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Brand new old New Frontier

1K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  Stormie 
#1 ·
#7 ·
It is a 4 digit ser # and matchs the one on the plastic case. It was made in 1974 and is the last of the 2nd gens. It sat at Colt custom shop until 1994 hence the plastic box. Next stop was distributor until 2007 when it went First Stop guns in South Dakota then to me a few months back. Now it is with Eddie Janis. Proprietor of Peacemaker Specialist, getting ebony grips & gunslinger action job & 11 degree forcing cone job. Yes it is .45 Colt caliber.
 
#8 ·
I was told the factory error was due to all blue color. The front sight was ever so slightly canted to the left. That is what I considered the error and looked for an expert to fix the front sight alignment so I found Eddie's wonderful web site and knew he was the man! When I received it from First Stop it was unfired NIB with cylinder tied. I wanted Eddie to be the first to test fire it and he said it was ever so slightly out of time which was corrected along with the front sight cant before its first bang. Eddie said it is shooting good groups. Eddie just finished the new ebony grips, and now the gs action job and cone will be done. Anyone who has never checked out PeacemakerSpecialist.com needs to check it out entirely. It's like a free expert gunsmithing course on SAAs and the music is too cool!
 
#13 ·
According to Don Wilkerson's COLT SINGLE-ACTION REVOLVER HANDBOOK 1955-1975 (Walsworth Publishing 1999), the highest serial number for a pre-1976 shipped New Frontier was 7288NF. However, he also says that serial numbers in the 7163NF range through the 7489NF range were shipped sometime after 1976 (page 197). This had something to do with cylinder production. The vast majority of these guns were .45 caliber with 5 1/2 inch barrels and finished in Royal Blue and case hardening. There were two Full Blue 7 1/2 inch barreled revolvers mentioned but no 5 1/2 inch Full Blue revolvers. However, a few could certainly exist.
So it appears that the original poster has a pretty scarce gun. I would dearly love to see what Colt Archives could turn up on this one.
(We have all heard it said "never say never with Colt". I once had two Frontier Scout .22 revolvers that were shipped from Colt in 2017, verified by Colt Archive letter! They were obvious "clean-up" guns with parts with non-matching finishes and not matching stocks.)

- - - Buckspen
 
#14 ·
The S/N info I have indicates that your NF may be even more unusual than you think. When Colt re-introduced the the (3rd gen) New Frontier in the late 70s, they built a very few (55 - 70 according to Don Wilkerson) in 45 caliber with 5 1/2" barrels using left over 2nd gen frames and barrels and 3rd gen cylinders and lock work. The S/N of your Colt is in the range in question. Although these are very much of a rarity, nobody seems very concerned - maybe in another 100 years when our great grandchildren examine them...
 
#15 · (Edited)
When Eddie Janis/Peacemaker Specialist gets done with all the work it will certainly be a very fine example a Colt single action revolver, especially since it was NIB and unfired when he received it. As I am 66 years old with no children I know it will not be inherited by my grandchildren. Where anything will end up when we are gone none of us will probably ever now. Hopefully the youth will continue to carry on and appreciate the old legends, if the internet, AI, and robots are not in complete control. When I'm too old and feeble to pick it up or possibly even see it, I will donate it to the local animal shelter to be auctioned to raise funds for man's other best friends who are in the town "jail" waiting to be sprung before the "hangman" arrives.
 

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