Historic First Generation Colt Frontier Six Shooter Single Action Army Revolver Associated with the Range Wars Caliber 44-40 WCF

Description:


SHERIFF E.J. SMALLEY COLT FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER — LONG KNOWN AS THE "TOM HORN GUN"
Documented First Generation Colt Frontier Six Shooter
Sheriff E.J. Smalley Provenance • Serial Number 246058

Offered is an exceptional First Generation Colt Frontier Six Shooter, serial number 246058, chambered in .44-40 WCF with a 5½-inch barrel. More than a collectible firearm, this revolver is accompanied by an extraordinary archive of provenance documents tracing nearly a century of ownership, research, and collector interest.

Few Western firearms can be linked to such a substantial documentary record. Included are affidavits, collector correspondence, transfer records, purchase documents, shipping receipts, historical research notes, and provenance materials connecting this revolver to some of the most respected names in Western Americana collecting.

The story begins with Sheriff Edwin J. Smalley of Wyoming, the lawman who arrested Tom Horn in January 1902 and was present during the final chapter of Horn’s life, including his execution in November 1903. The earliest surviving provenance document is a signed affidavit dated December 16, 1926, in which B.E. Dunlap identified serial number 246058 as having come from Sheriff Smalley and described it as Tom Horn’s gun.

Whether one ultimately accepts the attribution as fact, period belief, or something in between, the significance of the affidavit is undeniable: the Tom Horn association was already established in writing only twenty-three years after Horn’s death.

The provenance continues through David Lake, Richard Sykes, Charles H. Coe, Carl Morgan, Douglas R. Warner, and ultimately the noted N. Brigham Pemberton Collection. A remarkable 1929 letter from Charles H. Coe demonstrates that knowledgeable collectors were already researching and discussing this specific revolver while memories of the frontier era remained comparatively fresh.

Unlike many Western firearms whose stories appear decades later through family tradition or undocumented claims, the identity of this revolver as the “Tom Horn Gun” can be traced through multiple generations of serious collectors. The gun’s documentary history became important enough that each generation preserved and transferred the associated paperwork alongside the firearm itself.

Research notes attributed to noted firearms historian R.L. Wilson identify serial number 246058 as having shipped on August 13, 1903, placing the revolver in existence before Tom Horn’s execution later that year.

Equally important is the revolver itself. This is not a restored showpiece. It remains an authentic frontier-survivor Colt exhibiting the honest wear, age, and character expected of a working revolver from the Old West. Its appeal lies not only in condition, but in authenticity, provenance, and historical significance.

Highlights

• Colt Frontier Six Shooter
• First Generation Production
• Serial Number 246058
• .44-40 WCF
• 5½-inch barrel
• Sheriff E.J. Smalley provenance
• Tom Horn attribution documented in a 1926 affidavit
• Charles H. Coe correspondence dated 1929
• Richard Sykes, Carl Morgan, Douglas Warner and N. Brigham Pemberton provenance
• Extensive supporting documentation archive
• Authentic frontier-survivor condition
• Significant Western Americana collector history

Whether viewed as a documented Smalley revolver, a Wyoming frontier artifact, or the historic “Tom Horn Gun” preserved through generations of collectors, serial number 246058 represents a rare opportunity to acquire a Colt whose provenance has been discussed, researched, documented, and preserved for nearly one hundred years.

For additional information please call Guy McRee at 972-670-8562
 

Curio/Relic: Yes
Handgun Caliber: .44-40 Winchester (.44 WCF)
Manufacturer: Colt
Model: SAA
Serial Number: 246058
Barrel Length: 5 1/2

Price: $54,500.00
Shipping: $325.00
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