1878 Colt SAA - U.S. "Nettleton Inspected" Model (5.5"), 45 LC, Revolver - W/ Archives Letter, 47720

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This Colt Single-Action Army comes with a Colt Archives Letter stating that this .45 Long Colt caliber revolver was ordered by the United States Government and was part of a 150 guns shipment on September 18, 1878. It also states that this revolver was returned to the Colt factory for a refurbishment in 1903, and subsequently re-shipped to "Commanding Officer, Springfield Armory, Springfield, Massachusetts, on July 1, 1903". This revolver is U.S. Ordnance Principal Sub-Inspector marked "HN" (Henry Nettleton) under the frame below the serial number "47720". Collectors refer to these HN marked SAA revolvers as the "Henry Nettleton Series" (serial number range 47056-51083). This revolver is also marked "R.A.C." (Rinaldo A. Carr) on the bottom of the left grip and under the barrel which reflects the 1903 factory refurbish referenced in the Colt Archives letter. The top of the barrel is marked: "COLT'S PT. F.A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD CT. U.S.A." and the left side of the frame sports a 2-line 3-date patent stamp: "PAT. SEPT. 19. 1871/ JULY 2-72. / JAN 19-75.". This revolver does not sport the "U.S." stamp on the left side of frame indicating U.S. property. A possible explanation for the lack of a "U.S." frame stamp can be found in the book, A Study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver by Graham, Kopec & Moore. The book states: "Revolvers bearing no "U.S." frame stamping and whose serial number is below #19500 were omissions on the part of Colt's workman, who applied this stamping to the frame while it was in a polished or "soft" state. Revolvers above serial #30600 having frames without the "U.S." markings are considered to have been "overlooked" because of an oversight of the U.S. Ordnance inspector. This book also references the fact that Henry Nettleton fell ill during his short time at the Colt factory and final inspectors stamps were often overlooked. So far, nine "Nettleton Inspected" revolvers without a "U.S." stamp have been authenticated and documented. Only 3000 Henry Nettleton Series" U.S. Colt SAAs were produced in 1878, which started in June and continued through September. This series is very desirable by collectors due to the very small number produced. The "combination" inspection procedure to include the "W" inspectors mark on some hammers (E.C. Wheeler "W" replaced Henry Nettleton as Primary inspector for a short time in August, 1878 due to illness) and some original barrel markings had a broken "T" on the address as well as a double-underlined "Co." (The barrel on this revolver was factory refurbished in 1903). Of the 3000 Henry Nettleton Ordnance-inspected SAA revolvers produced in 1878, only 207 are known to still exist today. SPECS: Smooth walnut grips, 5.5" blued barrel, fixed notch & groove rear sight, fixed blade front sight, loading gate, angled cylinder pin retaining screw, checkered hammer and 6-shot fluted cylinder. CONDITION: The frame on this revolver still shows strong remnants of the original case-hardened finish, and the frame screws retain most of their nitro-blued finish. This revolver is in original condition with some various bluing fade, has an excellent sharp/clean bore and appears to be in good working order with a nice/ smooth 3-click action. HISTORY: The Colt Single Action Army (also known as the SAA) was the standard-issued revolver of the U.S. Army from 1873 to 1892. Original U.S. Cavalry and Artillery Single Action Armies (Those produced between 1873 and 1891) are among the most valuable to collectors. Especially valuable are the Orville Wood Ainsworth and the rare Henry Nettleton inspected revolvers. The U.S. Army began sending SAAs back to the Colt factory for refurbishing in 1895, which continued through 1903 - these revolvers were then reissued. OUR ASSESSMENT: When researching original Colt SAAs, there is an abundance of information online that is not relevant to newly found documents and known variations. The book A Study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver by Graham, Kopec & Moore offers over 30 years of combined scholarly research on the subject and will, in many cases, contradict much of the online information. We highly recommend any serious collector to obtain a copy of this book. SHIPPING - We offer free shipping anywhere within the continental US. All firearms must be sent to an FFL (or C&R if applicable) regardless of age or caliber. This includes antiques & muzzleloaders. PLEASE READ ALL TERMS BEFORE PARTICIPATING: There is no live crowd, no phone bidding, no left bids and we do not accept payment through the mail.

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This item is part of Firearms & Early Military Assets
 Friday, May 2, 2025 | 10:48 AM  Central
 
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1878 Colt SAA - U.S. "Nettleton Inspected" Model (5.5"), 45 LC, Revolver - W/ Archives Letter, 47720
1878 Colt SAA - U.S. "Nettleton Inspected" Model (5.5"), 45 LC, Revolver - W/ Archives Letter, 47720
Lot number: 3
Seller: Will Sullivan Auction Co.
Event: Firearms & Early Military Assets
Ends: Saturday, June 14 | 10:01 AM  Central

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