Page 75 - 4094-BOOK3

LOT 3076
Historically Significant, Exceptionally Scarce
“Battle of Britain” Colt Single Action Army
Revolver - Serial no. 356165, 45 Long Colt cal., 5
1/2 inch round bbl., nickel finish, hard rubber grips.
The British Purchasing Commission ordered 163 Colt
Single Actions, of which only 13 were in .45 caliber
with 5 ½ inch barrels and nickel finish, according
to “The 36 Calibers of the Colt Single Action Army
Revolver” by Brown. This revolver is identified by
serial number in the aforementioned book on page
28. The revolvers were ordered by the British as an
emergency replacement for small arms lost by the
British Expeditionary Force during the evacuation
from Dunkirk in May 1940. The “Battle of Britain”
revolvers were the last Colt SAA revolvers ordered
under a military contract. These guns were shipped
to Winchester and then exported to Great Britain.
Unfortunately, there are no Colt factory records
available for this revolver. Serial number dates to
1938. The revolver has British proofs along with the
standard Colt markings which include the one-line
Hartford barrel address, “COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY
45” on the left side of the barrel, two-line patent
dates marking followed by a Rampant Colt on the
left side of the frame, and matching serial numbers
on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap. Both
grip panels are numbered “356280” (note the host
gun was also a “Battle of Britain” SAA). The matching
assembly number “798” appears on the loading
gate and rear of the frame. The left side of the
trigger guard is marked with the number “4” along
with the Colt factory triangle proof. This revolver
has the distinction of being one of the last SAA
revolvers manufactured by Colt before production
ceased in 1940 as well as being one of the very
historic “Battle of Britain” revolvers purchased the
British for a last-ditch defense when faced with
the imminent threat from a German invasion
in the summer of 1940. As noted in “A Study
of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver,” “No
other revolver in history has been asked to
defend so much for so long--beginning with
the Indian Wars of the 1870s through
World War II” (182).
CONDITION: Exceptionally fine, retaining
95% plus original nickel finish with a patch
of flaking on the front strap, some scattered
handling marks, and a light cylinder drag
line. The grips are very fine with a few minor
handling marks and overall crisp checkering.
Mechanically excellent. A great looking
example of a historic “Battle of Britain” Colt
Single Action Army Revolver.
Provenance: The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 9,000 - 14,000
According to "The 36 Calibers of the Colt
Single Action Army Revolver" by Brown, only
163 Colt Single Actions were sold to the
British Purchasing Commission, of which
only 13 were in this configuration.
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