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Historic Colt Pistols For Sale

colt pistols for sale

Colt in History

The Colt Single Action Army, also called Colt .45 and the Peacemaker is a single-action revolver holding six cartridges. It was developed for the U. S. government service trials in 1872 and was the standard military service revolver until 1892.

The Colt Single Action Army Revolver was available in 4 ¾”, 5 ½”, and the Cavalry standard 7 ½”. Though Colt has discontinued production twice, popular demand has brought it back each time. Today it is popular among many revolvers for sale among collectors and reenactors. The Colt Single Action Army has been one of the most influential guns in history, influencing the production of other models by other gun manufacturers.

The Single Action Army Revolver was one of the pistols that replaced the Colt 1860 Army Percussion Revolver and ultimately remained in favor until 1892 when it was replaced by the .38 Long Colt, a double action revolver with a swing out cylinder.

Colt next introduced the Colt Frontier Six-Shooter, which was an 1873 Colt Model P type of revolver, chambered in .44-40 Winchester rather than .45 Colt. This design’s ammunition is compatible with the Winchester Model 73, and the same ammunition is used for both pistol and rifle, which increased its popularity. Production of the Colt Frontier began in 1877. Its name was acid etched on the left side of the barrel, until 1889 when it was roll-stamped until 1919 when .44-40 was added.

Popular Owners of Colt

In history, outlaw Jesse James used a pair of Colt Single Action Army .45 Revolvers while his brother Frank used the Colt Model P Percussion. Other famous figures who were diehard fans of the Colt Single Action Army: Bat Masterson who ordered 8 from the factory, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, William Bonney, Pat Garrett, Butch Cassidy, Theodore Roosevelt, George S. Patton, and Ulysses S. Grant.

Colt Today

Today, an all original U. S. Cavalry and Artillery Single Action Army in good condition (produced from 1873 to 1891) are very valuable. The most valuable are those inspected by Orville Wood Ainsworth (stamped OWA) and the even rarer Henry Nettleton (stamped HN) inspected Single Action Army Colts, with the latter two being worth over $10,000 in good condition.

The Single Action Army remains in production and is popular among our pistols in multiple finishes and barrel lengths. It is also offered in six different chamberings for a total of 36 variations.

GrabAGun’s extensive inventory includes the Colt Single Action Army pistols for sale in various lengths, calibers, and models; as well as a large number of other pistols among semi-automatic pistols, revolvers and derringers. Check out what variations GrabAGun has available.

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