Colt Single Action Army
| Colt Single Action Army | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Civil name: | Colt Single Action Army |
| Military designation: | Colt's Army revolver. 45 ″ caliber. |
| Country of operation: | United States |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | William Mason, Charles B. Richards / Colt's Patent Firearms Mfg. Co. |
| Development year: | 1872 to 1873 |
| Manufacturer country: | United States |
| Production time: | since 1873 |
| Model variants: | Single Action Army (Model P), Colt Bisley |
| Weapon Category: | revolver |
| Furnishing | |
| Weight: (unloaded) | (7 ½ ″ barrel), 1.05 kg |
| Barrel length : | (7 ½ ″ barrel) 190.5 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | .45 Colt (11.4 × 33mm R) |
| Ammunition supply : | 6-shot drum |
| Fire types: | Single action |
| Number of trains : | 6 (early models 7) |
| Twist : | Left (early progressive twist models) |
| Visor : | Open sights |
| Charging principle: | Drum revolver |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Colt Single Action Army (also known as the Peacemaker , Colt 1873 , SAA, and Colt 45 ) is the first closed-frame cartridge revolver manufactured by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company . As with all single-action revolvers , the six-shot drum is turned further by cocking the hammer.
history
Rollin White , a Colt employee, patented a revolver loading mechanism. The patent model had a cylindrically pierced drum. Since Colt showed no interest, White sold the patent, which ran from April 3, 1855 for a period of 14 years, to Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson. They brought the Smith & Wesson No 1 onto the market as early as 1857 . They also licensed Remington to manufacture pierced revolver drums for rebuilding their percussion revolvers . Other weapons manufacturers, including Colt, tried to circumvent this patent, but to no avail. Only the veto by President Grant to the prolongation of the patent cleared the way for the development of modern breech-loading revolver in April 1869th
In order to stay competitive in the market and to reduce stocks, Colt first launched Colt percussion revolvers , the Colt Conversion Revolvers , which were converted to rear loading . At the same time the company developed the Colt Open Top revolver in caliber .44 Henry for army tests. Since this did not meet the specifications of the US Army , the chief engineer at Colt, William Mason, was commissioned to develop a revolver with a closed frame for the then Army cartridge .44 S & W American.
The often heard opinion that Colt copied the closed frame from Remington is wrong, as Colt revolvers with a closed frame were already available in 1855, and in 1860 there were also experimental models in .44 Rimfire.
In the spring of 1872 the prototype of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver was completed. On the frame it was labeled 44 NM 1872. In June 1872 the number S 1 followed and in November the number S 2 was delivered to the responsible authorities in the US Army as the first test weapon, followed by 36 more weapons from early series production. (NM stands for New Model and S for Sample, German: Muster). These weapons, made for army tests, were made for the .44 S & W American army cartridge at the time and were aimed at a distance of 50 yards . The runs had seven moves with a progressive left twist. They passed all army tests and were superior to the Smith & Wesson No 3 . Since the performance of the .44 S&W ammunition was unsatisfactory, Colt was commissioned to propose a more powerful cartridge, which led to the .45 Long Colt cartridge developed by the Frankford Arsenal . The barrels in the corresponding caliber had 6 trains with constant left-hand twist. At the request of the army, the delivered weapons were shot in at 25 yards.
Series production of the Colt Single Action Army began on March 1, 1873 with the number 1 and ended in 1941 with the number 357,859, with the last 800 or so revolvers being delivered after the Second World War. The internal factory name of the Colt Single Action Revolver was initially Strap Pistol, later Model P. The barrel lettering was rolled up in italics until 1875 (approximately up to serial number 21,000), then in vertical block letters.
Since the weapon was characterized by its ease of use and robustness, it soon had success in the civilian market. In the Wild West , the civilian versions also fired the cartridges of the Winchester rifle from 1877 onwards . The cowboys only had to carry one type of cartridge with them for the two weapons. The success of the Peacemaker was evident in the sales figures, with total pre-war production over 350,000 units. Production was discontinued in 1941 and resumed in 1956 in response to various requests.
Its popularity led to nicknames like Peacemaker (peacemaker), Equalizer (equalizer), and Widowmaker (widow maker).
technology
The six-shot Colt Single Action was produced in different versions, the mass-produced barrel lengths were 4¾, 5½ and 7½ inches, other barrel lengths were made to order. Short-barreled revolvers are rare, they were called sheriff's model or storekeeper, and they did not have an ejector. Revolvers with 16-inch barrel and mountable stop piston, the Buntlines, are known. The best-selling calibers were .45 Colt and .44-40 WCF . Other calibers were: .38-40 WCF , .32-20 WCF , and various others such as .22 lfB , .38 Special , .357 Magnum , .44 Henry and .44 Special as well as English calibers.
The lock mechanism of the Colt Single Action corresponds to that of the percussion revolver with an open frame made of four moving parts - the cock (hammer), the pawl (hand) that rotates the drum via the toothed ring (cylinder, ratchet), the lever (cylinder Locking Bolt), which blocks the drum to shoot, and the trigger. The hammer carries a roller at the back (hammer roller) as contact to the main spring (main spring); He also operates the latch via a cam. Two springs bring the pawl, lever and trigger into the correct position for their function. The only difference is the backup. While the percussion revolver was secured by moving the cock to an intermediate position of the drum between two cartridge chambers, respectively. When the detonators were lowered, the hammer of the Single Action had an additional safety catch.
This safety catch is hook-shaped, it is on top (picture). The middle hook-shaped notch is used for loading, as the drum can rotate freely in a clockwise direction. The trigger is also blocked at the loading stop due to the hook shape. The lowest flat catch is used to trigger the shot.
Since black powder guns get dirty quickly and powder residues get stuck between the drum axis and the drum bore and block the drum, a screw-shaped groove was turned into the drum axis of the percussion revolvers; it was intended as a fat depot and took powder residue when firing.
In the Colt Single Action Army 1873, a base pin bushing was inserted between the drum axis (base pin) and the central bore of the drum; so two bearings had to be blocked before the drum could no longer rotate. A flange-shaped extension at the front of the rifle also prevented powder residue from entering the bearings.
The pawl that turns the drum when the tap is cocked has also been improved. Instead of a simple cam, it had a double cam that meshed with two teeth of the drum's transport wheel.
All of these measures resulted in the Colt Single Action Army blocking the Army's tests much later than its competitors.
The Colt Single Action was developed as a black powder weapon in 1872/1873. Army documents show that wrought iron was used for the frame until 1883 , after which steel was used . The tubular frames and other parts were drop forged , machined , ground , polished and checked for defects and dimensional accuracy.
Until around 1895 the drum axis was held in place at the front by a screw inserted at an angle in the frame. From 1896 this bracket was abandoned. It has been replaced by a spring-loaded bolt inserted transversely in the frame, which must be pressed in to release the drum axis.
All Cavalry Single Actions delivered to the US Army and most of the civil peacemakers had color hardened frames, the drum, barrel, ejector sleeve and handle frame were burnished (blued). Many revolvers were also nickel-plated as standard, other surface treatments were rare.
The one-piece walnut wood grips for army weapons were oiled, the grips for civilian weapons were lacquered, and from 1882 two-part grips made of gutta-percha were available. The later hard rubber grips became the norm. Handle scales made of ivory and mother-of-pearl were rarer .
The revolvers were assembled and adjusted by specialists until they worked perfectly. Afterwards they were shot at and shot in at close range.
safety
The Colt Single Actions were continuously checked throughout the manufacturing process, an estimated 0.3% were eliminated. The transition to the smokeless powder types required more resistant steels and tighter tolerances; Colt only guaranteed the perfect functioning of its weapons with the new ammunition from 1900. The acceptance stamp for this ammunition, which was mostly struck on the front left of the trigger guard from 1902, is a VP in a triangle. Guns that are not so marked should never be loaded with smokeless ammunition.
No real security is achieved with the safety catch. If the revolver falls on the hammer, a shot can unintentionally be released if the detent is broken off by the blow on the hammer. In the case of old single actions, collectibles, both the safety catch and the loading catch may have broken off. To be on the safe side, it is strongly recommended not to load single actions with broken detents and only load those with intact detents with five cartridges and lower the tap onto the empty chamber. Various collectors consider the Colt Single Action from serial number approx. 164,000, in which the drum axis transversely inserted spring-loaded bolts in the frame has been replaced as "Smokeless Models" or as Single Actions for smokeless powder, although Colt did not use smokeless powder until 1900 guaranteed. Single actions that do not have an acceptance stamp on the front right trigger guard (VP, from approx. Serial number approx. 203,000) should not be loaded with smokeless ammunition.
Colt SAA - lock mechanism, drum and ejector
Colt cock with latch
Rooster of a Colt SAA compared to the Army 1860
SAA .45 ACP drum
Colt Proofmark
The Colt Single Action Army in the US Army
The Texas Rangers were the first to receive Colt revolvers from 1839. This five-shot weapon in .36 caliber, referred to as the Colt Paterson Holster Pistol No. 5, was superior to any muzzle loading pistol . The former Texas Ranger Captain Samuel Walker was convinced of the advantages of the revolver, got in touch with Samuel Colt and developed the six-shot Colt Walker Mod. 1847 in caliber .44, of which a thousand were sold to the army. Of the improved model, the Colt 1848 Dragoon, a further 8,000 units were delivered to the troops by 1860. From 1860 to 1865 Colt delivered over 100,000 Colt 1860 Army to the Northern States , it was the last Colt percussion revolver used by the US troops. At the end of the 1860s, parts of the troops received rear-loaded Colt Army 1860 and Remington New Model Army revolvers, as well as a number of Smith & Wesson No 3 drop-barrel revolvers in .44 / 100 centerfire caliber .
In the early 1870s , the cavalry involved in the Indian Wars had to be re-armed . The US Cavalry was a dragoon force , they usually fought dismounted. Their obsolete armament from the Civil War was replaced by the Springfield 1873 carbine in caliber 45-70 (with a charge reduced to 55 grains) and the Colt Single Action Army 1873 Cavalry Model with a 7½-inch barrel. The cavalry saber Mod. 1860 was retained, but rarely worn.
A first contract for 8000 single actions including the associated screwdriver for 13.00 US dollars was concluded on July 23, 1873 and the weapons were delivered to the Springfield Armory by March 1874 . By the end of 1874, most of the ten cavalry regiments were equipped with it. In the beginning there were only difficulties with the production of ammunition. The troop, however, loved the Colt Single Action .45 Cavalry Model.
The Colt Single Actions intended for the army were already checked by Colt inspectors before they went to the army inspectors. The army inspector for the first batch of 8,000 was Orville W. Ainsworth. His blow on metal parts was a small A, an OWA was stamped on the handle. Other inspectors were Henry Nettleton (HN), David F. Clark (DFC) and Rinaldo A. Carr (RAC). Rejected weapons were given a C for Condemned. Its parts went, so in order, into civil production.
Further orders followed quickly, and by April 1891 37,063 single actions had been delivered to the Springfield Armory, which also equipped troops other than cavalry and civilian agencies such as the post office with them. About a third of the Colt Single Actions produced went to the militias of various US states. The reason was a law that obliged the US government in Washington to arm state militias free of charge. A number of these militia revolvers were sold cheaply to wholesalers on receipt. Colt took over some of these weapons, changed them a little and sold these revolvers, now known as Buy Back, to the civilian market through his agents.
In the spring of 1874 Smith & Wesson made a Smith & Wesson No 3 in .45 caliber, improved by Major Schofield, available for testing. Due to the quick unloading and reloading possibility on horseback, the commission members recommended the purchase of this break-open revolver. It was not taken into account that the Colt cartridge could not be loaded into the shorter drum of the S&W. The resulting logistic problems first led to the creation of a weaker standard cartridge and later to the retirement of the Schofield revolver.
Since the new orderly revolver, the New Army Model 1892 in caliber .38 Long Colt, which was delivered to the army after 1890, the withdrawn approximately 14,000 Colt Single Actions were refreshed at Colt and the Springfield Arsenal. The barrels were shortened to 5½ inches and most of these weapons were reassembled with non-matching numbers. The first of these today known as Artillery Model were actually intended for arming artillery. Most of these weapons, however, went to troops deployed in Cuba, where they stormed San Juan Hill with Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders . Others went to the troops in the Philippines (see also Philippine-American War ) and 800 unreduced weapons of the same number were given to the New York militia.
After the final withdrawal, they were replaced by Colt M1911 self-loading pistols and, to a lesser extent, Colt New Service revolvers .
Today the US Cavalry and Artillery Colts are sought-after collector's items. Many have been stripped of their historical value as worn surfaces have been chemically burnished, numbers looked up, parts replaced, and even 5½-inch barrels have been lengthened back to 7½ ".
US Colt Single Action 1873 Cavalry Model, accessories
Inscription Transport box for 50 Colts, delivery to the troops
Colt Model 1873, US Artillery Model
Left two early Frankford Arsenal cartridges .45 Colt
The peacemaker in the civil market
Between November 1873 and March 1874, Colt was only able to ship about 400 single-action army revolvers to the civilian market as priority was given to army shipments to the National Springfield Armory, Massachusetts. After that date, when the 8,000 Colt SAA on the first contract had been delivered, there was more capacity to supply its traditional five Colt Allies wholesalers. In July 1875, with serial number 20,000, around 5,000 SAAs had already entered the civilian market, and no army deliveries were made between numbers 20,000 and 30,000.
Kittredge & Co. in Cincinnati was one of the wholesalers at the time. This company called the Colt SAA the Peacemaker on their advertisements and brochures. This name quickly became a household name. The Peacemaker was made in two series of numbers. The central fire variant including Bisley model from No. 1 to No. 357.859 and the rimfire revolvers manufactured between 1875 and 1880 by No. 1 to approx. 1890. The largest customer was the US market. The Peacemaker and its variants were the best-selling handguns in the Wild West well into the twentieth century. However, unlike in the Wild West films, not every cowboy had a peacemaker on his belt. The cartridge revolvers gained acceptance only slowly because the ammunition was expensive and not available everywhere. In addition, there was competition from the converted percussion revolver and the other providers, above all Smith & Wesson .
The first deliveries also went abroad. The mysterious 40 (according to other sources 59) Peacemakers in caliber .44 German that were delivered to Germany in December 1873 are known. Larger deliveries were made to England and the colonies, they can be recognized by the scrolling inscription with the London address, the acceptance stamps and the calibers .450 Boxer and Eley, as well as the .455 and .476 Eley, used in the British Empire. From 1873 to 1878, the .45 Colt cartridge was the standard caliber of the Peacemaker. Since Winchester had developed a new centerfire cartridge for the Winchester rifle model 1873, the .44-40 WCF (.44-40 Winchester Center Fire) as a replacement for the outdated Henry cartridge, Colt also offered peacemakers for this caliber from 1877 onwards In 1878 the text COLT FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER was etched onto the barrel of these weapons. The .44-40 WCF , .38-40 WCF and .32-20 WCF cartridges were henceforth the standard cartridges of the Wild West. The .38 Long Colt, the .41 Long Colt and the .44 S&W were used less frequently. Some of the Peacemakers originally manufactured in .44 Henry caliber were changed to .22 rimfire cartridges, the predecessors of today's .22 lfB (.22 Long Rifle).
With the introduction of smokeless powder in 1900, the 7½-inch barrels went out of fashion; the most common barrel lengths were now 5½ and 4¼ inches, which was also an advantage with the new means of transport. While on the horse the long barrel stabilized the weapon in the case, it hit the carriage and in the Ford T-model on the seat. Despite the advent of modern revolvers with swiveling drums and self-loading pistols, over 150,000 Peacemakers were still sold between 1900 and 1940. In addition to the calibres .45 Colt (.45 Long Colt), .38 LC, .44-40 WCF, .38-40 WCF, .32-20 WCF, the following were added: .38 Special , .357 Magnum , .44 Russian . From 1924 to 1940, a few single actions were also produced for the .45-ACP pistol cartridge, and .45 Long Colt models with a second drum in .45 pistol caliber were also delivered.
Larger buyers were the Copper Queen Mining Company in Bisbee, Arizona (approx. 500 revolvers), the Texas Rangers (police) , the San Antonio Police Department (just over 100 revolvers, 1927) and other police corps , the Hollywood film factories, the British War Office (161 revolvers called Battle of Britain never used , 1940) and many private individuals.
Engravings
About one percent of the Colt single actions were engraved at the factory or on behalf of Colt. These single actions are sought-after collector's items, especially if the wearer is known. The engravers were mostly immigrant Germans, which is evident from the names. Gustave Young (Gustaf Jung), Louis Daniel Nimschke, Cuno Helfricht and Wilbur Glahn came from Germany and Rudolph Kornbrath was an Austrian from Ferlach.
Some weapons were also delivered unhardened and in the unblued state (in the white) to resellers who passed them on to specialists for engraving. Collectors speak of New York Engraving because Colt's most important agents were in New York. Known are Schuyler, Hartley & Graham; Spies Kissam Co .; Wexel and Degress and others. The Winchester Repeating Arms Co. also had Colt revolvers engraved. English engravings are also known which were commissioned by the London agent Von Oppen, 14 Pall Mall, London.
Long fluted model
Since drums from the Colt Double Action Model 1878 were still in stock, these were reworked and used for Colt Single Action Revolvers from 1913. Externally, these revolvers differ in that they have longer millings on the drum, a non-continuous bushing in the central bore of the drum and a finer surface polish. A total of 1379 of these revolvers were produced in the common calibers between serial numbers 330.001 and 331.480.
Other single action variants
- Sheriff’s Model or Storekeeper was called the short-barreled model without an ejector.
- The Buntline Special 'was a model with an extra long barrel and a separate piston. This was (according to legend) commissioned by the journalist and author Ned Buntline . He is even said to have personally given one to Wyatt Earp .
- Between 1888 and 1895 Colt offered the Flattop Target Model, a variant of the single action for shooters. Some of these weapons were made to order until 1928. The target model has a flat frame at the top without any directly milled sights. The dovetail visor can be moved for side correction. The front sight can be inserted into a soldered block. It can be exchanged for height correction. A total of only about 925 examples of this weapon were produced in various calibers; its successor was the Bisley Flattop Target Revolver, which was produced from 1894.
- The revolvers were delivered blued, the frames color-hardened; less often nickel-plated. There were also models in luxury variants such as with mother-of-pearl and ivory handles, engraved, with gold-plated inlays, horn handles.
Colt Bisley
The Bisley can be recognized by the longer, steeper and higher handle as well as the wider cockspur and the wider trigger. It was named after the English town of Bisley, where one of the most famous shooting ranges in England is located.
The first of these revolvers was offered in 1894 as a replacement for the Colt Single Action Flattop Model under the name Bisley Target Model. Both models were rifles; like its predecessor, it has a flat frame at the top, a sliding visor and an exchangeable front sight.
Production of the Colt Bisley with the standard single action frame began in 1895 at around 160,000 of the series. He has the handle, hammer and trigger of the target model. However, the sight and front sight are the same as with the Single Action Army. As a result of the higher handle, the rear part of the frame differs from the standard frame of the Single Action. The mainspring of the Bisley is longer than that of the standard model and transfers its power to the cock with an intermediate link. The Bisley's serial numbers are stamped on the frame, on the front of the trigger guard and on the bottom of the handle frame. In later models, they are very small and barely legible. All Bisleys with serial number 161,000 bear the inscription on the left of the barrel: (BISLEY MODEL) in addition to the caliber information. The most common calibers were .32-20 / .38-40 / .44-40 / .45 Long Colt and .41 LC.
Most fixed-sight Bisleys were shipped to U.S. addresses and were not used as a rifle but for self-defense. The longer, higher set handle and the lower-lying cockspur allowed a faster rate of fire. 976 of the Bisley target were made; the standard model brought it to about 44,350 pieces, both in the normal number range of the Single Action Army from 156,000 to 331,916 (Cochran). Production stopped in 1912, and the number 331.916 was only delivered after the First World War.
The early double-action models
Following the success of the Colt Single Action, Colt launched the Colt Double Action Revolver Model 1877 and 1878 .
The first was the Colt Lightning Model of 1877 in calibers .38 and .41 long and short in various barrel lengths.
A year later, the Model 1878 Double Action Revolver came on the market. It fired the same cartridges as the Single Action Army. In 1902, the US government bought just over 4,600 of these weapons for the troops and militias stationed in the Philippines. They can be recognized by the large trigger guard.
From 1900, both models were replaced by more modern revolvers with swiveling drums.
Production of the Colt Single Action Army after 1945
Pre-war, post-war single action . When the USA entered World War II, production of the Colt Single Action ceased when it reached serial number 357,869. About 300 of these weapons were still in stock or not assembled. From 1947 they were sold to selected personalities and customers or given as gifts. The last 27 units with partly newly manufactured components left the factory on October 3, 1972.
2nd generation Colt single action . After the Great Western Company in Los Angeles successfully launched copies of the Colt Single Action in the 1950s, Colt decided to resume production of their original product in 1955. The first gun manufactured in 1956 bore the number 0001SA and the last was produced in 1974 with the serial number 73.319, after which the condition of the old machine tools no longer allowed Colt's quality standard to be maintained. As before the war, the mass-produced weapons were color-hardened and blackened or nickel-plated. They had 7½, 5½ and 4¼ inch barrels in .45 Colt, .44 Special, .38 Special and .357 Magnum. In the same series of numbers, 3,994 Buntline revolvers with 12-inch barrel in .45 caliber were produced, as well as short-barreled sheriff model revolvers without a case ejector and various commemorative models in separate number series.
New Frontier Flat-Top Model . Between 1961 and 1974, just over 4,000 disk turrets were produced in a special series of serial numbers (3,000NF to 7,288NF). They had a frame that was flat at the top, a visor that was adjustable in height and side, and a front sight mounted on a ramp.
3rd Generation Colt Single Action . After replacing the machine tools and making some technical changes, production was resumed with the serial number 80.000SA. In these third generation Single Actions and New Frontiers, manufactured from 1978, the central bore of the drum was adapted to the diameter of the drum axis. The earlier rotatable bushing (base pin bushing) has been replaced by a short bushing firmly pressed into the cleared front end of the drum. Buntline, sheriff and various commemorative revolvers were also produced here. When the serial number was 99999SA, the company changed the numbering and placed the SA at the beginning (example SA00001). When the serial number SA99999 was reached in 1999, Colt changed the numbering again. From here the serial number starts with S00001A.
Frontier Scout . From 1960 Colt also produced a smaller version of the single action, the Frontier Scout in .22 caliber.
Web links
See also
literature
- George Garton: Colt's SAA Post War Models . Beinfeld Publishing Inc., North Hollywood CA 1979, ISBN 0-917714-23-7 .
- Ron Graham, John A. Kopec, C. Kenneth Moore: A study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver . sn, sl 1976 (Revised 5th printing. John Kopec Publications, Redding CA 2006, ISBN 0-9615236-1-1 ).
- Charles T. Haven, Frank A. Belden: The History of the Colt Revolver, and the other Arms made by Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company from 1836 to 1940 . Bonanza Books, New York NY 1940.
- Robert M. Jordan: Colt's Pocket 49. It's Evolution including the Baby Dragoon & Wells Fargo. Manufactured by Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Co., Hartford, Conn. & Pimlico, London. Beware of Counterfeits and Patent Infringements . DM Watt, Loma Mar CA 2000, ISBN 0-9674816-0-0 .
- R. Bruce McDowell: A Study of Colt Conversions and Other Percussion Revolvers . Krause Publications, Iola WI 1997, ISBN 0-87341-446-2 .
- Joseph G. Rosa: Colonel Colt, London. The History of Colt's London Firearms, 1851-1857 . Arms and Armor Press et al., London 1976, ISBN 0-85368-350-6 .
- James E. Serven: Colt Firearms from 1836 . Stackpole Books, Harrisburg PA 1954 (7th edition, enlarged, updated. Ibid 1979, ISBN 0-8117-0400-9 ).
- PL Shumaker: Colt's Variations of the Old Model Pocket Pistol, 1848-1872. 2d revised edition. Borden, Alhambra CA 1966.
- Robert Q. Sutherland, Robert L. Wilson: The Book of Colt Firearms . sn, Kansas City MO 1971.
- Nathan L. Swayze: '51 Colt Navies . Gun Hill, Yazoo City MS 1967, ISBN 0-88227-030-3 .
- Don Wilkerson: Colt's Double Action Revolver Model of 1878 . Walsworth, Marceline MO 1998, ISBN 0-9617876-4-3 .