Colt uses a series of numbers and letters in the serial numbers, each denoting a different aspect of the firearm, but knowing what each prefix, numeral, and suffix means can be confusing for first-time serial number readers and even experienced Colt owners alike.
colt 45 single action revolver serial numbers
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Ruger does not necessarily produce firearms in serial number order. There are occasions when blocks of serial numbers have been manufactured out of sequence, sometimes years later. Also, within a model family the same serial number prefix may be used to produce a variety of different models, all in the same block of serial numbers. And in some cases, firearms may be stored for a length of time before they are shipped.
For serial numbers manufactured prior to our electronic records, or for an official letter confirming the details on your firearm please download and mail in the Request for Letter of Authenticity form.
I have a single action army .45 colt, it has no serial number. it has single action army .45 on the left side of the barrel and on the right side has sussex armoury and i think the colt was black but now its an iron colour and wooden grip and very heavy any iders about when the gun is from ???????????
From top to bottom:RevolverPost 1873Colt model 1873 single action army. Serial number 73145. Caliber .45Steel, wood. L 27, W 13.5Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, GRKO 331RevolverPost 1877Colt model 1877. "Lightening" double action. Serial number "164704". Caliber .38Steel, rubber. L 23.5, W 12Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, GRKO 468RevolverPost 1849Colt model 1849 revolver. Serial number "226453".Steel, wood. L 26, W 11Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, GRKO 469
The Colt Single Action Army (also known as the Colt Peacemaker, Single Action Army, SAA, Model P and Colt 45) is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six rounds, though lacking a safety switch normally only five rounds were kept chambered by the user. It was designed for the US government service revolver trials of 1873 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, today Colt's Manufacturing Company, and adopted as the standard military service revolver until 1892.
The Colt Single Action Army revolver replaced the Colt 1860 Army Percussion revolver and remained the primary US military sidearm until 1892 when it was replaced by the .38 Long Colt caliber Colt Model 1892, a double action revolver with swing-out cylinder. By the end of 1874, serial no. 16,000 was reached; 12,500 Colt Single Action Army revolvers chambered for the .45 Colt cartridge had entered service and the remaining revolvers were sold in the civil market.
In 1896, at serial number 164,100, a springloaded base pin latch replaced the cylinder pin retaining screw and by 1900, at serial number 192,000, the Colt Single Action was certified for use with smokeless powder. In 1920, larger, highly visible sights replaced the original thin blade and notch. The revolvers remained essentially unchanged from that point until cessation of manufacture at the beginning of World War II.
The current version of the 45 Colt differs from the original cartridge case in that the rim is significantly larger (with a groove immediately above it) and the internal aspect of the primer pocket is surrounded by solid brass instead of protruding into the powder chamber. This "solid head" case is stronger and resists deformation of the primer pocket. 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) only with black powder or light smokeless loads.
By 1878 the Colt SAA was being offered from the factory in additional calibers for civilian and foreign military sales. Many were sold in .44-40 Winchester Center Fire (WCF), introduced in 1878 to allow cross-compatibility with the Winchester '73 lever action rifle; this model was called the "Colt Frontier Six-Shooter" which was etched and later roll-stamped on the left side of the barrel. Additional period calibers for the SAA included .38-40 Winchester (38 WCF) introduced in 1884, the .32-20 Winchester (32 WCF) introduced in 1884, the .41 Colt introduced in 1885, the .38 Long Colt in 1887, the .38 Special and the .357 Magnum in the 20th Century. Some of the separately-serialized .44 Henry rimfire revolvers were rechambered to .22 rimfire after 1885. The SAA at one time or another was offered in dozens of calibers from .22 rimfire to .476 Eley, though the .45 Colt has always been the most common. A scaled-down .22 rimfire version called the Scout or Frontier Scout was available in the late 20th Century.
The Single Action Army action is a refinement of the earlier Colt percussion revolvers and the Colt 1871 cartridge revolver. The cylinder is mounted on a central axis and operated by a hand with a double finger whose more extended action allowed the cylinder-ratchet to be cut in a larger circle, giving more torsional force to the cylinder. Three notches on the face of the hammer engage the sear portion of the trigger, affording four basic hammer positions. The hammer when fully lowered rests within the frame. Drawn slightly to the rear, the hammer engages the safety notch of the sear and holds the firing pin out of direct contact with a chambered cartridge. Like the earlier percussion revolvers, the Single Action Army was designed to allow loading of all of the chambers. The safety notch replaced pins on the rear of the percussion revolver cylinders which served the same purpose as the safety position by preventing hammer contact with the primer/percussion cap. However, many users adopted the practice of leaving one empty chamber under the hammer because a sharp blow could damage the mechanism and allow the fully loaded revolver to fire. This practice is now universally recommended. Drawn back about half way, the hammer engages the second notch. This cams the cylinder bolt out of engagement and allows the cylinder to rotate for loading. Fully cocked, the revolver is ready to fire. Cartridge ejection is via the spring-loaded rod housed in a tube on the right side of the barrel.
The Artillery Single Actions were issued to the Infantry, the Light Artillery, the Volunteer Cavalry and other troops because the standard issue .38 caliber Colt M 1892 double-action revolver was lacking stopping-power. For that reason, the .45 Artillery SAA Revolvers were used successfully by front troops in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders charged up San Juan Hill wielding the 45 cal. Artillery Model.
In the last half of the 19th Century it was very common for an individual to own a long gun (rifle or carbine) and a revolver. The users of the .44-40 Winchester cartridge in the Far West appreciated the convenience of being able to carry a single caliber of ammunition which they could fire in both revolver and rifle. The Colt Frontier Six Shooter Revolver and the Winchester Winchester Model 73 or the Winchester Model 92 in .44-40 WCF caliber were one of the most common combinations seen in "the Old West".
The Bisley mainspring is longer than the SAA mainspring and the two are not interchangeable; it is attached to the hammer with a stirrup via a forked upper end. The serial numbers are stamped on the frame, the back strap and the trigger guard strap; at the end of production with tiny dies.
Bisleys were serial numbered in the range of 156300-331916, in the same sequence as the Single Action Army. All Bisleys after No. 161,376 had "BISLEY MODEL" with the caliber stamped on the left side of the barrel, which is rare for older Colt revolvers. The most common calibers were the .32-20, the .38-40, the .45 Colt, the .44-40 the .41 Colt and the British calibers .450 Eley and .455 Eley. A total number of 44,350 were manufactured. The production of the Bisley was terminated in 1912, but the serial No. 331916 was shipped after the 1st World War. Most Bisley Standard Model Revolvers were shipped to a United States address, not for target shooting but for self-defense because the grip and hammer were ideal for fast shooting.
The power, accuracy and handling qualities of the Single Action Army made it a popular sidearm from its inception and well into the 20th century. Such notable old west personalities as Wyatt Earp and William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson favored these revolvers with Earp's elusive and possibly apocryphal "Buntline Special" Colt Buntline gaining fame in the somewhat fictionalized Earp biography, Frontier Marshal, by Stuart N. Lake. An order for a somewhat customized Single Action Army from Masterson remains in the Colt archives. The association with the history of the American West remains to the present century and the revolvers remain popular with shooters and collectors. Famed British adventurer and soldier T. E. Lawrence ("of Arabia") had a special fondness for this weapon because it saved his life during one of his pre-World War I trips to Mesopotamia; he was attacked by an Arab bandit who stole the gun and tried to shoot Lawrence. However, the bandit was unable to fire the weapon because he did not understand the revolver's single-action mechanism. Lawrence thereafter always carried one of these weapons for good luck. US Army General George S. Patton, who began his career in the horse-cavalry, carried a custom-made SAA with ivory grips engraved with his initials and an eagle, which became his trademark. He used it during the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916 to kill two of Pancho Villa's lieutenants, and carried it until his death in 1945 shortly after the end of World War II. 2ff7e9595c
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