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LOT 90
Historic, Rare, and Well-Documented .45 Colt First Generation Colt Single
Action Army Revolver Shipped to Major General John B. Ackerman with Documented
Factory Shipped .45 ACP Extra Cylinder and Factory Letter - Serial no. 354720, 45 ACP cal.,
5 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut grips. This very fine example of the legendary
Peacemaker is chambered in the rare .45 ACP caliber as well as accompanied with an extremely rare
factory shipped .45 LC cylinder. The revolver is made even rarer and more desirable by being shipped
to United States Military Academy graduate Major General John Bevier Ackerman, ret. USAF. It is rare to
encounter SAAs shipped to an individual, especially someone with a distinguished military career such
as General Ackerman. The included factory letter confirms the configuration: 5 ½ inch barrel in .45 ACP
cartridge, and blue finish, with the type of stocks not listed. The letter also references the revolver as being
shipped with a .45 Long Colt cylinder, which is included. The .45 ACP cylinder is currently installed in the
revolver. The letter also confirms the revolver was shipped to John B. Ackerman of West
Point, New York, on June 3, 1932. This was a single gun shipment.
John B. Ackerman (1909-1981) was born in Auburn, New York and entered the United Sates
Military Academy in 1928. He graduated in 1932, around the time this .45 ACP/.45 LC SAA was
shipped to him. His first assignment was to a Coast Artillery anti-aircraft battery at Port MacArthur, San
Pedro, California. At this time this was the only such battery in existence. He received a pilot’s rating in
1935 and later was awarded the degree of master of science and aeronautics in the field of aviation
meteorology. Early in his military career the General researched long range weather forecasts
and its relationship to the use of airpower. In 1943 he joined the 58th Bombardment Wing to
organize its weather service. The 58th BW was the focus of USAAF B-29 effort during World War II.
Additional war assignments included war planner for General George Edward Stratemeyer, serving
on the combined Air Command Staff, observer in the Navy’s occupation of the Ryukyus Islands,
and assistant chief of staff, plans for the Continental Air Forces. During the first decade of the Cold
War, Ackerman was sent to London and made air attaché in 1949, was deputy director of intelligence from
1950 to 1953 when he was assigned as director of the National Security Agency, became commander of the 13th AF in
1956, and was deputy commander, Air Force Security Service in 1958. He retired in 1960. In a military career that spanned nearly
30 years, General John Ackerman saw the rise of the strategic bomber and the birth of the Air Force, and
had a front row seat to early Cold War espionage. Additional provenance comes via a 1962 dated letter from
antique firearms dealer John A. Dron, Jr. Per Dron, the revolver was once owned by Colonel Fred English.
English was “a known Army shooter and known for his marksmanship.” Dron obtained the revolver after
English passed away and was told the Colonel received the revolver from “an army friend,” presumably
General Ackerman.
The revolver is chambered for .45 ACP, a round used by the U.S. Military for the Model 1911 and 1911A1
semi-automatic pistols. Based on research presented by author David Brown in “The 36 Calibers of the Colt
Single Action Army,” Colt manufactured only 44 First Generation Single Action Army revolvers in .45 ACP.
This chambering was first made available after World War I in 1924 on a special order basis. Per Brown,
“Almost all made after 1924 were shipped to men in some branch of the Armed Forces. They could get all
of the .45 Auto ammo they wanted but part of them wanted to shoot the Colt Single Action Army instead
of Colt Automatic so they would order the Colt SAA made up in the .45 ACP.” This West Point graduate
shipped SAA proves Brown correct. We have previously sold only a limited number of .45 ACP First
Generation revolvers.
The barrel has the one-line address on top and “COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY .45” on the left side. The left side of the frame carries the two-line patent dates marking and a
Rampant Colt. The left side of the trigger guard has the number “3” and the Colt factory triangle proof. Matching serial numbers appear on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap.
CONDITION: Very fine, retaining 85% original blue finish with holster and edge wear and thinning on the grip straps. The hammer and frame retains 80% plus original case colors with fading on the
high points. The slightly undersized period replacement wood grips are fine with handling marks. The .45 LC cylinder retains 97% original blue finish. Mechanically excellent. A rare .45 ACP/.45 LC
Colt SAA revolver that would look great in any Colt or U.S. military collection. We do not often catalog this historically military linked Colt SAAs!
Provenance: Major General John B. Ackerman; Colonel Fred English; The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 20,000 - 35,000
Major
General John B.
Ackerman
Historic Fact
This Colt Single Action was
shipped in 1932, the same year
that John B. Ackerman
(later a Major General)
graduated from West Point
Military Academy.