Information from Colt on an SAA

[charliek]

I have gotten the specifics on my great-grandfather's SAA.  Who do I write to at Colt to find out about date of manufacture, sales and so forth?  I recall there is a fee for this but I don't remember the amount.  I'll appreciate any information on how to go about researching the gun.

Charliek

[St. George]

Colt has a website with the pertinent information.

I'm away from my references at the moment, or I'd provide it.

The fee is $100-$150, I believe - a significant amount...

If you just want to know when it was built - send me the serial number and I can provide that information, but for shipping location (usually a hardware store), caliber, barrel length, grips and finish at the time of manufacture - you need to contact Colt.

Good Luck.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

http://www.coltsmfg.com/cmci/historical.asp

There is a link you can click on the right side to find out all the information. A letter for a SAA starts at $100. If it is your great-grandfather's Colt it is probably a First Generation and letters for them start at $150.

I don't know why Colt charges different amounts for letters depending on the model, but they do. With the letter you will get information on when the pistol was shipped from the factory, and where it was shipped. You will also get information on the original configuration of the pistol as it was shipped, stuff like barrel length, finish, etc. I lettered one of my Colts and found out that it actually left the factory with a 12" barrel, even though it now has a 7 1/2" barrel.

If you want information right over the phone, Colt charges more for that too. When I lettered my Colt a few years ago it took almost a year before I got the letter.

It does come on fancy, shmancy paper with a raised seal to make it official, useful for proving the provenance of historical guns.

By way of contrast, S&W charges $30 for a factory letter, for any model they ever made, with the same type of information, also signed by the official company historian. The Smith letter just comes on regular paper, not the fancy paper, but it is just as historically recognized as the fancy, shmancy Colt letter.

A rip off if you ask me, but maybe worth it to you for a family heirloom.

If all you want to know is when the pistol was made, post the Serial Number here and I can look it up for you, so can lots of other guys. For free.

If you post the SN on a public forum like this, be sure to substitute an X for each of the last two digits. so 123,456 would be 123,4XX. That's close enough to figure out the year. Don't post the complete SN on a public forum.

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[charliek]

Many thanks St.George and Driftwood.  I have some details of the gun already, caliber, barrel length and serial number (59xxx).
I'm not sure if I will spend the money for  an official letter or not.  I would like to know when it was shipped and to whom it was sold.  The old man went to California in 1850, guided wagon trains to there from farther east some half dozen times.  Lived in Colorado and moved due to trouble with the Utes after the Little Big Horn.  He lived in New Mexico and moved again after probems with the Apache.  His wife left him at that point and took the children with her. He settled in Texas by 1880 and lived the rest of his life there.  So I'm curious as to where in these wanderings he bought the pistol.

Thanks again for your help.

Charliek

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again

The serial numbers produced in 1880 were 53,001-62,000. That places the year of manufacure as 1880. The only way to find out where Colt shipped the pistol is to pay the money for the letter. They will document the name of a company or indvidual the gun was shipped to. Bear in mind though, this information will only apply if your ancestor bought the gun new. If he bought it used, there is no way to track when he bought it, or who from.

[St. George]

Unless he bought it directly from the Colt factory - which is unlikely - your revolver probably found its way onto the shelf of a myriad of hardware stores when new.

If he acquired it used, all the Colt Letter will say is the final destination of the initial shipment and while that may be interesting enough - it's not going to place the piece in his hands.

Look in the family for a diary or journal - they were commonly kept in those days by folks who knew how to write, and they documented a myriad of things.

Good Luck.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!