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LOT 3108
Outstanding Documented Camp Perry 1930 National Matches
Shipped Special Order Colt First Generation Single Action
Army Revolver in Scarce .38 Long Colt with Factory Letter -
Serial no. 351473, 38 Long Colt cal., 4 3/4 inch round bbl., blue/
casehardened finish, hard rubber grips. The accompanying factory
letter lists this revolver as shipped in a 1 gun shipment on August
29, 1930, to “Colt’s Patent Fire-Arms Mfg. Company c/o Camp
Perry National Matches” in Camp Perry, Ohio, under Colt Factory
Order #18772/1, with the special feature “Furnished with a 3 1/2 lb.
trigger pull”, in .38-40 caliber (likely factory recording error), with
a 4 3/4 inch barrel, blue finish, and type of grips not listed. The
factory letter further remarks, “The records further indicate subject
revolver was returned to the factory on September 20, 1930. It
was then shipped to H&D Folsom Arms Company in New York on
December 4, 1930. At this time, the records indicate it was a .38
Colt caliber with a 4 3/4” barrel and a blue finish. The stocks were
not listed.” Since 1907 Camp Perry has hosted the National Matches.
Considered America’s “World Series of the Shooting Sports,” the
National Matches are held each summer and attract the finest
civilian and military marksmen and women to compete in a variety
of rifle and handgun competitions. The National Matches were held
from August 17 to September 14, 1930. Despite being held during
the middle of the Great Depression, the 1930 National Matches
had record attendance, with almost 20,000 entries made by more
than 2,000 shooters in nearly 100 contests. A special order Single
Action Army revolver such as this one chambered in .38 Long Colt
with a 3 1/2 pound trigger pull may have been intended for use by
a competition shooter or as a shooting prize, utilizing the standard
military service caliber that would have been plentiful during the
National Matches. Colt only manufactured 1,365 standard frame
Single Action Army revolvers in .38 Long Colt
between 1922 to 1940, per page 174 of “The
36 Calibers of the Colt Single Action Army” by
David Brown, in which the author states, “In 1922,
Colt’s put the .38 Colt caliber Single Action back into
production. From then until 1931, guns produced in this
caliber were stamped ‘.38 Colt’ on the left side of the barrel.” Colt
Single Action Army revolvers were first made in the .38 Long Colt
caliber in 1886, and the .38 Long Colt caliber would be dropped
from Single Action Army production after 1914 after only 1,011
were made, and would later be reintroduced back into Single
Action Army production in 1922 for this limited production run.
This revolver is made rarer due to having the special order 3 1/2
pound trigger pull. The barrel has the two-line Hartford address
on top and “38 COLT” on the left side. The left side of the frame has
the two-line patent date markings followed by a Rampant Colt. The
left side of the trigger guard is marked with a “3” above a factory
triangle “VP” proof. Matching visible full serial numbers on the
frame, grip straps, and handwritten on the interiors of both grips,
with matching “73” on the rear of the cylinder. Matching assembly
number “986” on the loading gate and rear of the frame.
CONDITION: Excellent plus overall, retains 98% plus bright original
high polish blue finish and vivid case colors, with minor thinning
on top of the front sight, minimal handling evidence, and crisp grip
checkering and markings. Mechanically excellent. This outstanding
1930 National Matches shipped special order Colt Single Action
Army revolver in .38 Long Colt is a highly desirable piece for any
military or Colt collector!
Provenance: The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 11,000 - 16,000
According to "The
36 Calibers of the
Colt Single Action
Army" by Brown, only
1,365 standard frame
Colt Single Action
Army revolvers were
manufactured between
1922 and 1940 in
.38 Long Colt.