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LOT 1138
Well-Documented Dominion Cartridge Co. Shipped
London Barrel Address Black Powder Colt Single Action Army Revolver in
Exceedingly Rare Documented .44 Colt with Factory Letter and Ron Graham Letter -
Serial no. 140946, 44 Colt cal., 5 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish, hard rubber grips.
Offered here is an exceedingly rare Colt SAA as it is chambered in .44 Colt that is well deserving of the
finest collection. The caliber .44 Colt was never a standard chambering offered in the SAA line, and in
fact, this is likely a one-of-a-kind SAA. In his accompanying handwritten letter renowned Colt historian
and author Ron Graham recorded his observations upon reviewing this spectacular piece of Colt history:
“This is truly an astounding Single Action Army Revolver. Number 140946 is the only known standard
frame, factory verified, .44 Colt chambered Single Action. It was shipped to the Dominion Cartridge Co.
[of Montreal, Canada,] where, as all evidence indicates, it served as an ammunition testing revolver.”
Evidence as an ammunition testing revolver is found on the included original cylinder. This original
cylinder, as noted by Graham, “has several ‘dents’ and ‘dings’ on its periphery. These small areas of metal
displacement were certainly the results of this revolver’s cylinder being clamped in an early, rudimentary
machine rest during ammo testing.” Although included, the original .44 Colt cylinder has since been
traded out of the revolver with a British proofed .44-40 WCF cylinder. The caliber marking “44 Colt” on the
left side of the barrel is hand stamped. This marking was not rolled stamped as accustom to production
examples, suggesting that Colt had no intentions to produce many SAAs in this caliber. This was a
“one and done” special order for Dominion Cartridge Co. Graham noted in the letter that this standard
frame SAA and a 10 inch barrel Buntline are the only two known SAAs chambered in .44 Colt. Both
revolvers had previously been owned by SAA collector Dave Stauble.
The barrel also has Colt’s Pall Mall London legend (“COLT’S PT. F.A. MFG
Co HARTFORD CT. U.S.A. DEPOT 14 PALL MALL LONDON”), which has
been seen on other SAAs sent to Canada. Although the bottom of the
frame has a “736” assembly number, the number is not repeated on
the unnumbered loading gate. Graham hypothesized that the loading
gate needed to be replaced during it’s time as an ammunition testing
revolver. Graham wrote, “In this case however, one might wonder if a machine rest
damaged loading gate may have necessitated a gate replacement; an interesting
thought.” The left side of the frame is stamped with the two-line patent dates
marking followed by an encircled Rampant Colt. The butt is stamped with the
number “46,” likely a Dominion Cartridge Co. inventory number. Matching full serial
numbers appear on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap. The accompanying
factory letter states that the revolver was shipped on May 23, 1891 and delivered
to Dominion Cartridge Co. of Montreal, Canada with a 5 ½ inch barrel in .44 caliber,
and type of stocks not listed. The revolver was shipped with the notation “23 Powder
Grain and 210 Bullet Grain,” which was the powder and bullet combination similar
to the load associated with the old .44 Colt used in Colt revolvers converted from
percussion. This was a single gun shipment. The revolver is pictured and identified in “The Official Record
of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver 1873-1895” on pages 260-61, as well as on page XXXII of “A Study
of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver: Thirty Year Edition 1976-2006” by Graham, Kopec, and Moore. A
.44 Colt cartridge is included.
CONDITION: Very fine, retaining 70% original blue finish and 40% original case colors with a smooth
brown patina on the balance and dings and scratches as expected with an ammunition testing
revolver. The extra cylinder retains 50% original blue. The very fine grips are replacements with overall
crisp checkering. Mechanically functions fine, although skips occasionally. This Dominion Cartridge
Co. shipped ammunition testing SAA in .44 Colt will certainly make a grand statement to any Colt
collection no matter how advanced.
Provenance: The Dave Stauble Collection; The Joe Kiser Collection; The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 30,000 - 45,000
As pictured & described in A Study of
the Colt Single Action Army Revolver by
Graham, Kopec & Moore
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