Is this a Colt Shopkeeper? Third Thread
Hello,
I called Colt and got a verbal,
They told me that it was produced as a .45 blued gun and shipped Jan 22, 1881 part of a 50 gun shipment to Simmons Hardware. No record of the flatop or barrel length. The hardcopy letter will follow soon probably within a week or two. So nothing to confirm the barrel length or flattop target model. I highly doubt someone could have made the flattop though. It would be an epic hassle and wouldn't come out like that. The biggest thing is the barrel and sight in my opinion. Is there no way to find out the truth?
I called Colt and got a verbal,
They told me that it was produced as a .45 blued gun and shipped Jan 22, 1881 part of a 50 gun shipment to Simmons Hardware. No record of the flatop or barrel length. The hardcopy letter will follow soon probably within a week or two. So nothing to confirm the barrel length or flattop target model. I highly doubt someone could have made the flattop though. It would be an epic hassle and wouldn't come out like that. The biggest thing is the barrel and sight in my opinion. Is there no way to find out the truth?
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Here is the Colt letter. Also I have another question, the grips for a 1st Gen SAA will not fit on this gun. This gun has a frame that is larger and the grips are too short. What does that mean? 
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At this late date all you have is the Colt letter, unless you have some way to trace the ownership back 130+ years. Because it has obviously been diddled with as far as the barrel is concerned. To get knowledgeable Colt folks to buy into that the flattop frame is original likely would be quite difficult, IMHO. 0 -
Since your Colt shipped in 1881, the barrel positively, absolutely, is not original to the gun since it has a left side barrel caliber stamp; a practice that didn't start until 1890 around serial number 135000. The barrel is a post 1890 cut down and reworked 5 1/2 or 7 1/2 inch barrel that didn't have a post and blade front sight originally.
I still contend the frame is a gunsmith, albeit a very good gunsmith special. The frame has been taken down a bunch since the patent dates are all but removed; probably done to clean up the frame after the makeover.
The frame configuration is out of serial number range (too early) for either a Target Model or Ejectorless Model.
If you believe the frame is original in that configuration; you can always spend a bunch of money to have someone xray the frame and look for evidence of rework.
You can also have a recognized expert in prewar Single Actions examine the gun, hands-on, and look for evidence of rework, but with an already modified gun with metal removed from the frame, his assessment would probably be "modified" without too much of an examination.
I know you were hoping for an ultra-rare Single Action, but it is what it is. One thing I would do is have a recognized expert in prewar Single Actions examine the serial number application just to make sure the frame wasn't re-stamped, but from what I can see the frame serial number appears to be original to that frame.0
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