Something of interest to add to your little Wilson booklet, and remember - 'Real Cowboys Shoot Colts.'. Colt Single Action Army 2nd Generation .357 Magnum with box. Heres one interesting tidbit: SAA frames, when nickel-plated, have never been hardened. Box 1926, Escondido, CA 92033. It took a while but my eventual remedy was to get a 2nd Generation .45 with 4 barrel as I should have bought in the first place. Starting as early as 1892 but not becoming standard until 1896, Colt changed the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, State Agency: Find the Year of Manufacture. In a family rife with characters, he stood out from the rest. (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. on 2nd Generation SAAs were polished bright on the sides. In fact I cant remember ever seeing either a good-guy or bad-guy with anything but a Peacemaker. Spurred by the popularity of cowboy-action competition, Colt also brought back .32-20 and .38 Special. What is most important, other than caliber, is the Generation. (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. The new Beretta APX A1 Tactical pistol comes packed with premium features such as blacked-out suppressor height sights and a red dot optic-ready slide. Berdan (Russian) Model Rifle Berdan (U.S.) Model Rifle Burgess Lever Action Rifle Colt - Sauer Drilling Generation SAAs. And yes, of course I understand that Helfricht is one of Colts legendary engravers, often in consideration right up there with Nimschke whose style became that of the American West, but what would you say if I told you, that I have had second and third generation Colt Single Action Armys in my hands over the past couple of weeks by contemporary engravers, or even unsigned, that are just as beautiful or even more so than a Helfricht? Second generation sales started out gangbusters, then slowly declined through the 1960s. No purchase necessary. Further identify your revolver as "C" or "F" series. Super .38 ACP About 1994, the SA letters were split and numbers started over again at S00001A. L. Wright Signed, Master Engraved, and Gold Inlaid Colt Third Generation Single Action Army Revolver. The special thing about these 1,200 Colt SAA, Artillery models is that special care was taken to mostly keep their serial numbers in tact (or matching) unlike the second batch of 14,900 Colt SAA revolvers that were sent back for refurbishing between 1896 and 1903. Whether the story is true or not, these 2nd Generation Colts with 12 barrels were labeled Buntline Specials. Police Positive Special Target .22 Short & Long Rifle If the original box that your revolver came in is black cardboard and features Samuel Colt's portrait and signature on the label, then your revolver is the second generation "F" series. State Agency: No purchase necessary. Pocket Positive (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. Colt Single Action Revolvers top. I was looking at mid 2nd gen today and the cylinder number matched the last 3 numbers of serial number. Mail-in entries accepted; send postcards (no envelopes) to: American Handgunner Magazine, GOM May/June 2023, P.O. The .45 Colt is my favorite cartridge. As far as I know, Mr. Collings is still engraving, but he certainly doesnt seem to be an easy man to track down, so you may want to grab up one of his works of art while you can. Very early SAAs feature the cone-style firing pin; the tapered type was a redesign introduced in the 2nd Generation. Menu. Third Generation Colt Single Action Army Serial Numbers, Re: Third Generation Colt Single Action Army Serial Numbers, Quote from: St. George on October 06, 2012, 08:32:29 AM, Quote from: yahoody on July 03, 2014, 01:48:39 AM. NOTE: Colt's website says the phone service is available for first generation SAA's up to the 343,000 serial number range (although mine was slightly higher) and the . The introductory caliber for 3rd Generation SAAs was .45 Colt, but .357 Magnum came along by the end of 1976. The pattern of the ratchet teeth on the rear of the cylinders is different for 1st Gen, 2nd Gen, and 3rd Gen. Serial Number Range. This one really is the British Invasion Colt Single Action Army style. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. Year. Very early SAAs feature the cone-style firing pin; the tapered type was a redesign introduced in the 2nd Generation. No substitutions or transfers to a third party are allowed. 1851 Navy 1851 Navy London 1851 Navy (Modern production) 1860 Army 1861 Navy Colt Walker Fluck Pre 1st Model Dragoon . Give a Gift But I am here to tell you that I have held some truly amazing pieces of art in my hands over the past few weeks, and not all of them were created at the Colt factory. Smith & Wesson is first to create a production revolver in the popular .350 Legend cartridge. As with 1st Generation SAAs, the standard barrel lengths offered (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. Old-Colts 22,702 . Production of the Colt SAA ceased in about 1940, but the gun did see some action in World War II and was carried at times by such notables as Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright, Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Gen. George S. Pattonand for a time by a young Jeff Cooper in the Pacific. Mississippi Deptartment of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks, State Agency: Sheriffs Model Colt SAAs carry nicely under a coat. No purchase necessary. 1907. Giveaway prizes may have evidence of being test fired or exhibit minor handling marks. Sticky 1st Generation Colt SAA Serial Numbers 1873-1940. Most 1st Generation hammers were also case hardened, but toward the end of production they started having bright polished sides. This was not a daunting task. Its such a simple touch that really adds so much style to these two revolvers. There was the Buntline made popular by the Wyatt Earp television show; it was a standard SAA with 12" barrel length. I sometimes carry this revolver in the field and would be comfortable hunting thin-skinned game with the Buffalo Bore loador, if need be, using it for defense against animals. No purchase necessary. For instance, SAAs are known to exist as factory originals with color case-hardened frame, blued barrel and cylinder, and nickel plated grip frame. Shipped from the factory were full silver and gold plated SAAs, plus mixtures of nickel-plated and blued parts. On the other end of the spectrum, came the Sheriffs Model; it had only a 3" barrel but no provision for an ejector rod. Winners will be notified by certified mail on official letterhead. (IV) Winners must undergo a background check (if needed) and comply with all other federal, state and local laws. Ehlers Pistols 4 th & 5 th Model. Sign-up now to get more revolver content every Wednesday! Giveaway prizes may have evidence of being test fired or exhibit minor handling marks. Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless .32 ACP It is important to train in various shooting positions. Once the SA in the serial number splits SXXXXXA in 1993, they continue to get better thru 1999. how to read colt serial numbers. Serial numbers reached somewhere into the 74000SA range by 1974, when Colt shut down SAA manufacture again. Winners will be notified by certified mail on official letterhead. I'd say if the number on your cylinder matches the last three digits of the serial number, it is original to the gun. Obviously, there are almost endless levels of embellishment that can be done to these revolvers, whether its just a set of nice hardwood grips all the way up to 100% coverage master engraving and a set of mammoth ivory grips. Finding answers to specific questions can be very frustrating. ------------------------------ Revolvers ----------------------------- For most serious collectors of Colt Single Action Army Revolvers, their interest stops in 1941 with the end of the first generation. almost immediately. Why is this? There was also a New Frontier version featuring a flattop frame and an adjustable rear sight, as well as a case-hardened frame and blued barrel. During this time there were two broad sub-categories both of which were misnamed and were concerning the cylinders base pin securing latch. The new value of a COLT SAA pistol has fallen ($137.12) dollars over the past 12 months to a price of $2,574.46 . Colt Baby Dragoon Pocket. According to the Manager of the Custom Shop, Colt is making around 200 SAAs per month. There are a couple of factory loads that I keep on hand. The four standard chamberings of the 2nd Generation SAA were (from left) .45 Colt, .44 Special, .357 Magnum and .38 Special. Contest void where prohibited by law. Employees and agents of Publishers Development Corp. are not eligible. On these, the "SA" marking is moved to the front of the serial number. Police Positive, Police Positive Target and Pequano These two Colt Single Action Army revolvers almost make another pair, displaying that wonderful cattle brand style in beautiful gold plating. Contest open to U.S. residents only. In 2nd Generation production, standard finishes were blue/color case-hardened and full nickel-plating. Thanks in advance. At #S26XXXA in 1999 the authentic removable base pin cyl bushing like 1st and 2nd gen guns is re-introduced and cyl end shake is all but eliminated. Ruster; Dec 28, 2017; 14 15 16. If you have an 1851 Navy revolver with a serial number from 4201 to 25099 or a Dragoon numbered 20901 to 25099, then they are "C" Series models. I just checked two 2nd Gen 'fixed sight' Single Action Armies and a 2nd Gen New Frontier. The story goes that Mr. Buntline had Colt make up some special SAAs with extra-long barrels which he then presented to a few frontier peace officers, with Wyatt Earp being one recipient. Replaced cylinder? These types of Colts are widely known as "Artillery" models. Which one are you? Click Here To View List And Links To All Colt Series Articles. Caliber choices were much more restricted in the 2nd Generation production. It is a relative rarity, with a 7.5-inch barrel and nickel plating, and it is chambered to .45 Colt. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. Both of these revolvers bear Bledsoes well hidden signature and really show off this master artisans talent. A total of 2002 each were produced as .45s and .44 WCFs. As with the first run of SAAs the 2nd Generation ones were finished either full nickel-plated or blued with color case hardened frames. 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