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SINGLE ACTION ARMY RARE LONG-FLUTE CYLINDER WITH INTERESTING FACTORY LETTER, #331XXX, SHIPPED 1915
Guns International #: 101212676 Seller's Inventory #:
Category: Colt Revolvers - Single Action Army - 1st Gen - Colt Revolvers - Antique
Seller's Information
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Seller: goodmanguns
Company: William T. Goodman
Member Since: 10/16/15
First Name: William
Last Name: Goodman
State: Montana
Zip: 59715
Country: United States
Phone: (406) 587-3131
Platinum Seller
Number of Active Listings: 52
Total Number of Listings: 3273
Seller: FFL Dealer
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
Payment Types Accepted: checks, cashiers/bank check, money order
Description:
SINGLE ACTION ARMY RARE LONG-FLUTE CYLINDER VARIATION WITH INTERESTING FACTORY LETTER, #331XXX, SHIPPED 1915. This unusual Single Action .38-40 caliber with 4 ¾” barrel turned up in Tucson, Arizona. What is unusual is that it is slightly out of range for Long flute models by a little over 60 numbers- unusual, but not unheard of. Here’s what Keith Cochran says about them in his exhaustively researched book Colt Peacemaker Encyclopedia: “Beginning in 1913 Colt manufactured the so-called Long-Flute Peacemaker. Between serial numbers 330001 and 331480 Colt manufactured 1,379 Long-Flute Model revolvers with a few known revolvers with this feature outside this serial-number-range; these revolvers will be serial numbered close to this serial-number-range however… When Colt terminated the manufacture of the Model 1878 Double Action Frontier Revolver, about 1905, they had a quantity of cylinders in surplus. The Model 1878 revolver had longer flutes in the side of the cylinder because the bolt-lock notch was in the rear end of the cylinder… These cylinders Colt had in surplus were not milled for the lock notch in the rear of the cylinder and they were adaptable to the Peacemaker. The Long-Flute Model revolver was manufactured in six calibers: .45 Colt, .44-40, .44 S&W Special, .41, .38-40 and .32-20 with some of these calibers very scarce to rare.” He also goes on to state, “The bushing in the cylinder of the Long-Flute Model revolver is unlike the bushing in the standard Peacemaker as it does not pass completely through the center of the cylinder; when observing the cylinder from the breech end the bushing cannot be seen.” This example has the correct short bushing. Like the Model 1878, the most common caliber Single Action Long-Flute is .45 Colt followed by .44-40. The .38-40 would be considered scarce with the other calibers downright rare! I sent for the Colt historical letter myself and just now received this unusual letter: “Colt Single Action Army Revolver #331XXX, .38-40, 4 ¾” barrel, blue finish, pearl stocks, sold to Ben Rubenstein, address unavailable, shipped to Stauffer Eshleman and Company, New Orleans, Louisiana, September 23, 1915, one gun in the shipment.” Then under remarks the letter states: “The records further indicate this revolver was returned to the factory on October 11, 1915. It was then shipped to Shapleigh Hardware Company in St. Louis, Missouri for Dollarhide & Harris, address unknown, on November 13, 1915. At this time, the stocks were not listed.” I don't know who "Dollarhide & Harris" is. So, here’s my take on this, and I admit it is speculative, but makes sense: I think Ben Rubenstein special ordered a Colt SAA in .38-40, 4 ¾” barrel with pearl stocks. When the gun arrived, he looked at it and didn’t like the fact it had a Long-Flute cylinder. So he had it sent back to Colt. Colt removed the pearls and re-fitted this returned revolver with standard hard rubber stocks and shipped it to one of their biggest dealers, Shapleigh Hardware in St. Louis. I’ll bet the pearls that were originally on this one were re-fitted to another revolver with a standard cylinder and sent back to Ben Rubenstein in New Orleans. I can’t prove it, but I’ll bet this is what happened. Stauffer Eshleman & Co. was a pretty big dealer in New Orleans. If their customer backed out of the special ordered Single Action, they could easily have sold it as retail in their store…but they didn’t. Instead they returned it to Colt. As to condition, this revolver has seen use, but no abuse. There is still good bright blue around the front sight and top/bottom of the barrel, in the flutes of the ejector housing, some in the protected areas of the trigger guard and good aged blue in the cylinder flutes and on the butt. The balance of the revolver is mostly gray/brown with some light case color on the frame ahead of the cylinder and some small scattered areas showing evidence of light rust that has been wiped off, but not buffed or heavily cleaned. There also appears to be some surface "spotting" on the cylinder that looks like it was from powder solvent/bore cleaner that wasn't wiped off- should be easy to clean better if desired, minor. The screws are excellent, markings are sharp including the correct two line barrel address, the front sight has not been filed or altered the hammer is correct, the hard rubber grips fit well and show normal wear, action is tight with four clicks to the hammer and the bore is fine+ to exc. These Long-Flute Single Actions don’t show up for sale often and this one is in a scarce caliber with a particularly interesting and intriguing letter- I'm sure ancestry could provide info on the two names!
SOLD
Curio/Relic: Yes
Manufacturer: COLT
Model: SINGLE ACTION ARMY, FIRST GENERATION, LONG FLUTE CYLINDER
Serial Number: 331XXX
Caliber Info: .38-40
Condition: VG+
Barrels: 4 3/4