[Griff]

So... if 1978 ended with SA01001 and 1979 started with SA13000 when was my SA106xx built?

 

[Griff]

I have 3 Colt SAAs, 2 of which started life as 7-½" 45s. The first, SA106xx was an insurance replacement for a 2nd Gen 4-¾" I purchased in 1972, & subsequently stolen in early 1979. Colt.com doesn't list a born-on date for it, but the insurance tried to give me a 7-½" .45 as its replacement. I refused and a couple of months later they presented me with a 4-¾" .45. I never even looked at the box. It wasn't until years later that a friend told me what I had was not a factory 4-¾". In 1994 I was looking for a mate as we'd started habitually using 2 revolvers in SASS and I found SA617xx for sale for $650. It was a 7-½" .45 and a simple matter to shorten it to 4-¾". It also doesn't return a born-on date on Colt.com. Since they're both modified from their factory configuration, I've had work done on both to improve their reliability in a competitive environment, timing, springs and a coil spring and plunger in place of the flat spring on the hand. Both have been rebuilt once after a few hundred thousand rounds.

The 3rd is a 2nd Gen 7-½" .357. I purchased it in 1983 for $380. It listed on Colt.com as a 1974. There's no lettering on the left side of the barrel, just single line address on the top and model and caliber on the right side above the ejector rod housing. I've been told this is a "Presentation" model, normally only used for such purposes. When I got it, there was no bluing on the grip frame & trigger guard, but otherwise the gun was in near flawless condition. For the few years my wife shot SASS with me it was her second gun. It's also been tuned with aftermarket springs and a lightened mainspring of my own making. It has honest wear, and I'm thinking of making it a 4-¾" also to match her other gun, a non-Colt SA. I've only shot it a couple of times, usually on the anniversary of her passing. She remarked once, that she wished it was a 4-¾" also, but never asked for it to be cut. I'm not a "collector", but a shooter... if there's a question in here... should I cut it?