Re: Lets see your favorite Colt\'s!
My favorite Colts?
Let me preface this with a short rant: I hate Colt! More specifically, I love Colt guns, but hate the Colt company. If the Colt horse was a flesh and blood creature, it would have been taken behind the barn and Dad would have put one in it’s ear decades ago.
I started my love affair with guns with Colts, then I fled to S&W. Why? I was embarassed at the companys repeated bankruptcies, revolving leadership, inability to create a new marketable product (except perhaps for the Anaconda). The ultimate reason was that, as an amatuer historian and as an author, I was appaled at the outrageous fee’s Colt charged for a letter. I was also unhappy with their bonding and surety system for researchers who wanted to do research at the factory. This struck me profoundly and has lead me to believe that Colt has developed an attitude that Colt can do no wrong and if you don’t like what they do, tough.
I’m in NYC and spend a lot of time working with and sometimes for the NYCPD. Thats 40,000 guys. Not one of whom can carry a current production firearm from Colt, since Colt doesn’t make anything the NYCPD would approve of. This department bought over 70,000 Dick Specials in the last century, and probably that many again AS/OP’s. This department says “.38 Sepcial Only’ for revolvers (stoking a .357 Magnum with .38’s is not allowed). Colt ---DOES NOT EVEN MAKE- a .38 Special revolver anymore. At least Smith still makes the Model 10 in .38, and they are custom chambering the 640 in .38 only for NYCPD. Colt doesnt even make a small frame revolver. Period.
Double Eagle, Colt 2000, SFV-II, etc., etc. What were they thinking? At least the Anaconda worked out, sort of. Took great big brass one’s for Colt to finally decide after almost 40 years “Hey, this .44 Magnum things isn’t a passing fancy. Let’s make one!”. At least they had the good sense to pass on the .41 Magnum.
Explain to me how a company that INVENTED the SAA, the 1911, the OP, the DS and the M16 (not invented, marketed) can get so badly screwed? Why is it when people want a good 1911, they buy Kimber. Why do they buy a Ruger or Freedom Arms or even a Uberti when they want an SAA? Why do they buy a Smith 36/60 or a Ruger SPNY when they need an off duty piece? Why was my M16 in college made by General Motors? Why was my M16A2 in the Marines made by FN? Why are the M4’s that NYCPD/ESU carry from Bushmaster? Is it all price? Colt -invented- the freaking things! You would think that a) they’d have the machinery on hand to still make them and b) they could do it cheaply because they amortized the cost of the freaking tooling when the boys came back from Korea!
Now I’m personally tempted to blame it all on the unions, and I suppose they are partially responsible. Then again there’s a lot of heat here so everyone is going to catch a little napalm; I blame the unions, management, marketing, development (or lack thereof) and to a lesser degree the public for not supporting Colt a bit more. S&W has unions but they seem to be ok at the moment. They still market about 4 times the product Colt does, at a better price.
So what is Colt today. It is a widely recognized internationally known brand name that is an inescapable part of the American lexicon and history. It is a name known the world over in just about every language of every nation that has ever burned powder. It’s product are recognized in every part of the world where there has been a military presence, a western movie or a frontier. It is a company that today produces essentially 5 guns (1911, SAA, Python, Anaconda and AR15) that have changed the world. For all that history, it is shameful that there most valuable asset, and that the one that they market more than quality, selection and price, is their name: COLT.
On to my favorite Colts.
I own a fair number of Colts, but these two are probably my favorites simply for the history the hold. I haven’t started researching them yet, but will one day. Still, you have to know that by virtue of their original profession, the must hold some stories.
These SAA’s both have the US property stamping on the frames. The top gun (Artillery) is numbered 132616 on the butt, 116424 (over the letter G) on the triggerguard and 120686 on the frame. The Cavalry Model is numbered 6579 on the butt, 7743 on the triggerguard and 47743 on the frame (under an HN inpestor mark. Nettleson I imagine).
Obviously, the barrel on the Cavalry is a replacement as the front sight is incorrect. The barrel has no markings, save for a K under the ejector rod housing (Kittridge?). grips are obviously replacement.
the Artillery is numbered 460 on the cylinder with a letter P on one side of the cylinder. Single line barrel address. G on the frame where the hammer goes into it. RAC on the underside of the barrel (Carr) with matching date cartouched grips.
Closeup of US marks.
Closeup of Cavalry s/n.
Closeup of Artillery s/n.
I collect US martial arms and despite thier somewhat patina-ed appearance, these are my pride and joy. I never thought I’d have a pair of martially marked SAA’s for my collection, but they wandered in one day. $550 for the pair! That was 10 years ago. They were in a museum display for a while, and now are home and hidden away in one of the vaults.
When I have more time and money, I plan to do a lot more research on them.
Every now and again I get tempted to sell them to finance my eventual opening of my own gunshop (as compared to the one I have with a prtner right now). Any idea what they woudl go for nowadays? JUST ASKING, don’t really plan to sell; just want an idea of value.
Best,
RM Vivas
www.vivasandson.com
