Need info on old 45 Colt Please

R

Reklobe

Inactive
Hello. I recently inherited what I am surmising to be a Colt Single Action Army 45. Pictures below. It is in amazing condition. I found a serial number search online that leads me to believe it is from 1875-1876. I remember shooting it as a kid (with special rounds I believe) with my father and grandfather. Unfortunately, my father passed before I could ask him more about the gun so unfortunately I don't know any more about it other than we have had it for at least (now) 3 generations. Pretty cool.

Can anyone knowledgable shed some light on it? Mainly,:

1. Am I correct on the make/model?
2. Am I correct on the year?
3. Any idea on the value?
4. Lastly, I would like to shoot it if possible without damaging it. Like I said, I remember shooting it 20+ years ago with a special type of bullet we had to track down...light load, etc. It is in good shape and functions fine. Someone told me that if it looks/acts OK I should be able to gently put some 45 Colt through it (I saw some Buffalo Bore standard pressure's in the store that said works on ANYTHING in good shape that takes 45 colt. No hot loads here.) Honestly, I would probably just shoot a couple times for nostalgia then lay it up. Is this OK or am I risking damage to it or myself?

Thanks for the help!
 

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It looks like a black-powder Colt that's been refinished.
I have a first-gen Frontier Six Shooter that I used to shoot occasionally with factory ammo, but over the last twenty years it's been only black-powder handloads.
Any time you shoot a 100+ year old gun there's a chance that you'll break a part, and perhaps even a chance of catastrophic failure resulting in injury to the shooter.
The gun doesn't really have any "collector value", based on the refinish, but it's probably worth more than a new Italian knock-off to someone who is more interested in old-west artifacts than in shooting.
 
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Welcome to TFL !

Yep, refinished & restocked/regripped, with finish wear on the sharp edges and a turn line on the cylinder - aka: a shooter.

Since it's a BP frame, I'd stick to Cowboy-type low-power loads & stay away from the Buffalo Bore stuff - even though BB claims it's good for any .45 in good shape, I would presume they mean modern .45's, as there's not a whole lot of BP .45's around anymore.

It's your gun, but if it was mine, I sure wouldn't want to shoot it loose (or worse).


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Yes, it is a genuine Colt SAA of the 1876 period. As others have said, it has been refinished (it might have been rusted at one time) and that has reduced the value considerably, but that does not mean it has no value. Even in that condition, it would probably bring in the $2000-3000 range at auction, perhaps more.

Any documented connection with the "old West" or with any previous owner (even if not anyone noted or notorious) could increase the value significantly.

Jim
 
I googled "colt single action serial", and it looks like 1875 (20,000 range?).
The guns were largely finished (polished) while assembled, so you will see no gaps between the grip straps and frame, or between the loading gate and frame. Telltale evidence of refinishing is edges that are rolled from being polished while disassembled. Also, most SAA had casehardened frames, while the pictured gun appears to be blued overall.
 
Just a thought, from the 3rd picture, does the front sight look like it has been altered??

I've looked many of these old horse pistols over at shops and gun shows (and shot more than a couple) and I don't recall seeing a front sight like that. I'm no SAA expert, but I thought they had more of a rounded profile during that era.

Just curious, I may be wrong (probably am, lol).

Paperhsotshells
 
Yes, the front sight has been replaced at some point. Not a really big deal; it could be restored to the original shape.

Jim
 
The barrel taper does not look right to me. It might be an effect of the square sight blade. What is the length and do any markings remain?

The front guard screw is not right. We can only hope it is the right thread.
 
So much good info! I am attaching more pics. The front sight is squarish.

On the bottom of the gun and on the trigger assembly, I see 29476 (serial number?).

On the side, I see Pat.Sept.19.1871 Pat.July.2.1872.
On the cylinder I see (**476, hard to read). On the opener for the cylinder I see 2876.
 

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More pics
 

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Something of that vintage(and so horribly treated)

Deserves to be restored to original condition. Google 'Peacemaker Specialist' and 'Turnbull Manufacturing'. They both specialize in restoring old Colts to 'factory new' condition. It won't be cheap, but it will be something that will be passed down to a favorite grandchild.
 
IMHO, that revolver is beyond normal restoration. The cylinder notches are so badly worn that the cylinder would have to be replaced. I don't think it would be cost effective to spend a couple of thousand dollars to restore a gun which could be worth less than that afterwards.

Jim
 
Not every gun has to be a museum piece.
It still has plenty of value, both as a family heirloom and as a lower grade collectible, or even as an occasional shooter.
There's plenty of folks who would like to have it, just as it is.
 
One of our cowboy shooters had a friend drop by to watch one of our matches; he brought along a US-marked 1873 Colt that his father had given him.

Several of our guys who shoot .45 caliber offered him some of their modestly loaded match ammo to try but the real kick was that a friend of mine gave him some black powder cartridges. I think the owner of that gun was transported back in time for a little bit when he was shooting those black powder loads.
 
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