Interesting find yesterday

H

highpower3006

New member
I have been looking for another Colt single action to replace the one I traded off a couple of years ago, but have been unwilling to pay the Colt premium. What I wanted was a shooter grade gun that I wouldn't feel bad about carrying around in a holster all day.

So, I was in a LGS yesterday and came upon this Colt SAA that basically ticked off all the boxes I was looking for except one. Now normally I don't hesitate and I will purchase a firearm that interests me on the spot, but for some reason I went home to think about this one. Well, fate stepped in this morning and I noticed that the stimulus money had arrived in my bank account, so taking it as a sign, I was at the store when they opened and picked it up. I was able to negotiate them down a bit so I feel satisfied that I got it at a decent enough price, think used Vaquero money.

What I got was a 2nd gen Colt SAA 125th Anniversary model in .45 Colt. My research shows that these were made in 1961, making it an early second gen gun. It must have been used by a cowboy shooter as it has oodles of holster wear and a very, very nice trigger. This model is a bit gaudier than I normally like, but the gold plating has largely worn off the areas that got the most handling so that mitigates some of the pimped out look.

The main downside for me is that it has a 7 1/2 inch barrel which is a bit longer than I like. I have located a couple of 5 1/2 inch barrels for reasonable prices, I just have to decide if it is worth it to me to change it out. Besides just leaving it alone and shooting it as-is, my other option is to send it off to Turnbull and have it refinished to look like a regular SAA should look like.

Anyway here is my latest beauty (?) in all it's glory....

IMG_9968_Fotor-L.jpg


IMG_9970_Fotor-L.jpg


IMG_9972_Fotor-L.jpg


IMG_9974_Fotor-L.jpg
 
It does seem strange that these commemoratives usually tend to sell for less than a standard single action Colt. It's much the same with all the myriad of Winchester Model 94 commemoratives, the only one that seemed to have any value over a standard M94 of the same era was the John Wayne version. Of course with the current madness, it seems the sky's the limit when it comes to what people will pay for firearms. I am glad that this Colt was priced fairly and I was in a position to buy it.

I am waffling between doing the smart thing and leaving it alone, or changing out the barrel for a 5 1/2" one along with replacing the pimped out parts for standard blued ones. Of course I would keep the bits I take off so if I decide that I want to put it back to the way it was, I could.

Decisions, decisions..........
 
The main downside for me is that it has a 7 1/2 inch barrel which is a bit longer than I like.
Click to expand...
I think you will find that the longer barrel is much better for shooting at Indians from horse back. :) Darn nice gun.
 
When I got into CAS, I was able to trade a European automatic for a 7.5" Colt .44 Special for which I had a .44-40 cylinder fitted to match my Winchester.

It shot well but it wasn't kewl, so I had a 4.75" barrel put on.
Unfortunately, it was all looks. I was not as accurate with it - CAS ranges were longer in those days - and it did not shoot 200 gr WCFs to the same POI as 240 gr Specials. So I had the 7.5" put back on. User accuracy was better and the two rounds shot close enough on a steel plate for interchangeability.
 
Cosmetic stuff is easily fixed. The 7 1/2 inch barrel is cavalry length. You need a sabre. snicker.
Before you do anything though you should probably look into the current value of the Anniversary model. One of 'em with much less wear on the gold coloured finish(doesn't seem to be gold plate) but with missing screws sold for $1100 on proxibid.com. No date given. Site says "7,390 of these revolvers were made in 1961."
 
I figure I did okay on this one as I got it for under a grand. My research also says that 7000 + were made with this one manufactured near the end of the run. Before I do anything to it, I am going to dig some ammo out of the stash and see how it shoots. It may very well be that if it’s a tack driver I will leave it alone.
 
Of course the plating is gold plate. Brass tarnishes and doesn't look like gold.
Why does't it "seem" to be gold? What else would it be?
 
That is a really nice gun! I prefer the 7 1/2" barrel. You should at least shoot it and carry it awhile before changing anything on it.
 
Have the same shooter grade commemorative in same barrel length, have several 1st and 2nd Generations and this one is the best shooter. Don't change a thing just shoot and enjoy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top