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According to The 36 Calibers of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver by Brown, only 525 Colt Single Actions were produced in .357 Magnum prior to World War II
LOT 1140
Exceptional Pre-War Colt Single Action Army .357 Magnum
Revolver with Original Box - Serial
no. 355465, 357 magnum cal., 5 1/2 Inch bbl., blue/casehardened finish, hard rubber grips. This Colt Single Action Army revolver was manufactured
in 1937 and chambered for the
highly desirable .357 Magnum
cartridge. Colt introduced the
.357 Magnum cartridge in Single
Action Army revolvers in 1935
and manufactured a total of 525
Single Actions chambered for
this cartridge before production
ceased in 1941. The revolver has
the Colt commercial blue finish
on the barrel, ejector housing,
cylinder, trigger guard and back
strap. The frame and loading
gate are casehardened with
vivid case colors. The hammer has
a blued top and polished sides. The checkered hard rubber grips are embossed with the Rampant Colt trademark in an oval. The hammer has border-
less knurling on the spur, and the top strap retains the fouling cut-out that was eliminated around 1935 on many Single Action frames especially
revolvers chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. The top of the barrel is roll-stamped: “COLT’S PT. F.A. MFG. Co. HARTFORD CT. U.S.A.” in one line. The left side of the barrel is roll-stamped: “COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY .357”. The left side of the frame is roll-stamped with the Colt “Two-Line/Three-Date” patent markings followed by the Rampant Colt trademark. The left front trigger guard bow is stamped with the assembler’s number “4” above the Colt “Triangle/VP” proofmark. The assembly number “41” is stamped on the inside of the loading gate. The full serial number is stamped on the bottom of the frame and on the right side of the trigger guard and back strap underneath the grips. The full serial number is also lightly scratched on the inside of each grip. The partial serial number “65” is stamped on the rear face of the cylinder. All of the visible serial numbers match. The revolver is complete with an original pre-war Colt box with the full serial number written in grease pencil on the bottom of the carton. The carton is complete with the blue and white end label: “5 1/2/Colt’s Army S.A. revolver./RUBBER BLUE./357”.
CONDITION: Excellent plus 99% overall in original box. The revolver retains nearly all of the original blue and color casehardened finish with very slight storage wear. The cylinder has a very faint turn mark between the stops. The markings and serial numbers are perfect. The screws are as new. The grips are in perfect condition. Mechanically excellent. The carton is in fine overall condition. One corner is broken, and there is a break in the side of the carton caused by the revolver front sight. The balance of the carton is excellent. The end label is perfect. This is a nearly new example of a scarce .357 Magnum pre-war Colt Single Action Army revolver that would be very difficult to improve upon.
Provenance: The Joe Marlin Hilliard Collection.
120 Estimate: 20,000 - 35,000