I finally got one!

[TedH]

It's been many years of wanting and waiting for the right deal to come along, but I'm finally the proud owner of a First Generation Colt SAA.
This one is a 1902 built 38-40. While it shows a lifetime of use on the outside, mechanically, it is as tight as the day it left the Hartford factory.
The bore is very good, and the throats are tight. It should be a good shooter.

[.45colt]

Excellent !! I have been able to say the same thing in the last few years, I was looking at a .44 special last week and the wife said "so buy it". there are advantages to becoming an Old Codger. waiting on the range report. .

[Pitchy]

She`s a beauty, congrats on getting it.

[GunnyMack]

Well CONGRATULATIONS Ted! That looks like a real gem, in a great caliber too. Fantastic! Range report definitely is required.

[gamekeeper]

Congratulations.....cool looking Colt, I love the grips too....

[Blaine]

Very Nice!!

[cj57]

Very Nice! I have the same, 1904

[OldWin]

Absolutely beautiful! IMO, there is nothing better than good honest wear on a well cared for gun. It's a bonus that it's in 38-40. It should be a great shooter. The old 401043 over 8gr. of Unique and you'll be in business.

[Scott Tschirhart]

That looks great! I'll bet it is a shooter as well!

[2ndovc]

Very nice! Also a big fan of those grips!

jb

[Bill in Oregon]

Ted, the pure quill and a smokeless frame to boot. I'm just happy for you.

[ollogger]

Looks good to me! just the way i like them. you can take them out & shoot the heck out of them



Brad

[Griff]

Very good Ted!

[Oldncrusty]

Lovin it! Congrats and good shootn!

[OldWin]

It's always good to know what you're looking at with those old Colts. Sometimes a guns true condition lies beneath surface, and can only be seen by a trained eye. A gun with more finish can actually be in worse condition or non-original.
Good job on your fine example.

[Old Savage]

Nice, didn’t know you were into those old Colt’s. I certainly would not know what to look for.

[TedH]

Nice, didn’t know you were into those old Colt’s. I certainly would not know what to look for.

Well, I don't really know what to look for either. I had some guidance, though. I just knew the price was at a point where I knew I wouldn't get hurt.

[AmBraCol]

So this is what you're scrounging brass and such for. Neato! Looking forward to the range report. That's a lovely looking pistola you've got.

[Old Savage]

Ted, your guidance?

[Jay Bird]

That's a nice one! Did ole 6 see that yet? Be careful, he's been know to take those old 38-40's.

Birdman of Leverguns.

[TedH]

That's a nice one! Did ole 6 see that yet? Be careful, he's been know to take those old 38-40's.

Birdman of Leverguns.

I did scratch his brain before laying out the Benjamins!

[Sixgun]

That's a nice one! Did ole 6 see that yet? Be careful, he's been know to take those old 38-40's.

Birdman of Leverguns.

I did scratch his brain before laying out the Benjamins!

Scratched it? I'm going in for brain surgery tomorrow to seal up a 6" slash.

Well, it's official, we can be called the 38-40 bro's....mine is only a few hundred away from yours....probably made in the same month.
[url=https://posti][img]https://i.postimg.cc/KzLdk4Yt


[url=https://postimg.cchttps://i.postimg.cc/ ... MG-1482.jp
Here's another pair of 38-40's...made in the 1990's ...5.5 & 7.5....these guns have perfect tolerances.....402/.401

[url=https://posti][img]https://i.postimg.cc/HngFQHJR/IMG-1483.j

[Old Savage]

Ted was on a national mechanics team for Kia. I scratch his brain on that stuff from time to time. We are brothers of the Marlin 357 clan.

[ndcowboy]

That's a beautiful six gun! Definitely on my list to someday own an original Colt.

[TedH]

Ted was on a national mechanics team for Kia. I scratch his brain on that stuff from time to time. We are brothers of the Marlin 357 clan.

I was just knocking over some steel with the old 357 Cowboy last weekend. One of my favorites.

[TedH]

Scratched it? I'm going in for brain surgery tomorrow to seal up a 6" slash.

[Old Savage]

TedH, no doubt Six has a head full of details on those old Colts.

I replaced the Cowboy with a Rossi 92 Trapper, great shooter.

Not sure why I let that Cowboy get away but I got it on a trade for another Rossi to a guy in Texas who it turned out was from this town. Can’t recall the details but it wasn’t straight up.

[Sixgun]

Ted did good on that Colt....it's an honest gun that locks up tight....not all beat up.....used but not abused.....carried a lot more than being shot.......in those days, even right up to the 60's or so, people never had money for ammo.....they were carful when they pulled the trigger......

Even Elmer Keith wrote, "I shot that gun a lot and over the course of a winter I put 500 rounds through it"....or words to that effect.

There's sooooo much to learn on the old Colts and no one I've ever known knew it all...that's why we have books but you have to know how to "read" the books....

The old Calvary Colts are what take a true expert to decipher.......most of them have been played with over the years by experts looking to cash in.....a bud of mine had a couple of these and while I picked out abnormalities he said they were fine....we argued a bit (friendly style) and sent the guns to John Kopec, the guy who wrote the final word on the old Colts and I was right....they were messed with by experts having their own stamps made up , reserializing, you know, the stuff low life's do.....

The citizen guns in normal configuration is what I know.....

[OldWin]

I wish I knew more about them. I always would have liked to have dozens of them, but I came in too late to be able to afford it on a working man's wages.

[Ysabel Kid]

Congrats Ted! She's a beauty!

[marlinman93]

It's been many years of wanting and waiting for the right deal to come along, but I'm finally the proud owner of a First Generation Colt SAA.
This one is a 1902 built 38-40. While it shows a lifetime of use on the outside, mechanically, it is as tight as the day it left the Hartford factory.
The bore is very good, and the throats are tight. It should be a good shooter.

That's a very nice Colt, and exactly what I'd want in a first gen SAA. One that's mechanically sound, but not minty where I'd be afraid to put more miles on it. You did great!

[Jay Bird]

Ted,
Did you fire that baby up yet?

[Eddie Southgate]

Congratulations . Nice looking Colt . Here's a couple of my 38-40's .

[TedH]

Ted,
Did you fire that baby up yet?

Actually just did put a few rounds through it this afternoon. First few rounds were fired off a rest. It puts 5 rounds in a grapefruit at 20 yards, albeit about 6 inches below point of aim. When I get a better supply of brass I'll play with some different loads and see if I can bring that up some.

[Rusty]

That's a beautiful piece of iron Ted.