COLT SAA Gen 1, Cal. .455 Eley

COLT Single Action Army revolver, 1st generation, manufactured in 1882 – an exceptionally rare model, with only 1,250 made in total, chambered in .455 Eley. According to Don Wilkerson's “Quick Reference Guide”, the revolver was manufactured in 1882, from serial number 75000 onwards, and bears the barrel inscription: “COLT’S PT F.A. MFG Co HARTFORD CT U.S.A. DEPOT 14 PALL MALL LONDON.” This marking indicates that the revolver was intended for the British market and sold through Colt's agency at 14 Pall Mall, London, one of the most prestigious commercial addresses for luxury arms of the period. Many of these revolvers were bought by British Army officers, aristocrats, settlers and imperial officials, hunters and travellers in the colonies. Colt SAA revolvers in .455 Eley made in the 1880s are considered very rare today. Collectors' catalogues note that certain batches shipped to London in 1882 were produced in extremely small numbers, with some configurations known in only a few dozen examples. Typical features of an 1882 example:

• “black powder frame”;
• loading through the side loading gate;
• side-rod ejector, “bull's-eye” or new pattern type;
• blued or nickel finish (“white finish”);
• 4¾, 5½ or 7½ inch barrels;
• “455 CAL. E.” stamp on the trigger guard;
• British proof marks (WP under a crown and the letter B);
• the Black Powder Frame configuration, characteristic of early Colt SAA revolvers;
• walnut or gutta-percha grips.

The serial number of the revolver falls exactly within 1882, which also matches the description in the German document. The revolver is a Colt Single Action Army First Generation, Black Powder Frame, produced for British export and chambered in .455 Eley. The butt of the grip frame has a hole which, on Colt SAA revolvers exported to the British Empire, was used for a “lanyard ring” that could be ordered from the factory. The ring is missing today and may have been removed at some point, but the hole in the butt suggests the revolver was originally supplied with this option. On the back of the grip the inscription “VIRTUTE ET FIDE” is legible, together with a monogram or stylised crest that appears to contain interlaced letters (possibly “M”, “A”, “L” or “H”). This inscription is not a Colt factory marking. It almost certainly indicates an English heraldic crest engraved later, belonging to a British or Irish family : Lamb, Viscounts Melbourne, or Harley, Earls of Oxford and Mortimer. A study cited by Rock Island Auction states that only 477 examples of this .455 Eley export configuration were produced.

The revolver has a “white finish” (white/nickel) and has survived in excellent condition for its age. Both the nickel plating and the oil-finished, polished walnut “one piece” grips are excellently preserved. The cylinder pin retaining screw can be seen at the front of the frame (a feature of SAA revolvers produced up to 1896). The 5.5″ barrel has rifling in perfect condition, timing and indexing are perfect, and the four characteristic cocking clicks are clear and distinct.

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