Colt SAA Guru's: Need some info...

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GunNut

GunNut

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Trying to help my father in law sell some of his gun collection and I need a little help verifying some information and a value on a gun.

The gun in question is a Colt SAA lettered by Colt to being shipped May 13, 1907 to Norvell Shapleigh Hardware Company in St Louis, MO.

The gun as shipped was a 4-3/4" in .38/40. As it sits now the gun has a .38 special 5.5" barrel and cylinder, both factory. Also the .38 WCF barrel and cylinder are still together with the gun.

According to my FIL the gun shipped from Colt with both barrels and cylinder to commemorate the change from black powder to smokeless powder. I kind of doubt this because the Colt letter makes no mention of it.

There is some finish wear and the factory grips have been engraved with someones initials.

I will try and take some pictures tomorrow and post them.

Any info and approximate selling price would be appreciated.

Steve
 
if your father in laws colt was lettered that's all the info you need for a collector to become interested in purchasing. And some quality pics
caution the sass board wont let a guest post for sale on their boards. you must pay to be a "pard" on their board.Then you may list a gun for sale, they want to keep outsiders from selling to their members. sort of a closed board. they can have it
 
The .38 special did not appear in the Colt Saa until 1930.So no the gun could
not have been shipped with both from the factory.It could have been sent
to Colt to be fitted with the 38spl.barrel and cylinder sometime after.Look at
some of the auctions like Gunbroker,Auction Arms and Guns America to get an
idea what they are selling for.

Gam
 
I wish I could refer you to Sixgunner.com, but that form is down. Some of the highly knowledgeable people from Sixgunner.com are also regulars on Leverguns.com. Whatever you do, this is a "First Generation" Colt, and worth quite a bit of money, so don't get ripped off by an unscrupulous buyer, if selling is on your mind. With patience, a better price can be obtained. And, if you want to keep it, learn about how to maintain the value of such guns; do NOT have it refinished!
 
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Moreover, if you are unfamiliar with this type of weapon, I would recommend not cocking it until you have learned how to properly de-cock it so the bolt does not gouge a ring around the cylinder. Mike Venturino's book on shooting Colt single actions can coach you through the right way. In brief, if the weapon is cocked even partially, ALWAYS complete the motion to full-cock before lowering the hammer. Lowering the hammer from any position other than full-cock makes parts clash, which seriously affects the value as well as the appearance. You have a family treasure. One dealer who handles such weapons is Collectorsfirearms.com, and if you browse their site, you may see similar weapons listed, to give you an idea of the retail value.
 
Rexster,

This gun is currently configured with a 5.5" .38 Special barrel and cylinder. I'm assuming that the conversion was done by Colt though, but we still do have the factory .38WCF barrel and cylinder.

I would have to believe that the gun would be worth more having the .38WCF barrel and cylinder re-installed, and that probably should be done by Colt.

Steve
 
Do not look up the value of a new, currently produced SAA as a guide; your sixgun is worth far more than a factory-new weapon made after WW2.
 
I know that it is worth quite a bid, but my issue is that a "dealer" told my FIL that the gun was a special edition that came with both barrels and cylinders(which I knew was BS) and gave it a higher value than was correct.

Now I have to figure out what it is really worth so that I can sell it for him. Plus, I've got to tell him that the dealer was full of it and did not know what they were saying.

Steve
 
OK, I edited my first post, as it was partially inaccurate. I am glad you are proceeding carefully.
 
Eddie Janis, of Peacemaker Specialists, or something like that, can also work on old Colts in a way that enhances their value. I don't have the relevant books with me; perhaps tomorrow I can verify Mr. Janis' company name.
 
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During the late 1940's and early 1950's many older Colt Single Actions that were chambered for "odd" cartridges (read that to mean hard to find and expensive when you did) were converted by both Colt and others to either .38 Special or .45 Colt, with barrel lengths of either 5 1/2 or 7 1/2 inches - which were the only options available at the time. Barrels from this time period had the Colt name & Hartford address on the side of the barrel, where this information will be found on the top of the older .38-40 barrel in two lines. The exact wording and location of these markings can date a barrel, and prove that the "Special Issue" story is what we all know it is... :(

The revolver is worth more on the collector's market with the original barrel and cylinder installed, but a mistake in reinstalling them could ruin the gun. I would be very careful in making a choice on who should do the work (if it is indeed done) and the Colt factory is not a bad idea.

You weren't too detailed concerning the exact condition of the gun, but if the original barrel and cylinder were installed I would say between $900 to $1,500, and perhaps more if it is in better condition then I believe it is. Good pictures would be a big help.

The value of the replacement .38 Special barrel and cylinder could be in the $150 to $250 range, because Colt no longer offers them, and the .38 Special cartridge is popular with SASS shooters.

Last but not least, there is no shortage of Colt experts on The High Road... ;)
 
Not a Colt expert by any stretch but I started a thread about a similar SAA a few months ago. Thanks to the folks on The High Road I gained alot of info. My situation was with an 1884 Black Powder framed gun that at some point was rebarreled the same as yours. This was appartently a popular rebuild Post WW2. The only piece of information I can add is that Colt did not keep records of such work at the time. The only way to tell is to look for a "&" on the trigger guard or a star on the cylinder face, these are factory rebuild markings. If you find markings give them a call, leave a message and they will get back to you. They will confirm the markings over the phone. At that time I spotted a gun with the same work done selling on Guns America for $2,800, it did not get a bid. I have yet to see another up for sale in the same condition. Hope this is of some help. Bill

P.S. Old Fuff was one of those experts, don't let him fool ya, he knows his stuff.
 
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