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Ainsworth Inspected Colt Cavalry Single Action 1874 Mfg. Original Condition
Guns International #: 102009766 Seller's Inventory #:
Category: Colt Revolvers - Single Action Army - 1st Gen - Colt Revolvers - Antique
Seller's Information
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Seller: Buckhorn Antique Arms
Member Since: 7/24/22
First Name: Michael
Last Name: Casanova
State: North Carolina
Zip: 28677
Country: United States
Phone: (980) 428-0706
Total Number of Listings: 15
Seller: Private Seller
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
No international shipping
Payment Types Accepted: Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Cryptocurrency
About Us: Buyer and Seller of antique Winchesters, Colts, Henry's, Marlins, etc. Invested in the preservation of historic and collectable firearms and western memorabilia.
Description:
Make: Colt
Model: Single Action Army, US Cavalry Model
Serial Number: 1914
Year of Manufacture: 1874
Caliber: .45 Colt
Action Type: Single Action Revolver
Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “Colt’s Pt. F.A. Mfg. Co. Hartford, Ct, U.S.A.”. The right side of the barrel under the ejector rod housing is marked “1914” and the underside is marked “P” and “A”. There is a “G” and a “C” on the barrel under the ejector rod housing. The left side of the frame is marked “Pat. Sept. 19. 1871 / Pat. July. 2. 1872” and “U.S.” There is a “1” on the forward face of the cylinder, and a “P”, an “A” and “1914” on the outside. There is a “C” above the firing pin hole on the back of the frame. The backstrap is marked with an “A” behind the hammer. The back strap, trigger guard and frame are numbered “1914”. There is another “A” forward of the trigger guard. The frame shows the numbers "912" under the trigger guard indicating that the loading gate was likely replaced. The assembly number “753” is on the loading gate.
Barrel Length: 7 ½”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a fixed blade. The rear sight is a notch in the top strap.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are one piece smooth wood and still have the "OWA" cartouche on the lower left side. There is age darkening and wear, with some shrinkage. These show a great appearance and fit the metal quite well.
Type of Finish: Blue & Case Colored – Now all Patina
Finish Originality: We see no evidence of a refinish, though there is no finish remaining.
Bore Condition: The bore is above average for this age revolver. The rifling is deep and there is only an even frosting, but no real mentionable erosion in the bore.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains little of it's original metal finish. The pistol has developed a handsome and generally even patina. The metal is a bit mottled, and there are only a handful of very minor and very scattered dings or erosion pricks in the barrel and frame. There are a few noticeable dings in the cylinder consistent with the hard use of the soldier who carried it. This gun has the correct hammer, with the elongated deep cross hatched checkering. The screw heads are a bit marked, but very serviceable. The markings are all clear. Overall, this historic handgun rates in about Fine condition. You would be hard pressed to find a higher condition or lower serial number Ainsworth Colt for sale anywhere.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The springs are strong and the lock up/timing is remarkably tight. We did not fire this handgun.
Our Assessment: This is certainly the pinnacle of Colt collecting, the most desirable gun inspected by the most desirable inspector. Ainsworth inspected Colts are the very first of the US Colt Single Action Army’s, seen only through serial number 14998, and seen rarely today. These guns were frequently rebuilt in arsenals, and are seldom encountered in original condition with all matching parts. This gun has all matching serial numbers, all correct markings and even the correct ejector rod and hammer. (As confirmed by Kopec’s “Cavalry & Artillery Revolvers … a continuing story”, Chapter 1.)
Few Colts have remained in their original condition as this one is, even fewer are US marked and only a handful are Ainsworth inspected. This is truly a jewel for any collection and we only hope the pictures do it justice!
Wikipedia: “The OWA Colt refers to the earliest issued Single Action Army guns which were inspected by Orville W. Ainsworth. Ainsworth was the ordnance sub-inspector at the Colt factory for the first 13 months (Oct. 1873 to Nov. 1874) of the Single Action Army’s production. It was Ainsworth who inspected the Colts used by Col. G.A. Custer’s 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The number range of possible Little Bighorn Colts is 4500 – 7527.
Henry Nettleton was the U.S. Principal Sub-inspector in 1878 at the Springfield Armory. Second only to the OWA Colts, Nettleton Colts are prized by serious collectors. Both the Nettleton and OWA Colts have the cartouche (OWA or HN) on the left side of the wood grip.
By the mid-1870s, the Army had purchased a significant number of Smith and Wesson Schofield revolvers chambering a shorter .45 round. Logistical problems arose because the ammunition was not interchangeable. The Colt revolvers would accept the shorter round but not vice versa. For a time, the Government stopped orders for the longer Colt cartridge and used the Smith and Wesson round exclusively. The S & W Schofield was soon retired and sold to the civil market.
The largest group of U.S. Colt Cavalry revolvers was inspected by David F. Clark; his D.F.C. cartouche will be encountered on revolvers inspected from 1880 to 1887. During the year 1893, the .45 U.S. Colt Single Action Army revolvers were retired by the Cavalry and replaced by the .38 caliber Colt Model 1892 Double Action Army revolver. The .45 Single Action Army revolvers were still standard issue to the Infantry, Artillery and other branches of the U.S. Army.
In 1895-96, the Government returned 2000 SAA revolvers to Colt’s to be refurbished; 800 were issued to the New York Militia with the 7 ½” barrel and 1200 were altered to a barrel length of 5½”. In 1898, 14 900 of the SAA revolvers were altered the same way by the Springfield Armory. The original records of the War Department do refer to these revolvers with the shortened barrel as the “Altered Revolver”. The name “Artillery” is actually a misnomer, maybe because the Light Artillery happened to be the first units to be armed with the altered revolver.
The Artillery Single Actions were issued to the Infantry, the Light Artillery, the Volunteer Cavalry and other troops because the standard issue .38 caliber Colt M 1892 double-action revolver was lacking stopping-power. For that reason, the .45 Artillery SAA Revolvers were used successfully by front troops in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders charged up San Juan Hill wielding the .45 caliber Artillery Model.
The Artillery Model usually had mixed numbers. It can be identified by the U.S. on the frame, the inspector’s stamps on different parts (such as a tiny A for Orville W. Ainsworth, DFC, HN, RAC for later inspectors and K for replacement parts) and the cartouche of Rinaldo A. Carr (RAC), the inspector who inspected the refurbished guns, on the grip.
SOLD
Antique: Yes
Handgun Caliber: .45 Colt