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LOT 1136
Highly Desirable Documented Browning Brothers Shipped Antique Colt
Sheriff’s Model Single Action Army Revolver with Factory Letter - Serial no.
122359, 45 Long Colt cal., 4 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut grips.
Offered here is a very scarce example of a Colt Single Action Army revolver in highly
sought after “Sheriff’s Model” configuration. The accompanying factory letter states
this revolver was one of two guns of this type in a shipment on January 19, 1889,
to Browning Brothers in Ogden, Utah, in .45 caliber, with a 4 inch barrel, blue finish,
and type of grip not listed. The famous Browning Brothers firm was founded in
Ogden, Utah in 1878 by brothers Matthew Sandefur Browning and the legendary
John Moses Browning, who designed a plethora of iconic firearms around the
turn of the century, and the Browning business remains in operation to this
day. In “The Official Record of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver, 1873-1895”
by Wilkerson and Hoyt, the authors stressed the rarity of the ejectorless Sheriff’s Model Single Action Army as a whole (barrel lengths
ranged from 2 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches in the study) and state that “just under 600 ejectorless Single Action Army revolvers were produced in
all calibers from 1882 to the 1930s.” Page 326 of the aforementioned book further indicates that only 224 non-engraved Sheriff’s Model
revolvers in .45 Long Colt were manufactured in the 1-164100 serial range, with only 70 of those made in this specific configuration
having a 4 inch barrel and blue finish. The ejectorless Colt “Sheriff’s Model” Single Action Army revolver is one of the rarest and most
sought-after variations of the legendary Peacemaker. Whether on the hip of a lawman, carried by an outlaw or under the counter of
a storekeeper’s shop, the “Sheriff’s Model” Colt Single Action Army was at the front lines of the American frontier. The barrel has the
two-line Hartford address on top, with “45 CAL” marked on the left of the trigger
guard. The left side of the frame has the three-line patent date markings. Matching
visible serial numbers on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap (professionally
renumbered), with assembly number “20” on the loading gate, and a period
replacement “D.F.C” inspected cylinder.
CONDITION: Very good, retains traces of the original blue and casehardened
finishes, with smooth brown patina and freckling, replacement back strap with
antiqued brown finish on the butt, a few spots of minor pitting, and defined
markings. Grip is good, with a crack on the left and general western wear.
Mechanically functions. This desirable Browning Brothers shipped Sheriff’s Model
Single Action Army certainly saw its share of frontier use!
Provenance: Douglas R. Carlson; The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 8,500 - 13,000