The above image shows the Indian repair to a lost screw, a saddle rivet was used.

COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY, U.S., "AINSWORTH" .45, SERIAL No. 1353X

According the the text, " A Study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver", by Graham, Kopec & Moore, this revolver is shown on Page 6, as being shipped on September 10, 1874, in a batch of 31 revolvers., to the U.S. Government. During the period of 1874 - 1877 there arose a great conflict between the Nez Perce Indians, and the U.S. Government. There were several running battles in 1875 and 1876, where the pistol could easily have fallen into Nez Perce hands. General O.O. Howard was in charge, but Col. John Gibbon, was in the field chasing the Nez Perce. The war reached it's conclusion at the "Big Hole" Battle in  August 1877. Chief Joseph and his Nez Perce "made the big fight". It went badly for the Indians, and Chief Joseph, took what was left escaped toward Canada. Unfortunately on October 5, 1877, within sight of Canada, Chief Joseph gave up stating, "from where the Sun now stands, I will fight no more forever". This relic just recently came available after more than 60 years in the same family. It was discovered/found ON THE BIG HOLE Battlefield in the 1920's. It has been the subject of much interest dating back to January of 1979, when at the time, Mr. H.C. Logan, contributing editor to "The American Rifleman" discussed the Colt.

This Colt still has matching Serial Numbers, and ALL the "A"& P's are visible, only some more so than others. The metal is a dark black, almost like the color of coal. The metal is "flaking" in layers, rather than deep pitting erosion. The barrel has been cut to just shy of 5-1/2 inches, and re-sighted by Indians. What you see in the images is what is there, the rest is missing, undoubtedly removed by the Indian owner( referring to the ejector assembly). The rest is lost to the ages, spring, grips etc...The cylinder is an Ainsworth, but the 4 digits do not match the other 4 Serial No. locations, which are uniform. BUT it's quite obvious, the cylinder swap took place in  1875 or there about, as the surface is TOTALLY uniform. Along with this Colt comes original documents, and historical literature, plus the original string tag identifying the Colt. A fascinating Colt relic, with DEEP and Historical connotations to the Nez Perce, the U.S. cavalry, and the Indian Wars. PRICE $4,500 

The Image clearly shows the "U.S.", plus how the metal is almost black, and eroding in layers.

COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY, .45 "CLASSIC LOOK"

Serial No. 10261X, has the "Classic Look", with the long barrel, and one piece Walnut grips. All screw heads have perfect slots, showing that this colt received proper care over a 124 year period. The Factory applied markings, and work, such as:

• Frame Patents
• Barrel Address
• Trigger Guard caliber marking
• Serial numbers ( all Matching, including cylinder)
• Hammer checkering

are all, crisp, sharp, and clearly visible. There is a very high percentage of case hardening colors remaining, and clearly visible on the frame, along with some silvering of the case colors. The blue finish has darkened, and turned a somewhat plum patina color, and is a smooth surface throughout. The Walnut grips are very fine, and have a beautiful lustrous patina, with only a minor blemish on the inside left toe of the grip. The mechanical action is perfect in every aspect, with each and every cocking of the revolver. It locks tight, and is perfectly indexed each time. ALL parts are original to the revolver, including the cylinder pin.. A solid example of an early long barrel Black Powder Colt Single Action. PRICE $ 5,875

COLT FACTORY LETTER

Serial No. 15313X, comes with a Colt Factory letter, showing a definite shipping location for "going west".  This Colt Frontier Six Shooter, has the Roll Die caliber designation on the  4-3/4 inch barrel. The overall finish is a smooth metal, with an excellent and pleasing gray/plum patina. There are traces of blue in the hidden and protected areas. The hammer shows faint, but definite case hardening colors, and the trigger shows traces of fire blue. The frame patents, and Colt logo are clear and present, and very legible. This also is the case with the CFSS barrel address, and Company barrel address on top the barrel. All Serial Numbers are matching, and all parts are original to the revolver. The mechanical action is crisp and exact, each and every time the revolver is cocked. It also locks tight, and indexes perfectly. This is a very pleasing example of a Black Powder short barrel .44/40, that went West. PRICE $3,750

COLT MODEL 1877 DA, .41, SIX INCH, IN ORIGINAL FACTORY CARTON, WITH HARTLEY & GRAHAM PRESENTATION SILVER PLAQUES / FACTORY LETTER FOR HARTLEY & GRAHAM 1883

Serial Number 4167X is a RARE and Historic representative of a Life Long Friendship on the Old Frontier. A friendship forged before Wm. F. Cody was the great showman, at the time he was on the lonely frontier doing battle with Cheyenne "Dog Soldiers", and soon to make his reputation in battle. Cody was a "man of his times", into whiskey, and GAMBLING. While stationed at Fort Sedgwick, he was deeply into Horse Racing! In fact, he named his nearly unbeatable horse Tall Bull, in honor of the Cheyenne" Dog Soldier" Chief recently killed in battle. Reub Wood who was the Post Trader, ran "The Book " for Cody, taking and covering all bets on the horse races. In the most famous race, Cody's Tall Bull ran against Powder Face, the horse of Capt. Lute North. Quoting Cody, "Reub Wood bantered me for side bets, and I took them all, until I had put up my last cent on Tall Bull". Thus passed the time at Fort Sedgwick! Observing the PERFECTLY INLAID SILVER plaques, the work of Hartley & Graham ( as witnessed on the inside of the grips, and the installation technique) "From Reub to Col", the other side"Death on Dogs". This term death on dogs, refers to Cheyenne Dog soldiers, the sworn enemy of Cody and Wood. The .41 Thunderer has about 98% of all the original nickel plating, and 99% of all the fire blue on the hammer and trigger reverse. It shows great care and preservation. The MECHANICAL actions of both Single Action firing, and Double Action firing function perfectly!! The checkered hard rubber grips are perfect, and the silver plaques are in perfect order and condition. The original box shows dirt and storage wear on the lid, BUT all parts are there and original. It even contains the original "L" tool and cleaning rod. All Colt applied markings, such as barrel address, frame patents, are clear and present. MOST Important, the acid etched barrel panel is PERFECT. This would have been presented to Cody just after starting his Wild West Show, no doubt good wishes from Reub Wood, and a remembrance from Old Ft. Sedgwick days! This also comes with many pages of historical text, documenting the background, and the Factory Letter. A unique and limited Collector opportunity! PRICE $32,500

The Model of 1877 was Colt's first Double Action revolver, introduced in 1877. It was available in several calibers: .38 Colt, .41 Colt, and even .32 Colt, and offered in various barrel lengths. Barrel lengths under 4&1/2 inches had no ejector, and barrel lengths exceeding 4&1/2 inches, had ejector housings. Early on, and thought to have been started by Kittridge & Co, in Cincinnati, Ohio, marketing names came about : The Lightning in .38, The Thunderer in .41, and The Rainmaker in .32. This example, Serial No. 318XX, has the 3&1/2 inch barrel, sometimes called the  "Store Keepers " Model. It is in 99.99% original factory condition, with only a petite area on the cylinder exhibiting some nickel loss. However, the Colt is so new in condition, the metal in the area of loss is bright white, allowing for no image of lost nickel. The Etched Panel on the barrel is PERFECT, as are all factory applied roll dies, for barrel address, and frame patent dates.

Please note the original amount of BRIGHT fire blue remaining on the trigger, hammer back, and screw heads. The Model of 1877 comes in it's ORIGINAL Colt Factory carton, with near perfect " Pink " graphics on the lid. The carton has all it's sides etc... there are NO missing parts to the carton. The label has seen some scarping or peeling damage over the years on the left edge, and a small portion of the graphics are lost. However, the label lid 95% perfect, with bright original colors, that have NOT been dirtied, or faded over the years since 1881. It is interesting to note, that the selling dealer, has marked out .38, and written .41 in ancient black ink, and on the bottom of the box, written in pencil, and all but faded away, you can see the following words: "Exchanged, with, and 3-1/2", the rest is too light to correctly state what it says.

The operating mechanics of this DA .41 operate PERFECTLY, on all modes of use: loading, cocking ( both DA and Single Action ) , indexing, and firing. The checkered hard rubber grips are perfect, as the day they were put on the revolver. If you want the VERY BEST in a Model of 1877, in the ORIGINAL FACTORY CARTON, this is the one !  PRICE $6,950

This is a very interesting Navy revolver. On page 127, of " The Book of Colt Firearms", by R.Q. Sutherland, it gives the Serial Range for these rare revolvers. This specimen, Serial No. 6226X, falls correctly into the range of numbers. These revolvers are sometimes referred to as " Black Fitted", regarding the absence of the brass trigger guard, and back strap. This Navy is of the 1856 production, and it has been in one location since leaving Hartford. This '51 has been in South Carolina, and comes with it's original Military Flap holster, which has been altered by removing the flap. In examining the holster, you can see the color was brown, not black. Brown was typical to CSA holsters, so is the style. Considering that S.C. was first to secede from the Union, there is no doubt, that in some capacity, this '51 navy is associated with Civil War, and the Confederacy. Today, the once blue finish has darkened in many places to a deep plum/blue patina. The overall revolver, is a dark gray patina, with darkened blue areas. The Walnut grips still have about 75-80% of their original varnish. All Colt applied roll die markings such as:

• Barrel address
• frame patent
• cylinder scene, you can see the Engaged 16 May1843, plus the very faint, Engraved by W.L.Ormsby, NewYork, under the cylinder patent line
• all serial numbers are clear and distinct, and ALL parts are serial matched to the Navy, even the wedge.

All mechanical aspects function perfectly, through all phases of loading, cocking, indexing, and firing. All screw heads are crisp, and free from "buggering". In addition, the butt of the revolver has been either NY engraved, or factory engraved, with the initials JTG.

An excellent opportunity for the collector to obtain a RARE and SCARCE variation of the '51 Navy revolver, and without doubt a definite association to the south , before, during, and after the great conflict.  PRICE $4,850SOLD

Colt introduced the New Police Model in 1896, and it was given an immediate endorsement by Teddy Roosevelt, who as Police Commissioner, ordered them for the NYPD. It was a significant development for Colt, in the fact it was a small Pocket Pistol, of .32 caliber. This example, Serial No. 115XX, is chambered for the Colt .32 long or short caliber, and is marked Colt DA 32 on the left side of the 4 inch barrel. About 85% of the original nickel plating remains, with all the loss on and around the grip area. The barrel, frame, and cylinder are almost 100% coverage. The screw heads retain almost all their Fire Blue finish, as well as the trigger. The crowning feature of this revolver are the Carved Steer Head Pearl grips.  The nose on the steer stands almost 3/8 of an inch high! The grips are in perfect condition, and exhibit beautiful fire and color, and the patina of age. Even the ruby eyes are still intact.

 All factory applied markings are clear: barrel address/patent dates, frame marking/ encircled Rampant Colt/ and the caliber designation on left side of barrel. The mechanical actions of the swing-out cylinder, unloading spent cartridges, and then loading, plus the cocking action ( single and double ) all function perfectly. A RARE configuration for this important Colt! PRICE $1,850

COLT MODEL 1878 DA .45 FRONTIER REVOLVER

This Model was introduced in 1878 following the success of the 1877 DA revolver, commonly known as " The Lightning "or Thunderer. This was a " beefed up " version, for the large frontier calibers of 44, and .45, although it could be had in 38/40, or 32/20. THE FIRST MODELS HAD A LARGE GRIP, only the 1st 5,000, then the grip size was reduced, for the remainder of production.  This became known to collectors as the " Fat Grip". Serial No. 497X , is one of those early production models. In addition, it has HARD RUBBER GRIPS ! ALMOST ALL the Fat Grips were checkered Walnut.. this is VERY RARE for the grips. Also, most of the early models were in British calibers, this one is a .45 Colt caliber. The 1878 has about 10 -12% of the original nickel plated finish, the balance is a gray patina. The important grips are in perfect condition ! All applied factory markings, such as barrel address etc.. are clear and well defined. The firing action modes, both single and double function perfectly. There is considerable fire blue remaining on the trigger, and hammer reverse. An exceptionally scarce model for the collector of Frontier revolvers !  PRICE $2,600