Saw this Colt SAA 1873 Serial #493 at the Tulsa Gun Show and couldn’t resist the chance to own a piece of history. This pistol was manufactured under the auspices of Colt’s Orville Ainsworth (as noted by his inspection stamp on the gun) and shipped from the Colt factory in Connecticut to the Springfield Armory in November 1873. It was part of the first shipment to the U.S. Army of 1000 of the newly-adopted SAA 1873 military pistols. From there it was sent to one of the Cavalry units on the frontier then fighting the Indian wars - probably in early 1874.

The new Colt’s .45 cartridge was developed along with SAA 1873. The first military cartridges were ready for shipment from the Frankford Arsenal in late 1873. The pistol is displayed with a box of them dated December, 1873.

That's an incredible piece of history to own! I love old guns like that because you never know who had it or how it was used. A friend of mine who owns a pawn shop had a Winchester 1873 made in 1882 for about two months. I wanted that gun really badly but I just couldn't pay that much for a gun.

I spend a lot of time wondering about that too as I look at some of my older guns Grizz. I also enjoy reading and researching the history of the old guns - particularly from the Old West.

A few years after the Colt 1873 SAA came out, Colt introduced the Frontier Six-Shooter in the same .44 caliber as the Winchester 1873. Cowboys then could use the two best weapons of the time without having to carry two different kinds of ammunition.

So cool in so many ways.
Congratulations!

So,......how does it shoot?

Absolutely great, NP. And if I were rich instead of so stunningly good looking, I'd certainly be collecting similar pieces of history. There's just something about them, when you hold them, point them, and then think: If this piece could talk, what an interesting tale it could tell about where it's been and what it has seen and what scraps it might have been in over the years.

I'm the same way with my Morgan dollars. I can't prove Wyatt Earp bought whiskey with one of them, but no one else can prove he didn't.

I learned that the vast majority of Cavalry SAAs saw hard use and were either lost or later refurbished into shorter-barreled 5 1/4” Artillery models using mismatched parts in the early 1890s.

The very few that survived intact (as this one did) probably either belonged to officers who rarely used them or deserters who stole them.

This one’s action works smoothly and locks tight.

Freaking cool!

That’s awesome!

Curious if you plan to fire it?

I won’t be shooting it since it’s a blackpowder cartridge gun. Smokeless powder didn’t come out until later.

Worth every penny. I have a Frontier from 1881 that passed through a gun shop owned by my wife's family. I often hold it and wonder about the adventures it had while passing through others hands before returning 3 generations later. I know you will be a good steward of this treasure.

Beautiful keeping my eye out for one too love the history

That's a real beauty with a lot of wonderful time period history. Thanks

I love the blackpowder frame Colt 1873s, and yours is incredible. Way to go, NP.

And that's why the Tulsa show is the best. Very Nice NP. Very Nice