Alvin White Engraved Colt SAA - .357 Magnum Style

[DevilDog72]

There shore ain't no fly's on that. Really an exquisite Colt.

 

[RKmesa]

The bbl is a pre-war bbl (IMO). That's from looking at the top bbl address,,it has the so-called 'broken 'O' in Hartford. It's a quite common characteristic collectors look for to try and date and match up parts with the revolver to see if things are correct.

The left side marking Colt S/A Army started around 1929.
The 'broken O' die marking starts to show up in the 20's
38 Special caliber marked bbls/guns are in this range.

Maybe the gun was converted using pre-war 38 Special bbl and cyl then the chambers lengthened to 357. The caliber marking would then be changed in some manner.

Pre-War parts weren't all that uncommon in the 50's and early 60's, and might be what you got if you ordered a cylinder and bbl from the factory at that time. Production of the 2nd Gen guns didn't start till '56 I think and the 38sp was gone by '64. The factory wouldn't convert 1st gen guns to 357 but I'm sure some were done. 2nd gen 357 came out in '60.

The original Pre/War guns chambered in 38Sp are rare, but I'm sure extra parts were made and sold. They certainly had a ton of spare 2nd generation bbls and cylinders to sell.

Thanks a ton for taking the time to educate me on some of the nuances of the SAA. I know almost nothing about Colts - other than I love the lines of and history associated with the SAA. I think the points that you make about the possibility of the barrel being a 38 Spl barrel make a lot of sense. While I own this gun, It will never be shot as I have a .357 Mag 2nd Gen that is available if I need to scratch the .357 Mag SAA itch...

As a .357 Magnum collector and an engraved gun collector and a super fan of Alvin White, this gun was almost a "must have" for me. I know that the gun is not "complete" as it originally left the Colt Factory, but "modifications" made to the gun after it originally shipped are very much to my liking and tastes. Also, there may be a possibility that the engraving work was commissioned through the Colt factory, as Mr. White (per his obituary) was the engraver for Colt during the 1950's.

I know that it is not a S&W, but it is one of the favorites of my collection and I have had a fun time sharing it with you all.

Thanks to all of you for your likes, comments and kind words.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

That is one to display only in a glass case with a big sign "HANDS OFF".

 

[29aholic]

My dream gun, or one of a pair

The $ on the trigger guard is probably some indian symbol (possibly wealth) but I couldnt find anything with just a cursory search.

I find it interesting that it has an Indian motif but the grips have the Mexican Phoenix on them.

 

[Birdgun]

Exquisite. Absolutely exquisite.

 

[Camster]

Exquisite. Absolutely exquisite.

.
Plus 1.
I think that I need to own a SAA with 5.5" barrel before I die.
The SAA NF with 7.5" barrel that I owned was nice,but just not the same.

 

[03hemi]

Richard,

The entire revolver is astoundingly beautiful, but the carved ivory stocks are even more than that. I don't have an adequate superlative to describe them.

Of course, I love the Native American motifs throughout the design, but I am curious as to the symbolism of the "dollar sign" on the bottom of the trigger guard. Can you share any thoughts as to its meaning?

I don't think it's a dollar sign, but stands for the "bar s" insignia?

 

[RKmesa]

...The more you look the more you find...

In looking at it a little closer, it looks like the buffalo hunter is riding an appaloosa. Under the magnification of the photo you can see the patchwork areas on the horse...

... those are the kind of details that put Alvin White's inlay work on a pedestal for the aspiration of other engravers.