Colt 1st gen SAA in .38 Special

[bigmoose]

After several years of searching my local area for a nice prewar Colt, I finally gave up and turned my attention to the firearms auctions of some well known auction houses. I realized I was going to pay a premium to swim in that end of the pool, but a recent promotion at work would soften the blow.

My criteria was somewhat simple…..condition, condition, condition, and authenticity. It had to be a smokeless frame (not black powder). So, generally speaking, manufactured from the teens to 1940.

I homed in on 5 examples in the same auction. Pre live bidding pushed four of them out of my price range.

The one remaining was a dandy in .38 special, of all things. AND in my preferred barrel length of 4 3/4". I half thought of driving 5 hours to view the lots in person, but too many obligations got in the way.

I threw my max bid in on the morning of the live auction and crossed my fingers. I listened to the live auction on my iPad as I drove to the Adirondack mountains. The bidding was brisk, and then it got to my max bid….and there it stalled. Going once, going twice, sold to internet bidder number XYZ. Hmmm, I think I just bought my first Colt SAA.

The gun is not yet in hand, but I have a couple of questions. See the included Colt letter. It is a documented .38 Special. Do I have a rare gun? It is my understanding that the ledger is now lost, so any further documentation for sleeper guns will be impossible? Knowing now what I didn't know during the bidding, I would have expected the bidding to be much more spirited. what do you think?

I love the .38 Special chambering, and am thrilled to have purchased this fine revolver.

I have not yet posed these questions on the Colt forum, as I have just been a lurker there, and need to introduce myself etc. Once I have it in hand, and can take my own photos, I'll venture over there.

 

[The Norseman]

Something Special

Congratulations on a future Special purchase.

I like the Colt SAA in 38Spl and in 357Mag. I think
too many Enthusiasts are caught up in the 45 Colt
mystic, when the rare and neat SAAs are the 38
and 357.

Give a Range Report when you had it awhile and
shoot it.

The Best to you and your Endeavors.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

I am unable to enlarge the photos but if the gun was 5 1/2" and had a barrel address on the right side that would be the fairly common early 50s .38 with Colt replacement barrels. But I never heard of those in 4 3/4". So you might have an original rare pre war .38 Special which is great.

 

[lestert357]

As mentioned above, many Colt enthusiasts are enamored with the .45 Colt and/or the .44/40 due to the association with Western history. It is suspected that many more .38 Specials were actually manufactured by Colt than are specifically documented as such in the archives due to anomalies in the records. That nebulous records situation has directly impacted the value and desirability of the .38 Special for many collectors as there is often a suspicion that the barrel has been changed to make the gun a "rare" .38 Special. If your gun has the last 2 digits of the serial number on the breech face of the cylinder and exhibits the correct die breaks in the barrel address then it is very likely an original and correct .38 Special SAA, and a desirable SAA, but I wouldn't count on it being worth anymore than what you paid for it due to some perceived rarity factor.

 

[LEO918]

Looks like a good one with a neat old Marty Huber letter.

 

[bigmoose]

. and exhibits the correct die breaks in the barrel address then it is very likely an original and correct .38 Special SAA, and a desirable SAA, but I wouldn't count on it being worth anymore than what you paid for it due to some perceived rarity factor.

This gun does not have the die breaks (i.e. open "o" in Hartford) as it has a two line address which used a different die reserved for the shorter 4 3/4" barrel. I agree that I am not counting on it being a valuable gun (in as such as more than I paid) due to the fact that lots of collectors (as mentioned above) just gotta have it chambered in the "old west" calibers, and is in the 'late first gen' category.

There will be a range report at some point, and thanks guys for your insights.

 

[lestert357]

On the other hand, assuming yours is in collectible condition, I would think that the Colt collector that needs a factory documented .38 Special to fill out his collection would be thrilled to have your example!