45 center fire Benét inside primed “Colt’s Revolver Cartridges” loaded with 30 grains of black powder and an inside lubricated bullet of 250 grain. With the adoption of the Colt Single Action Army revolver in 1873, the service cartridges were Copper cased.
After the tests, the Colt was declared the superior revolver and the government specified that a. 44 American was the cartridge used in the 1000 Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolvers issued to the troops. 44 American caliber for the 1872 government trials, as the. The first Colt Single Action Army revolvers were manufactured in. The revolvers remained essentially unchanged from that point until cessation of manufacture at the beginning of World War I. In 1920, larger, highly visible sights replaced the original thin blade and notch.
In 1896, at serial number 164,100, a spring loaded 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. The front sight consisted of a base with an interchangeable blade. Colt manufactured 914 of these revolvers with a frame which was flat on the top and fitted with an adjustable leaf rear sight. 1 to 1,863.Ī "Flattop Target Model" was listed in Colt's catalogs from 1890 to 1898. 44 rimfire Henry caliber in a separate number range from no.
There was also a variant with a sub 4" barrel, without an ejector rod unofficially referred to as the "Sheriff's Model", "Banker's Special", or "Storekeeper.įrom 1875 until 1880 Colt marketed a Single Action revolver in the. The shorter barreled revolvers are sometimes called the "Civilian" or "Gunfighter" model (4¾") and the Artillery Model (5½"). The Single Action Army became available in standard barrel lengths of 4¾", 5½" as well as the Cavalry standard, original 7½". 45 Colt cartridge had entered service and the remaining revolvers were sold in the civil market. 16,000 was reached 12,500 Colt Single Action Army revolvers chambered for the. 38 Long Colt caliber Colt Model 1892, a double action revolver with swing-out cylinder. The Colt quickly gained favor over the S&W and remained the primary US military sidearm until 1892 when it was replaced by the. The Colt Single Action Army revolver (along with the 18 Smith and Wesson Model 3 ("Schofield") revolvers replaced the Colt 1860 Army Percussion revolver.
Relative to period cartridges and most later handgun rounds, it was quite powerful in its full loading. 45 Colt cartridge was of center fire design containing charges of up to 40 grains (2.6 g) of fine grained black powder and a 255-grain (16.5 g) blunt round nosed bullet. The very first production Single Action Army, serial number 1, thought lost for many years after its production was found in a barn in Nashua, New Hampshire in the early 1900s. Its original moniker was the "New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol". The Colt Single Action Army was designed for the United States government service revolver trials of 1873 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and adopted as the standard military service revolver. Its design has influenced the production of numerous other models from other companies.īound by the Rollin White patent (#12,648, April 3, 1855) and not wanting to pay a royalty fee to Smith & Wesson, Colt could not begin development of bored-through revolver cylinders for metallic cartridge use until April 4, 1869. The revolver was popular with ranchers, lawmen, and outlaws alike, but current models are mostly bought by collectors, shooters participating in Cowboy Action Shooting and re-enactors. Colt has discontinued its production twice, but brought it back due to popular demand. Its overall appearance has remained consistent since 1873. The Colt Single Action Army has been offered in over 30 different calibers and various barrel lengths. It is perhaps the most copied, fraudulently modified to replicate an original Colt SAA, than any other revolver made. 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 (also known as the Model P, Peacemaker, M1873, Single Action Army, SAA, ) is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges.