I've run across a colt SAA frontier six shooter in 44 that has caught my attention. It appears to be new in the box. Based on serial number its a third gen, manufactured in 1984.

Thoughts on value - google searches have it worth anywhere from 2000 - 6500 and I'm not well versed on SAA regarding what makes one more valuable than another.

Any help is appreciated. a couple pictures below:

.44 Special, or .44-40?

Is the frame color case hardened? Kinda looks like it in the picture, but also kinda hard to tell.

I'd say it is in the $2750 range, high end of around $3000 if blued frame, add about $350-$400 for a color case hardened frame.

Gorgeous.

Would be a great shooter in 44 special or 44-40

Definitely CCH but it is pretty muted, pretty typical

44 special

7.5in barrel

Buy it. Can't beat 44 special

What a cool revolver. I'd buy it if I were you.

Here's one with a very similar description on GunBroker. Blued not case-colored. This should provide a great deal of insight.
Buy now $2,650.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/970969771

Extremely nice SAA, looks like the cylinder may not have even been turned.
Go here for the ultimate research site on colt SAA's even though they are obsessed with first generation revolvers.
https://www.coltforum.com/forums/single-action-army.56/?utm_source=threadloom&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ed220&utm_content=iss260

Hi Veloc......I mess with older Colts and 2nd Generation stuff a lot. I have a couple of gun show buddies that collect 2nd and some 3rd generation. Guys that collect 3rd Generation look for the years 1976-1981 as a lot of the collectors felt that the quality really fell off on the guns built from 1982 forward. The color case hardening quality really started suffering in the 1982 forward guns basically because the craftsman at Colt who did the case hardening had retired or moved on.
This is why most of the 3rd Generation after 1982 had blued frames instead of color case hardening. Those later 1982 forward guns just dont bring as much on the gun show tables as the 3rd Generation built from 1976-1981.
If you pick up a 1976 SAA and run the action through you can feel a pretty good difference in smoothness and buttery feeling of the action vs. a 1982 and forward model. Colt was really having some problems in those years and it showed a lot in the quality.
Now, dont misunderstand me here. This 3rd Gen you have is a beautiful pistol and still has the old Colt quality attached to it but just not as quite as much as the pre 1981 guns.
2nd Generation and early 3rd generation values have gone crazy in the last three years or so and that is helping the post 1982 guns increase as well.
Gun Broker values are highly over valued right now and many have sell pricing listed... but in reality few sell for those prices..... or the dealers who have them listed bid on them themselves and you will see the same guns show up a few months later and the same price again. They are playing on the demand right now.
If I was at a gun show a good price on this gun would be $1900 - $2400. Thats just what I see at the gun shows selling. They may be priced on the table for $300 or $400 more but most will sell at least a couple of hundred cheaper or so.
Just my two cents.

ETA: It is nice that it appears that it has never been turned and that is a selling point on it for sure.

Thanks, gunny this is helpful. I'm a lot more familiar with the snake family. Not so much on SAAs

First thing first, if you buy it, send it to Single Action Service in Houston. Have Alan Harton go over it, give it an action job and regulate the sights. Then you can forget about what generation it is it will be perfect.

Gunny456 said:

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Hi Veloc......I mess with older Colts and 2nd Generation stuff a lot. I have a couple of gun show buddies that collect 2nd and some 3rd generation. Guys that collect 3rd Generation look for the years 1976-1981 as a lot of the collectors felt that the quality really fell off on the guns built from 1982 forward. The color case hardening quality really started suffering in the 1982 forward guns basically because the craftsman at Colt who did the case hardening had retired or moved on.
This is why most of the 3rd Generation after 1982 had blued frames instead of color case hardening. Those later 1982 forward guns just dont bring as much on the gun show tables as the 3rd Generation built from 1976-1981.
If you pick up a 1976 SAA and run the action through you can feel a pretty good difference in smoothness and buttery feeling of the action vs. a 1982 and forward model. Colt was really having some problems in those years and it showed a lot in the quality.
Now, dont misunderstand me here. This 3rd Gen you have is a beautiful pistol and still has the old Colt quality attached to it but just not as quite as much as the pre 1981 guns.
2nd Generation and early 3rd generation values have gone crazy in the last three years or so and that is helping the post 1982 guns increase as well.
Gun Broker values are highly over valued right now and many have sell pricing listed... but in reality few sell for those prices..... or the dealers who have them listed bid on them themselves and you will see the same guns show up a few months later and the same price again. They are playing on the demand right now.
If I was at a gun show a good price on this gun would be $1900 - $2400. Thats just what I see at the gun shows selling. They may be priced on the table for $300 or $400 more but most will sell at least a couple of hundred cheaper or so.
Just my two cents.

ETA: It is nice that it appears that it has never been turned and that is a selling point on it for sure.

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I find myself constantly amazed at what you know about guns.

You sir, are a walking encyclopedia.

Agalska also seems to be something of an expert specifically on revolvers.

Hopefully he'll come around and throw in his 2 cents as well.

Any friends or recommendations for people who are experts in 1st generation (45) - have one dated 1886

jwood......The Colt Single Action Army or as it was called the "Peacemaker" is the most collectable revolver in the world. The 1st Generations are normally considered to have been manufactued from 1873-1940. It was made in over 35 different calibers and all kinds of various configurations. Values of these revolvers can fall all over the place according to condition, configuration, special features etc. If yours is of standard configuration and has a serial number number range between 54,000 to 130,000 it would have been built between 1880 and 1890. It can have a value as high as approaching $40,000 to as low as $4500 - $5000.....again according to originality and condition.
Caution should be noted here as the late Kieth Cochran, a true Colt expert, who was the author of the Colt Peacemaker Encyclopedia, stated that sadly that it is estimated that over 1/2 of all the Pre WWII revolvers are no longer original.
I can highly recommend that the first thing to do is to obtain a Factory Archive Letter on your revolver. Although not totally infallible, these letters are usually very accurate. You can obtain them by getting in touch with Colt Archive Properties LLC located at 1295 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield Connetticut, 06002. The letters cost between $100 to $200, the last time I had one done. You can also call them but it cost more.
It is very much worth the money spent and will verify the originallity of your revolver and will greatly add some value to your gun.Once you have that letter and can verify all the serial numbers matching, etc....then you can get a very accurate value of your gun.
If all ends up being accurate and looks pretty promising, and your revolver is in fairly good condition I would definitely have it proffesionally appraised by a reputable collectable firearm appraisal like Rock Island or similar. I use a man in Missouri who has been collecting Colts for about 5 decades to help me with mine.
Dont take it to a buy and trade typical gun shop for appraisal. They will typically either over appraise it or under appraise it in efforts to buy it off you.
Invest in the factory letter, it will verify a lot for you and then go from there.
Initially it sounds like you have a wonderful piece of American history!

Nothing really to add but I was at Gordy and Sons a few weeks back and they had this SAA on display. Would love to own one someday

Thank you for the compliment but I owe what limited knowledge I have to my wife's dad who was the weapons curator at a well known museum and to her uncle that also was a curator and procurement officer at a well known firearm museum.
For about 30 years I was priviledged to have been able to be around them and travel with them to research and procure firearms and learn from them.
I always just wished I could just know what they had forgot!
What I did learn from them is you will always keep learning and no one knows it all.....and about the time you think you know....something will come along to suprise you.
I could sit with them for hours and watch and talk with them about the guns. I could never be so lucky again.

My wife said she thinks that is the only reason I married her!

Would love to talk with you someday on them. I just wish I would have bought every Python I could find back in the $1970's when they sold for $500.00!! Hindsight always better than foresight right? I never have collected them...beautiful guns.......Colt was on the top of their game then.

My great grandfather had a few dozen at one point. Sold them all before he died because he knew the family would likely kill each other over them lol


I only own one right now, but it's got all original papers, box and looks like it also has never been shot.

Gunny456 said:

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jwood......The Colt Single Action Army or as it was called the "Peacemaker" is the most collectable revolver in the world. The 1st Generations are normally considered to have been manufactued from 1873-1940. It was made in over 35 different calibers and all kinds of various configurations. Values of these revolvers can fall all over the place according to condition, configuration, special features etc. If yours is of standard configuration and has a serial number number range between 54,000 to 130,000 it would have been built between 1880 and 1890. It can have a value as high as approaching $40,000 to as low as $4500 - $5000.....again according to originality and condition.
Caution should be noted here as the late Kieth Cochran, a true Colt expert, who was the author of the Colt Peacemaker Encyclopedia, stated that sadly that it is estimated that over 1/2 of all the Pre WWII revolvers are no longer original.
I can highly recommend that the first thing to do is to obtain a Factory Archive Letter on your revolver. Although not totally infallible, these letters are usually very accurate. You can obtain them by getting in touch with Colt Archive Properties LLC located at 1295 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield Connetticut, 06002. The letters cost between $100 to $200, the last time I had one done. You can also call them but it cost more.
It is very much worth the money spent and will verify the originallity of your revolver and will greatly add some value to your gun.Once you have that letter and can verify all the serial numbers matching, etc....then you can get a very accurate value of your gun.
If all ends up being accurate and looks pretty promising, and your revolver is in fairly good condition I would definitely have it proffesionally appraised by a reputable collectable firearm appraisal like Rock Island or similar. I use a man in Missouri who has been collecting Colts for about 5 decades to help me with mine.
Dont take it to a buy and trade typical gun shop for appraisal. They will typically either over appraise it or under appraise it in efforts to buy it off you.
Invest in the factory letter, it will verify a lot for you and then go from there.
Initially it sounds like you have a wonderful piece of American history!

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Thank you very much! That's exactly the info that I need. The appraisal is a challenge and I had taken it to the guys at a Cabela Gun Library and then to a guy they recommended who was more of a specialist. Luckily none of them tried to push for purchase as I indicated selling wasn't why I brought it in. After several hours of pouring over details at each place (they were of course looking for items that may have been repaired or not original) they all said it was out of their league. Each time they thought they found a feature not original they found that it was a feature available for the "high end" issues for senior military officers. Left both places with them saying best piece they'd ever seen.

I never divulged to them the true origin (just said came from the family and shrugged my shoulders) - in reality it was the sidearm for a family member long ago that was a senior military commander in the territorial government for one of our future states out west. Said relative went on to be a signatory to that state's constitution. Am looking to get authenticity verification, appraisal value, etc. Am leaning to donate (or loan) to a museum.

Wow! That truly sounds like one heck of a treasure! Really outstanding!
If that is your inclination then I would do the "loan" path. If so they will make up a " contract" per say. Make sure you are protected in case of fire, theft, damage etc. also make sure the declared value is on that contract and that a " preserve in condition" paragraph is added so they are responsible for keeping it the way you bring it to them.
It will only continue to increase in value so the " loan" path will be good for you and your heirs going forward.
Is the TAM collection still at the Corps Center?
Sounds like you really have a rare piece of family history in your hands. Good luck on everything!

Very cool!

Rock Island Appraisals is opening a new office in Dallas. Don't know if it's open yet or not. I had them look at a Winchester I had and they were very knowledgeable and pleasant.
There used to be a man in San Antonio that my wife's dad would consult with on Colts. He had actually worked at Colt in their historical archives from after the war to the 70's. He might have passed by now or very old but I'll do some digging.

I have a low 4 digit SAA that was shipped 1873. Was repurposed for the Spanish American War. In the reassembly, other 4 digit parts were used. Not as desirable as an unmolested original, but still an interesting piece.

That's true if he is going to use it as a shooter. If as an investment and collection he should not have anyone touch it.

Absolutely it is!

jmm said:

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I have a low 4 digit SAA that was shipped 1873. Was repurposed for the Spanish American War. In the reassembly, other 4 digit parts were used. Not as desirable as an unmolested original, but still an interesting piece.

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go search "artillery colts" on this forum
https://www.coltforum.com/forums/single-action-army.56/?utm_source=threadloom&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ed220&utm_content=iss260

Here is a thread that you might be interested in
https://www.coltforum.com/threads/colt-artillery-revolver.398602/#post-3469565

ETA: you might be surprised at how desirable it could turn out to be. Hint: Little Big Horn.

Thanks for the links.

I just pulled it out of the safe. It has the RAC barrel inspector initials and DFC cylinder inspector initials. The frame has C as the inspector. It was shipped with the 7.5" barrel and now has the 5.5". barrel. All the other markings are the same as the article.

I gave out wrong info. I pulled my Colt letter out of safe and it shipped in 1874. Also is 4 digit frame and a low 5 digit trigger guard. I have not looked at it in a long time.

Seems like years ago, I exchanged info with someone who collected artillery models. He was very interested in acquiring it.

I've had Harton do 3 guns. All are excellent.

Gunny456 said:

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Wow! That truly sounds like one heck of a treasure! Really outstanding!
If that is your inclination then I would do the "loan" path. If so they will make up a " contract" per say. Make sure you are protected in case of fire, theft, damage etc. also make sure the declared value is on that contract and that a " preserve in condition" paragraph is added so they are responsible for keeping it the way you bring it to them.
It will only continue to increase in value so the " loan" path will be good for you and your heirs going forward.
Is the TAM collection still at the Corps Center?
Sounds like you really have a rare piece of family history in your hands. Good luck on everything!

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Many thanks for all the information, recommendations, and suggestions! Very much appreciated!

Gunny456 said:

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That's true if he is going to use it as a shooter. If as an investment and collection he should not have anyone touch it.

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I mean, it's a 3rd gen gun. Harton's guns go for more than NIB already and he's not going to be building guns forever. Who's going to fill his shoes?

CactusThomas said:

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Gunny456 said:

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That's true if he is going to use it as a shooter. If as an investment and collection he should not have anyone touch it.

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I mean, it's a 3rd gen gun. Harton's guns go for more than NIB already and he's not going to be building guns forever. Who's going to fill his shoes?

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So start with a lightly used revolver that won't be expensive as the NIB revolver, will have the same value as starting with the NIB after he is through with it. You get the same value without the high up front cost of a NIB revolver.