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colt SAA question

scottm21166
I picked up a first generation Colt SAA, serial number 180540, 7 1/2" barrel, one piece wood grips, in 45 Colt. Barrel has one line address, all numbers match. Condition is very nice, bluing is really good, light turn line, minor wear on cylinder, barrel is very good with shine at muzzle. The bore is perfect. The case color is pretty much faded and gone.
This Colt was manufactured in late 1898, according to what I've found, and is a smokeless powder frame.
This gun is a consignment. My question is, does the Colt warrant a factory letter?
I'm going to list it on the auction side, when I get time and weather to take good pictures. Quite honestly, this is one of the nicest old Colts I've ever had in my hand. What do you old Colt guys think?
Thank you for your time.
W.D.
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  • scottm21166
    This is a question for a serious Colt SAA collector. I am about to complete a deal to aquire a 1st generation in .357 magnum. This is a rare caliber for the 1st gen, only 525 produced. I will then have the same gun (barrel, finish, grips) in all three generations. The question-does having all three like this increase the value of the package?
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  • machine gun moran
    I've had five Colt 3rd generations SAA's. All were purchased new. For the price, the quality was spotty on these guns, and I can't speak at all for the later SAA's.

    A summary of quality:

    Gun #1, .44 Special x 4 3/4, Blue/Case, would not time all the way if cocked slowly.

    Gun #2, .45 Colt x 7 1/2, Blue/Case: Perfect gun. I fired over 10,000 rounds through it, and dry-cycled the action at least twice that much. It eventually broke a locking bolt spring, and a nice lady at Colt sent me two of them for nothing. It remained as tight throughout, as the day I bought it.

    Gun #3, .44-40 x 7 1/2, Blue/Case. Threw the front sight halfway through the first box of ammo.

    Gun #4, .357 x 7 1/2, perfect gun. Subsequently converted to .44 Sp. by Ray Miebaum.

    Gun #5, .45 Colt x 5 1/2, Nickel. One digit of the serial number on the front of the cylinder was stamped so close to a chamber throat that it peened metal into the throat. Avoiding using that chamber, the gun blew all of the nickel plating off the front of the cylinder and partly off the side with the first box of ammo. I returned it to Colt for warranty repair, but they did not even strip or re-nickel it, they just sprayed some kind of a cheesy wash or paint over it. You could see the broken plating right through it.

    I've had early Uberti's, and have late Ubertis (Cimarron) in .45 and .38-40. None ever had any problems. They are mechanically at least the equal of the Colts, seeming to lock up even tighter. The Uberti case colors are still a bit off from the Colt-type, but are now darker than they were and look pretty good.

    Someone will directly address the quality of the 4th generation Colts through their own experience, but not me, I feel a lot better putting a lot less money into less of a gamble from Uberti.
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  • Spartacus
    third gen SAA's are after 1975.
    there are some minor differences with most obvious being the blueing.
    3rd gen guns are glossy (more glossy) than the 2nd gen guns. second gen blueing has been described as "softer" whatever that means!
    you hear more about 3rd gen problems, but I think part of that is because there's more people shooting 3rd gen guns than 1st or 2nd. the latter tend to be more collector vs shooter.
    just my 2c
    tom
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  • givette
    My 1st and 2nd gen Colt SAA's have the full length (removable) cylinder bushing. 3rd gen's had some sort of press-fit bushing..

    What I'm getting at, is the 4th generation custom shop SAA's I think..not sure have reverted back to the earlier full length cylinder bushings. Is that considered an improvement over 3rd generation?

    Word of mouth has it that the custom shop SAA's produced today have worked out the complaints the 3rd gen's had...input anybody?? Thanks, Joe
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  • Winston Bode
    I have two Colt SAA's. One is a commercial bought 4 5/8 inch Nickle plated .44 WCF. The other one is a SASS Colt from the custon shop.

    The first one has had many many rounds fired through it as I used to shoot one or two CAS matches a month.

    The second one is also a 4 5/8 inch .44 WCF and has also been shot as much as the other one.


    The only thing about it is the nickle plating has pealed off the front of the cylinder on both. I had them slicked up and they shoot fine.

    I paid about the same for both but waited several months for the SASS Colt to arrive.

    I did not like the fact that they took the back strap and x'd out the serial number and restamped it with my SASS badge number.

    Other than that I will never part with either one, willingly.

    I plan on passing them on to my kids.

    I have not broken any parts even with all the shooting I have done with them.

    Bode
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  • Old-Colts
    Here is an interesting link by Bill Hockett from 2003 and revised in 2006 on the "Generations" of Colt Single Actions.

    http://www.bar-w.com/saa-generations.html

    Here is an excerpt from that link:

    "Third generation production resumed in 1976 at serial number 80,000SA. Some changes were made to third generation guns including a new hand, cylinder ratchet, barrel threads, and pressed in cylinder bushing. When serial number 99,999SA was reached, they changed the format to add an SA prefix. Serial numbering started over at SA0001. That was continued up until SA99,999 was reached in 1993. Then they started over again with S00001A where it continues to this day. During this period the Colt factory also moved to a different location and some manufacturing methods might have changed, but the physical third generation guns are the same. The quality of third generation guns has improved over the years. Colt had some quality problems in the 1980s, but the current guns are very well made. Again, according to Colt (it's their gun) there are NO fourth generation SAAs. Recently, Colt reintroduced the full length removable cylinder base pin bushing to the third generation. The new bushing appeared in March 2003 with serial number S3439xA. Photo # 7 shows a current production third generation SAA.

    Some people mistakenly believe that any SAA with an SA suffix (xxxxSA) is a second generation, but this is incorrect. Some people also believe that any SAA with a split SxxxxA is a "fourth generation" but again this is incorrect."
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