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*SCARCE COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER WITH LONG FLUTE CYLINDER.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:2,000.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
*SCARCE COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER WITH LONG FLUTE CYLINDER.
SN 330950. Cal. 45 Colt. Blue and color case hardened with 5-1/2" bbl, thinned front sight, 1-line block letter address and cal marking on left side. Bottom of bbl, just in front of frame, is stamped with tiny "45". Left side of frame has 2-line 3 patent dates and the Rampant Colt. Cyl is the long flute style of the Model 1878 DA revolver. Mounted with 2-pc Rampant Colt hard rubber grips. According to the book Colt Peacemaker Encyclopedia, Cochran, there were 1,379 of these revolvers produced between SN 330001 and 331480 in about 1913. When Colt ceased production of the Model 1878 DA revolver in about 1905, there was a supply of cyls for that model remaining in stock. Given Colt's propensity for frugality, wasting nothing, they used these surplus cyls in their Single Action Army production. The 1878 cyl utilized a cyl stop that engaged notches in the rear face of cyl rather than the outer diameter of the Single Action Army model. The 1878 stop notches had apparently not been cut on these surplus cyls so it was a simple matter to machine the stop notches and approaches on the outer diameter, thereby creating a single action cyl. These long flute cyl Single Actions are rarely encountered today and are a desirable variation. Hammer is a type 1 with 10-lines of checkering and a border with a line below. According to the referenced publication, this revolver should have a type 3 hammer that was in use from 1909 until the end of production. This cyl has polished sides with blued edges. CONDITION: Very good to fine. Bbl retains about 60-70% strong orig blue, showing thinning and holster wear on left side; front sight thinned and aged as noted; ejector housing retains thin blue in gullets, being mostly a blue gray patina on outer radius; frame retains strong case colors in the most sheltered areas, retaining thin case colors turning silver elsewhere; cyl retains 65-70% thin orig blue, strong and bright in flutes with a lock bolt heavy drag line at the beginning of the approaches from poor timing; trigger guard retains 65-70% orig blue, strong in sheltered areas, thin on trigger bow and frontstrap; backstrap and buttstrap retain strong blue at the top and on the buttstrap, being a blue brown patina elsewhere; grips, probably not orig to this revolver, show moderate to heavy wear with an internal repair around the left escutcheon and have turned chocolate; base pin is a replacement; mechanics are fine; bright shiny bore. 4-47553 JR171