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A question for Colt collectors

brummiejim
Hi, Experts. A while back I bought a Colt Single Action Army revolver. It's in great shape and I paid quite a bit for it. By serial number it was made in approximately 1937. I wrote to Colt for a factory letter to authenticate the caliber, barrel length, etc. as I was told if you have an old Colt you should get a factory letter. I'm disappointed to say they wrote back and said factory records for the era/date of my gun no longer exist. I've since learned that some records were lost or somehow went missing? Question: Is there another source other than the Colt historian to confirm details of my Single Action? Thanks for any input. Jim
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4 comments

Date Votes
  • perry shooter
    Hello I found a Pre War first generation colt in 38 Special This is a rather rare caliber for the Single action and ran into the same thing records were lost my serial started 355 no way to prove it is all original [:(].

    EDIT Johnny B Good is correct in the fact that many books have been written about one of the most collected pistols of all times. You may be able to tell if all the parts are the correct vintage with in a certain time RANGE however you will not be able if it has original Barrel or Cylinder or Grips or what type of finish more importantly you will not be able to tell how many guns were in that shipment or whom it was shipped to . It is not the end of the world to not have a factory letter but it does enhance the value more then the cost of the letter. and sometimes by a very large amount if it was a shipment to a famous person or something like the 101 Ranch or Mining company.
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  • kimi
    I once had a Colt SAA from the same era, and there was no letter for it either, however, I traded it off for top dollar in exchange for a very nice antique rifle.
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  • JohnnyBGood
    quote:Originally posted by brummiejim
    Question: Is there another source other than the Colt historian to confirm details of my Single Action? Thanks for any input. Jim


    There is enough information available (i.e. books) that you can determine if your SA is correct or not. By looking at the markings, serial number locations, inspector stampings, features of the various parts for your serial number range, and combine that with the wear, finish and patina of the revolver, you can tell if it is correcr or not.

    Even with a factory letter you still need to do the above.

    John
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  • glabray
    John is correct. A lot of inexperienced collectors put all together too much faith in factory letters from all the sources. Records were kept by hand by busy people with lots of guns to record. There are numerous examples of recorded serial numbers with digits swapped or missing, wrong barrel lengths recorded, etc. Even the modern day clerks sometimes make mistakes in looking up the records. I have two Cody letters on M1894s that were looked up in the M1895 records by mistake. I caught the errors because the letters listed calibers that the M1894 was never made in. In general, I find the letters from S&W to be the most accurate and helpful.
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