In House Shipping:
Make: Colt
Model: Single Action Army
Serial Number: 230860
Year of Manufacture: 1902
Caliber: .38-40 Winchester Center Fire (WCF)
Action Type: Single Action Revolver with Side Loading-Gate Cylinder
Barrel Length: 4 3/4”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a fixed blade. The rear sight is a “V”-notch in the top strap.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered black hard rubber with a Rampant Colt in ovals at their tops. The inside of each panel is scribed with different initials. The grips have moderate to heavy handling wear with scattered nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The bottom of the right panel has a series of hand-scribed symbols. The checkering is worn, but generally visible. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Good Condition.
Type of Finish: No finish remains.
Finish Originality: There is no sign of a new finish being applied. Some areas show polishing, most notable on the barrel.
Bore Condition: The bore is gray. The rifling is worn, but visible. There is light erosion and pitting scattered through the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 5 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 0% of its metal finish. The surfaces have worn or been polished to white. There is scattered minor surface erosion and light oxidation. There are scattered nicks and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings range from clear to worn, but legible. Overall, this revolver is in about Good Condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This revolver comes with a Colt Archives factory letter indicating it shipped August 15, 1902 to the Bering Cortes Hardware Company in Houston, Texas.
Our Assessment: The expiration of Smith & Wesson's patent on the bored-through cylinder in 1869 led Colt to design the revolutionary M-1873 Single Action Army, which soon earned the moniker the "Peacemaker", "Equalizer", and "gun that won the West". Carried by soldiers, cowboys, ranchers, rustlers, lawmen and outlaws alike, the Colt SAA quickly became synonymous with the untamed wilds of the American West. While Colt originally introduced the revolver chambered only in .45 Long Colt, they soon offered the SAA in many of Winchester's cartridges, allowing a man to carry a revolver and rifle chambered for the same round.
This Colt 1st Gen Single Action Army Revolver was made in 1902 and is in Good Condition. It features a 4.75” barrel, 0% (none) of its finish, having worn or been polished to white, the classic two-piece checkered black hard rubber grips with Rampant Colts in ovals at their tops (the grips have smoothed somewhat from handling over the years), strong mechanics, and a gray bore with worn but visible rifling (there’s light erosion and pitting scattered throughout), and comes with a Colt Archives factory letter indicating it shipped August 15, 1902 to the Bering Cortes Hardware Company in Houston, Texas. The Bering-Cortes Hardware Company was established in 1885, and in operation for over 30 years. The German immigrant family of one of the co-founders, Bering, had settled in Houston in 1846, and there’s still a Bering Hardware store in Houston run by one of the descendants. This old hogleg has a great “been there, done that” appearance, and is a Houston, Texas shipped example to boot.