Original parts for my old Colt found hidden in ceiling

[Wyatt Burp]

This 1911 vintage Colt was owned by one family who then sold in 2013. I then became the third owner. The gun was a .32-20 sent back to Colt in 1969 and rebuilt into a .45. I have the Colt invoice/price list, but the parts were gone. Then the seller called me and said the widow who sold the gun called him because she found the parts in a Colt box hidden in her ceiling by her late husband. I am now working out a deal to get that stuff now.
EDIT: I bought the parts and box. Thanks to Forum member Big Cholla and a member of another forum for finding tons of info on the guy who owned this gun and had it rebuilt. He was a four term Nevada Assemblyman ans Sheriff at the same time with quite a record of arrests. Then Sheriff of the private gov't Mercury, NV. Atomic Test Site city. More investigating and a factory letter next.

 

[italiansport]

I'd recommend you document what transpired from start to finish with this pistol to the extent possible. The documentation will prove invaluable if you ever decide to sell.
Jim

 

[Shorty 45 MK2]

Wow, very interesting! I'll be following this thread with interest.

 

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Very cool! Keep us updated.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Wow, very interesting! I'll be following this thread with interest.

Here's some odd stuff, Shorty. The box was shipped from Colt in 1969 after rebuilding to:
Captain "John Doe"
Mercury Division
Nye County Sheriff's Dept.
Mercury, NV.
Mercury, Nevada is/was a closed city built by the Atomic Energy Commission to house people working at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. I assumed the gun's owner was a police captain at first, but he might have been a military captain and the gun had to be sent to the gov't town's Sheriff's Dept. So, a guy working at a nuclear test sight in the desert in a private town had his old gun rebuilt. Just for the fun of it? To pack on duty somehow? On the invoice, Colt states that "the parts in that caliber (.32-20) is no longer available and that .45 was the only option available". It sounds like he wanted to keep it a .32 but that wasn't possible.

 

[pj151]

Great story and nice pistol.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

This sounds like a story for the FOX News "Strange Inheritance" show!

Way cool!

 

[Indynick]

Have you run a Geiger Counter over it? Might still be hot.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Have you run a Geiger Counter over it? Might still be hot.

It's my go to house gun since it glows in the dark!

 

[slcraig]

It's my go to house gun since it glows in the dark!

Now that's just darn funny ....

.. and that there is an interesting find, a factory upgrade 50 + years after original sale .... 32.40 to 45 shows some fine growth on old steel....

 

[Shorty 45 MK2]

Thanks for the update!

Interesting about the .32-20 not being an option, not that I'll argue against the .45 Colt.

Boy, of all the old firearms out there it sure would be neat if it could talk!

 

[Ed Fowler]

Congratulations! You have a very distinctive piece of history.

 

[LEO918]

Some old time lawmen were quoted as saying "the .32-20 will shoot clean through a man".

 

[Hondo44]

Thanks for the update!

Interesting about the .32-20 not being an option, not that I'll argue against the .45 Colt.

Boy, of all the old firearms out there it sure would be neat if it could talk!

Shorty,

In 1969 Colt was only producing SAAs in 45, 44 Spl, 38 Spl and 357 Mag.

If it went back to Colt today, it could be rebuilt back into a 32-20 (offered on special order only) if it wasn't for the change in barrel threads.

Although Gunsmiths can rethread a 3rd gen 24 TPI barrel to 20TPI to work in 1st and 2nd gen guns, but not the reverse.

Wouldn't that gun have a neat history!

 

[Ronin2]

Might be fruitful to go over the widows back yard with a metal detector..

 

[Big Cholla]

Nevada Test Site

It's my go to house gun since it glows in the dark!

Wyatt: I was working at the NTS from 1963 thru 1968 as a Construction Engineer/Supervisor. I lived at Camp Mercury Monday night thru Thursday night. As you can imagine there wasn't much to do from quitting time until bedtime. As a result, I shot my personal pistols a lot at the Security Handgun range. Over the course of a few years, I shot and talked with most of the Security Officers and the few Deputy County Sheriffs that were posted there. I can assure you that I never saw any of them shooting a Colt SAA in any caliber. They were all carrying S&W M 15, M 19 or Colt Mk IIIs. I was shooting my Colt Python that was from what became the Colt Custom Shop and there was a lot of interest in it and therefore interaction between the Officers, the Deputy Sheriffs and I. The subject of Colt SAAs never came up that I can remember.

Incredibly enough, the Deputy Sheriffs kept a couple of saddle horses stabled near Camp Mercury for excursions off into the outbacks of the Nevada Test Site. It is very possible that one of the Deputies used a Colt SAA while out on horse back just because "it seemed to be the thing to do".

Like everyone else, I'm looking forward to reading just how your Colt SAA comes back lettered. .................

 

[LVSteve]

Wyatt: I was working at the NTS from 1963 thru 1968 as a Construction Engineer/Supervisor. I lived at Camp Mercury Monday night thru Thursday night..................

I seem to recall somebody telling me that US-95 at that time was just a plain two-lane road and nicknamed The Widowmaker. Was that true?

 

[Big Cholla]

US 95

I seem to recall somebody telling me that US-95 at that time was just a plain two-lane road and nicknamed The Widowmaker. Was that true?

Steve: That is all true. To make it worse, there was no speed limit in Nevada at that time. Most County Judges would uphold a speeding ticket for more than 75 mph as 'reckless driving' IF the traffic conditions were congested or an accident was involved. But that didn't happen often enough to slow anyone down much.

I was married in early 1965 and so quit living out at Camp Mercury during the week. We bought a new 1967 Corvette Stingray the week they were available in 1966. I commuted to work from LV often at 100 mph. The first set of OEM tires lasted 6,000 miles! A childhood friend of mine was working a different place on the Test Site, so he drove his new Porsche 911. Needless to say, we did a lot of 'dicing' when we encountered each other on the commute. His Porsche had a sun roof and no A/C. He left Mercury one afternoon and there was virtually no traffic on the highway. He was doing over 120 when a USAF F-100 flew over him upside down and about 100 ft. above his head. Great times in Nevada!

 

[Sghiandhu]

Now, that's a tale to tell!

 

[TheHobbyist]

Wyatt,

You have some of the best stories and nicest guns on the forum. Your old west and classic firearms are great. You know how some people on her you would just want to have a beer with a shoot the breeze? Glad to hear of this fine purchase and hope you're getting some range time in this summer.