Single Action identification needed

[sharpshooter223]

I have the opportunity to buy a single action in 44-40 with a black powder style frame for $350.  My question is due to the frame, mostly about how old the gun may be and who made it as I would like to be able to shoot smokeless loads through it.  My other question is whether or not it is worth the asking price.  Here are the pictures I was given.  Looking for someone more in the know to tell me anything they can.  Moderators, please move to a different forum if this would be better posted elsewhere.

[Trailrider]

You should look at John Kopec's book, "A Study of the COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER".  IMHO, there is so much wrong with this gun that I'm not even sure it is a real Colt, and not a knockoff, or parts gun. The markings aren't right, and I can't tell the actual barrel length, but it looks too short for a 5-1/2" and too long for a 4-3/4", the latter of which were only beginning to be made in that serial number range. The other thing is that the numbers on the bottom of the frame, just forward of the trigger guard numbers don't look right.

As to shooting even black powder, let alone smokeless, I would not guarrantee the gun is safe to shoot at all!    If, as I suspect, this is some sort of knockoff, you have no way of knowing who made it and out of what.  The price of $350 is suspicious, even for a gun made up of legitimate Colt's parts!

SAVE YOUR MONEY, PARD, AND ADD TO IT SO YOU CAN GET A GOOD GUN!  Sorry.

[sharpshooter223]

The person selling it was straight forward about it not being a true colt. I have been looking for a Single Action that I can shoot smokeless loads out of and not break my budget, I was leaning toward passing on this one I just figured I should get the opinions of people who know the type of gun a lot better than I do.

[St. George]

Kopec doesn't discuss this sort of thing at all - his books all concentrate on original Colts, as do those by Cochran and Sutherland/Wilson.

This is one of those foreign-made copies - likely Belgian or Spanish or even German.

If you're looking for a single action, and don't want to go broke - then look first at getting a used Ruger, since they're ubiquitous, then at the used Italian clones that abound - and you'll be money ahead.

Leave this one alone.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Pettifogger]

Looking at the fit of the parts and general style (trigger guard, hammer shape etc.) it looks like a cheap, poorly constructed European knock off of unknown metallurgy.  For $350.00 you would be far better off (and probably safer) buying a used Ubert or Pietta SAA clone for shooting.

[sharpshooter223]

I went ahead and passed on the offer.  Thanks for the heads up on the ubertis, I didn't know they made cartridge guns that went as low as that.