Colt Single Action Army revolver
By western author Nick Brumby
“God created men—Sam Colt made them equal.”
—Old West wisdom
It was carried by Custer’s men at Little Big Horn, was favored by generations of outlaws and lawmen alike, is Arizona’s official firearm, and is still being produced more than 150 years after its introduction.
It’s fair to say that no gun in the history of the Old West has left a mark as deep as the Colt Single Action Army revolver.
Showman and bison hunter Buffalo Bill Cody popularized its nickname ‘The gun that won the West’, when speaking of the gun’s accuracy and above all, reliability.
Also known as the Colt .45 and the ‘Peacemaker’, many consider the Colt Single Action Army (SAA) to be the definitive American firearm.
The US Cavalry was still issuing cap-and-ball revolvers to its troopers up until about 1870. However those in charge knew it was time to upgrade.
Introduced in 1873, the Colt Peacemaker was that upgrade and quickly became a icon of the American Frontier. This new weapon had a six-shot cylinder and a single action trigger, meaning it needed to be manually cocked between each shot. Its cylinder was loaded via a loading gate on the right side of the gun.
The Colt SAA, like most other revolvers at the time, did not have any safety mechanism. This meant the gun was prone to accidental discharges when the hammer fell on a loaded chamber, whether caused by user error or the weapon being bumped or dropped. Many users avoided this problem by keeping one of the six chambers empty.
The first Colt .45s, issued to the US Cavalry were all of a basic type. Barrel length was 7-1/2 inches. Stocks were plain-grain walnut. The finish was a dull blue on barrel, cylinder and grip frame, while the frame itself and the hammer were color case hardened. Sights were a tiny blade front with a corresponding groove down the frame’s top strap for a rear sight.
The new Colt.45 sparked civilian interest from the beginning, but public demand soared after Colt displayed 18 elaborately engraved models at the 1876 Philadelphia World’s Fair.
While its overall appearance has remained consistent since 1873, the basic Colt SAA delivered to the Cavalry has matured into a world of options. It has been offered in more than 30 different calibers and various barrel lengths and eventually chambered for a mind-boggling 41 different cartridges.
Colt also offered custom options such as nickel, silver, and gold plating; pearl and ivory grips; and different levels of engraving.
Buying a Colt .45 in the 1870s would set you back $13.50. This included a screwdriver, a necessity because an inherent trait of the Peacemaker is that the screws holding the trigger guard and backstrap to the frame will loosen. Riding on horseback speeds up this process.
Although the Peacemaker was a most popular and most reliable gun, it was never mass produced. From 1873 through to 1940, 357,859 Colt SAA revolvers were produced. This is identified as the “First Generation”. Calibers ranged from .22 rimfire through .476 Eley, with approximately half, or 158,884, chambered for .45 Colt.
Colt has cancelled production of the Peacemaker twice, but renewed it due to popular demand. The revolver is still being produced today. Its popularity is such it has been given many other nicknames, including hogleg, the Equalizer, the “Cowboy Six-Gun,” and the “Frontier Colt.”
Colt engraved about one percent of first-generation Peacemakers, which are collectors items today. Engraved pieces were often ordered by or for famous people of the day, including lawmen, heads of state, and captains of industry. such examples away as a means of publicity for Colt.
Colt employed a number of engravers. These artisans were known for inlaying gold, silver, and precious stones in their work. Many of these engraved pieces were adorned with stocks made of ivory or pearl, with engraving and inlays as well.
One popular option was the Colt Frontier or Frontier Six-Shooter, manufactured in .44-40 Winchester caliber instead of .45 Colt so that it was compatible with the .44-40 Winchester cartridge used in the new, hugely successful, Winchester Model 1873 rifle Owners across the Old West appreciated the convenience of being able to carry a single caliber of ammunition, which they could fire in both revolver and rifle.
Another more mythical option was the ‘Buntline Special’. Legend had it that lawman Wyatt Earp and four other lawmen—Bat Masterson, Bill Tilghman, Charlie Bassett and Neal Brown—were each presented with a customized revolver with a 12-inch-long barrel. This was entirely fiction. However, that changed with the popular 1957 TV show The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, prompting production of the 12-inch ‘Buntline Special’.
The Colt SAA has earned its place in history. Some of the Old West’s most famous outlaws, including Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Butch Cassidy, carried the revolver. Cole Younger carried one; so did Emmett Dalton, the only surviving member of the Dalton gang after its failed attempt to rob two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1892. Crawford Goldsby, who went by the moniker Cherokee Bill, favored the SAA. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday carried a Peacemaker during shootout at the O.K. Corral.
Robert Ford killed Jesse James with a Colt .45, while remorseless killer Harvey Logan carried one when riding under the alias Kid Curry with Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch. Lawman John Selman used his .45 to kill notorious Texas gunslinger John Wesley Hardin, shooting him in the back.
The Army’s Colts saw hard service on the Frontier. In June 1876, 200 troopers of George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry were overrun and killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Custer’s men were all equipped with a Colt Single Action Army. The revolvers were taken as prizes by the victors.
US General George S. Patton, who began his career in the horse-cavalry, carried a custom-made SAA with ivory grips engraved with his initials and an eagle, which became his trademark. He used it during the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916 in a gunfight with two of Pancho Villa’s lieutenants and carried it until his death in 1945.
Many continued to carry the SAA for decades after it was replaced by more modern double-action revolvers. When future President Theodore Roosevelt formed a volunteer cavalry regiment filled with cowboys and adventurers in 1898, he equipped his ‘Rough Riders’ with the Colt .45.
In 2010, Arizona residents overwhelmingly chose the Colt SAA to be named the official state firearm. The humble hogleg had truly secured its place in history.
About Nick Brumby
I like a good story. And of all stories, I love westerns the most.
As a kid, I spent far too many afternoons re-watching Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, picking up ‘Shane’ for just one more read, or saddling up beside Ben Cartwright when ‘Bonanza’ was on TV each afternoon.
I’m a former journalist and I love horses, dogs, and the occasional bourbon whiskey. I live with my wife, daughter and our ever-slumbering hound in a 1800’s-era gold mining town – our house is right on top of the last working gold mine in the area. There may not be much gold left, but there’s history wherever you look.
I hope you enjoy my westerns as much as I enjoyed writing them!
Happy trails,
Nick