1880's Colt SAA .45

[grunt]

The Peacemaker.
The one that scares the wife.
The one my dad told me never to part with,
unless I get another gun of equal or greater value.
This was my grandfather's display pistol.
As a child, he let me slide it in and out of the holster, that was it.
I have been through a lot of forums and came up with so many interpretations of this piece.
The serial is hand stamped and matches on all 3 locations: 55xxx
It was refinished.
The stag grips are not original, but add a ton of character.
First Generation replacement smokeless barrel.
It has a 2nd Gen. cylinder and loading gate.
It may be an old "Bannerman" reworked ex US Military Service SAA
This New Year's Resolution is to get a letter from Colt.

Oh and the compass is a WWI Waltham Military Pocket Watch Style Brass Compass
and the rounds are Western Lubaloys 255grain and also is a stag style, Case pocket knife.
Again all items were owned by my grandfather.

 

[JWhitmore44]

What a great collection to remember your Grandfather.

 

[Skook1]

Hey Grunt,
That's a great looking little piece of history there. It makes you think you are looking at a newer model until you notice the blackpowder frame. I especially like the copper toned 45 rounds and that old brass compass. Looks like "gramps" new how to take care of himself when following the road less traveled.
Definitely keep that gear in the family!
Russ

 

[Sam Summey]

A family legacy.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

Awesome. I once owned an 1888 Colt SAA .45x7.5", can't remember why I sold or traded it but it was a dumb move. And mine didn't have any family history, not my family, anyway. Thanks for sharing that. Maybe my grandkids will display my flattop .44s that way some day, and say "Pop said never to get rid of this one."

 

[Mike Armstrong]

Be interesting if your factory letter showed this one was a cavalry issued Colt from the Indian Wars, or an "Artillery Model" that had been at San Juan Hill! It could even be BOTH! By the way, does it have a "US" on the frame?

 

[Joe S.]

Why does it scare the wife??

 

[WendyZXZ]

That is a beautiful pistol!

 

[Thumbcocker]

I am sure your Grandfather would be welcome here and that he would be proud that you appreciated his Colt.

 

[any ruger]

I hope someday one of my grandkids will be able to post a picture of one of my Rugers .

 

[powder smoke]

Drooled all over my key board! Very nice. ps

 

[grunt]

Why does it scare the wife??

hey Joe,

She actually thinks it is pretty neat being over a century old.
But the large .40 and .45 calibers intimidate her.
She has very small hands and before we married she had never shot a firearm.
Her first time shooting was with my .40 and was not comfortable with it hopping all over the place. Since then, I have taught her how to hold it and keep the wrist tight but the weight and the large grip is just to much for her to wield and kinda takes the fun out of shooting it for her.

Also I'd like to thank every one else for the nice comments.

Mike,
I don't see a U.S. stamp, but the refinishing almost hides the patent stamp, so who knows. The letter from colt will answer (hopefully) some questions.

Once at the range, I rented a Wilson .45 and that was about the only time I considered trading it in. :lol:

 

[Bob Wright]

Beautiful photo!

But please remove one round.

Bob Wright

 

[Bob Wright]

For whatever its worth, that Case knife is probably worth what I used to pay for a .45!

Bob Wright

 

[Kevin]

You've got some nice looking firearms. Great pictures with the accessories too.

 

[grunt]

Hey Bob, funny, I never looked into the value of that Case knife.
I am curious now and will have to do some research.

Also please forgive my ignorance, but why do you ask that I remove one round from the photo?
Is it to imply there is one in the cylinder?

 

[Joe S.]

My 40 cal was my wife's first experience shooting a handgun too. She prefers the smaller ones as well

 

[Sturgis270]

That is a great photo. Please be sure to post a follow up after you hear from Colt. Everyone's curiosity has been grabbed by this one!

 

[JWhitmore44]

Also please forgive my ignorance, but why do you ask that I remove one round from the photo?
Is it to imply there is one in the cylinder?

I'm not Bob so I can only assume that he's trying to say that in the old colt you would normally only carry 5 rounds. One cylinder should be left empty to rest the hammer on. If a single action does not have some type on safety transfer bar, or some way to rest the hammer where it wont be resting on a live round, then the hammer should rest on an empty chamber.

 

[grunt]

Thanks JWhitmore44,
That was very informative, and helpful to know.

Sturgis270,
I just found out that Colt offers a premium phone-in service for SAA with a serial under 340,000.
This cost a little more but has a quicker turn around. The holidays crimped my budget so I am hoping in Feb/March I will have saved the funds to pay for the archives research.