Page 154 - 4093-BOOK1

LOT 131
Excellent Documented
Antique Nickel Plated
Black Powder Colt Single
Action Army Revolver in .41 Long Colt
with Factory Letter - Serial no. 124837, 41
Long Colt cal., 4 3/4 inch round bbl., nickel
finish, hard rubber grips. Colt introduced the
.41 Colt caliber to its famed Single Action Army
revolver line in 1885. Colt author David Brown
passionately summarized the .41 Colt caliber’s
alluring image as: “The .41s were favorites in the West
among men who wanted something a bit less husky than the .45 or the .44-40, yet something
still dependable for man-stopping power at short ranges. The lawmen for the most part, clung
to the bigger bores; but several famous outlaws are known to have liked the .41 Colts” (see
“The 36 Calibers of the Colt Single Action Army,” p. 146). Among First Generation Single Action
Army revolvers, only 16,402 left the factory chambered for .41 Long Colt compared to 150,683
in .45 Colt, making it comparably scarce. The accompanying factory letter for this example
states the revolver was shipped to E.C. Meacham Arms Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, on June
13, 1888, and confirms the 4 3/4 inch barrel in .41 caliber, desirable nickel finish, and hard
rubber stocks. This was an eight gun shipment. The barrel has the two-line Hartford address
on top. The left side of the frame has the three-line patent dates. The left side of the trigger
guard is marked “41 CAL.” The revolver wears a set of hard rubber grips that are numbered to the gun (“4837”). Matching full serial
numbers appear on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap.
CONDITION: Excellent, retaining 95% plus original nickel finish with gray patina on the balance. Strong original niter blue remains on
the screws and cylinder pin. The grips are also excellent with minimal handling marks and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. A
very impressive nickel plated antique Colt Single Action Army revolver.
Provenance: The TTT Collection.
Estimate: 15,000 - 22,500
152