Modern copy of the Colt Single Action Army handgun

Also known as the Colt Peacemaker or Single Action Army, the most exotic of which being the Black Powder model, the Colt Single Action Army handgun is a single action revolver holding 6 rounds of ammunition, that was designed for the US cavalry by Colt's Manufacturing Company and adopted in 1873, and it was perhaps the most prolific pistol in the wild west. Image File history File links Colt_SAA45. ... Image File history File links Colt_SAA45. ... In a single action gun, the triggers only function is to release the hammer. ... The Colt Single Action Army, one of the most popular revolvers of all time For other uses, see Revolver (disambiguation). ... Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ... Colts Manufacturing Company (CMC) is a United States firearms manufacturer founded in 1847. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... A typical archetype, the cowboy, in the Wild West. ...

It is sometimes referred to as the 'Colt .45', and should not be confused with the M1911 semi-automatic pistol. which is usually referred to as the '.45 auto'. M1911 The M1911 is a . ...

Ammunition

The Single Action Army uses .45 Colt (.45 SAA) cartridges, which should not be confused with the .45 Automatic Colt Pistol (.45 ACP) cartridge commonly used in semi-automatic pistols. The .45 Colt cartridge is often referred to at the .45 Long Colt to differentiate between the .45 Schofield, which can also be used in the SAA. However, there is no official ".45 Short Colt". The . ... The . ... A Semi-automatic (also known as Self-loading) pistol is a type of handheld firearm, a kind of pistol. ... The . ...

The .45 Colt is a protruding-rim (commonly called 'rimmed') cartridge originally loaded with black powder and intended for use in revolvers (the rim keeps the cartridge from sliding through the cylinder), while .45 ACP ammunition is a rebated rim (commonly called 'rimless') designed to use smokeless gunpowder, which generates much more power per unit weight, and intended for use in autoloading pistol (the rebated rim makes it easy to store in a magazine). Because of this, the .45 ACP brass is much shorter (0.898 inches/22.8mm) than the .45 Colt (1.285 inches/32.6mm) because it only must hold around 5.5 grains of smokeless powder. Black powder for sporting can be freely bought in Switzerland. ... Smokeless powder Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of gunpowder-like propellants used in firearms which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older black powder which it replaced. ... A Semi-automatic (also known as Self-loading) pistol is a type of handheld firearm, a kind of pistol. ...

The .45 ACP is regulated to under 21,000 lbf/in² (145 MPa), while .45 SAA must be kept under 14,000 lbf/in² (97 MPa) to be safe in older guns. Despite the lower pressure, the muzzle velocity of the Single Action Army is about the same as--or slightly higher than--many .45 ACP pistols, due to its longer barrel. Using the original load intended for the Single Action Army, a 250 grain (16 g) cast lead bullet over 40 grains (2.6 g) of FFg black powder, muzzle velocities of around 1000 ft/s (300 m/s) can be achieved. However, because that load pushed the chamber pressure limit of the original 1873 revolvers the government cut the powder charge down to 36 grains (2.3 g) of FFg black powder, which gave the bullet the 800 to 900 ft/s (240 to 270 m/s) muzzle velocity.

The .45 SAA was accepted in 1873. The US Army approved a second standard military handgun of the same period, a Smith & Wesson No. 3 "top break" single action with modifications by a US Army Major by the name of Schofield. That gun took a shorter slightly less potent version of the .45 Colt round which would also fit in the Colt SAA revolver. However, the S&W No. 3 could not take the longer .45 Colt, which was part of the reason the Army moved to the SAA and away from the No. 3. A Modern Smith & Wesson Revolver (Model 629) Smith & Wesson NASDAQ: SWHC is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. ... The Smith & Wesson No. ...

By 1876 the Colt SAA was being offered from the factory in additional calibers for civilian and foreign military sales. Many were sold in .44-40 Winchester Center Fire (WCF) to allow cross-compatibility with the Winchester '73 lever action rifle. Additional period calibers for the SAA included .41 LC, .38 LC, .38-40 WCF (with ballistics surprisingly similar to modern police .40 S&W semi-auto ammo), .32-20 WCF, .44 Russian and .44 Special. For the British market, Colt's offered .450 Boxer and Eley, .455 and .476 Eley. In 1875, a .44 Rim Fire variant was offered, serially numbered in a separate number range 1 through 1800, some revolvers were later converted to .22 RF. In the 20th century the SAA was sold in more modern calibers including .357 Magnum, .38 Special and .45 ACP. The . ... The . ... The . ... . ...

It is important to note that many ammunition makers produce high-powered hunting loads in .45 Colt. These are intended for modern revolver models that are also made in high-powered chamberings such as .44 Magnum. This is because the .45 Colt has enough case volume to be about as powerful as a .44 Magnum when loaded with modern gunpower instead of less-efficient black power. However, use of these high-powered modern cartridges in old, original SAA Colts, intended for low-pressure black powder rounds, will amost certainly result in the destruction of the gun and the hand holding it. Users of the low-pressure-only SAAs should only use ammunition designed for it, such as Cowboy Action ammunition. .44 Magnum The . ...

Operation

The term "single action" refers to the behavior of the trigger. Its hammer must be cocked manually before each shot, and the trigger performs only a single action, releasing the hammer. Most modern revolvers are "double action," as pulling the trigger will both cock and release the hammer. Double-action revolvers typically also have a swing-out cylinder, which enables the rapid simultanous unloading of fired brass and rapid reloading using a speedloader. However, the SAA's fixed cylinder system is considered stronger, and used extensively in high-powered hunting revolvers like the Ruger Blackhawk and the Magnum Research BFR. The term double action was originally applied to revolvers. ...

The distinctive "plow" shape of the grip is designed to let the gun rock back in the shooter's hand after firing, to make it easier to thumb the hammer back and present the gun.

Like many other contemporaneous revolvers, the cylinder of the Single Action Army can hold 6 rounds. However, because there is no mechanism which prevents a round from discharging a loaded chamber if the hammer is struck forcibly, most prudent users will only load "five beans in the wheel." Although, the new Colt SAA "Cowboy" Model and many modern reproductions, such as those made by Beretta, utilize a transfer-bar safety which prevents such an accidental discharge, many people still choose to load only 5 cartridges for the sake of historical accuracy. In the popular sport of cowboy action shooting, even if one has a modern revolver, like the Ruger Vaquero, with the transfer bar safety (in which it is perfectly safe to load and carry six in the cylinder), they are only allowed to load five and keep the hammer on an empty chamber. Logo of Pietro Beretta This article is about a firearm manufacturer; for the car, see Chevrolet Beretta. ...

Loading

The common loading method is to halfcock the hammer, then load 1, miss 1, then load the rest, to fullcock the hammer and to release it carefully on the empty chamber. When the hammer is cocked, it will rotate the chamber to one with a round inside. Furthermore, as the swing-out cylinder had yet to be invented, Colt Peacemakers are loaded by opening a loading gate on the right side of the gun, behind the cylinder. Each round is loaded individually as the user turns the cylinder and ejects the casing with the built-in ejection rod attached below the barrel. Many cowboys, lawmen, and even cavalry soldiers preferred the Smith & Wesson line of top-break revolvers, including the .44 Russian and the Schofield revolver chambered for .45 Schofield, for their speed in reloading and for the ease with which they could be reloaded while mounted. However, because the Colt's cartridge was more powerful, and because the Colt revolver tended to be a more sturdy gun because of its solid frame, the Colt was the final choice for the U.S. Army and, therefore, for any peace officer or civilian who could afford one. The . ...

The loading gate for rounds was on the right side as a nod to use on horseback, as was the barrel-mounted ejector. The user was supposed to hold both the reins and gun in the left hand and insert rounds with the right.

Legacy

The Single Action Army is still being manufactured today, although antique Peacemakers are obviously rare and highly regarded as collectors items. The gun is perhaps most widely associated with the wild west and spaghetti westerns, although many films and cultural shows still use this. A typical archetype, the cowboy, in the Wild West. ... Movie poster for Once Upon a Time in the West Spaghetti Westerns is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western film that emerged in the mid-1960s, so named because most of them were produced by Italian studios. ...

All original, good condition first generation Single Action Armys, those produced between 1873 and 1941, are among the most valuable to the collector. Especially valuable, often going for well over $10,000, are the OWA and the Nettleton Single Action Army Colts.

The OWA Colt refers to the earliest issued Single Action Army guns which were inspected by Orville W. Ainsworth. Ainsworth was the ordinance sub-inspector at the Colt factory for the first 13 months (Oct. 1873 to Nov. 1874) of the Single Action Army's production. It was Ainsworth who inspected the Colts used by Col. G.A. Custer's 7th Cavalry at the Little Bighorn. The number range of possible Little Bighorn Colts is 4500 - 7527.

Henry Nettleton was the ordinance inspector in 1878 at the Springfield Armory. Second only to the OWA Colts, Nettleton Colts are prized by serious collectors. Both the Nettleton and OWA Colts have the cartouche (OWA or HN) on the left side of the wood grip.

Another historical military SAA revolver is the Artillery Model. It was issued to the rear-echelon troops, artillerymen, and such during the Spanish-American war period. Following the Indian wars, in 1895, the cavalry SAAs had fallen into disrepair and had been sent back to the Colt factory or Springfield Armory to be refurbished, fit with a shortened barrel, (cut from a 7 1/2 in (191 mm) to a 5 1/2 in (140 mm) ) and re-issued. Most of the Artillery Colts had mixed numbers. The standard military revolver at the time was the Colt double action New Army revolver chambered in 38 Colt. Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders charged up San Juan hill wielding the Artillery Model. Artillery models can usually be identified by the original inspector's cartouche (such as the OWA or HN) on the left side of the grips and the cartouche of Rinaldo A. Carr (RAC), the inspector who inspected the refurbished guns, on the right side. .

The Single Action Army has been copied by numerous makers both in America and in Europe. The two major makers of Colt replicas are Aldo Uberti in Italy, which is a property of Beretta, and United States Firearms Mfg. Co. in Hartford Connecticut. Both companies make superb replicas that are much more affordable than the real Colt.

A number of "near clones" of the Colt SAA have appeared which mimic the size and feel of the SAA while offering a modern transfer bar ignition system similar to modern Double Action (DA) revolvers. Unlike the SAA and "true clones", these can be carried with all six rounds loaded versus "five up carry and hammer on the empty cylinder". After Beretta bought Uberti they ordered a high-end SAA near-clone with a transfer bar known as the Beretta Stampede. The other two transfer bar SAA near-clones are the Ruger "New Vaquero", and the Taurus Gaucho, both introduced recently. These three are much safer for the newbie "cowboy shooter" while being close enough to SAA ergonomics to fit in the same holsters. The Ruger "Original Vaquero" looks a lot like the SAA but is built on a bigger frame able to take the .44 Magnum and is not considered an "SAA clone" like the "New Vaquero". .44 Magnum The . ...

Famed British adventurer and soldier T.E. Lawrence ("of Arabia") had a special fondness for this weapon because it saved his life during one of his pre-World War I trips to Mesopotamia; he was jumped by an Arab bandit who stole the gun and tried to kill Lawrence, but Lawrence's assailant couldn't because he did not understand the revolver mechanism. Lawrence thereafter always carried one of these weapons for good luck. (see Lowell Thomas, With Lawrence In Arabia (1924)). Thomas Edward Lawrence (August 16, 1888 – May 19, 1935), also known as Lawrence of Arabia, and (apparently, among his Arab allies) Aurens or El Aurens, became famous for his role as a British liaison officer during the Arab Revolt of 1916–1918. ... Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard... Mesopotamia refers to the region now occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and Southwest Iran. ... Lowell Jackson Thomas (April 6, 1892 – August 29, 1981) was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveller best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous. ...

US Army General George S. Patton, who began his career in the cavalry, carried a custom-made SAA with ivory grips engraved with his initials and an eagle, which became his trademark. He used it during the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916 to kill two of Pancho Villa's lieutenants, and carried it until his death in 1945 shortly after the end of World War II. George Smith Patton, Jr. ... A graphical timeline is available here: Timeline of the Mexican Revolution Doroteo Arango Arámbula (June 5, 1878 – July 23, 1923) — better known as Francisco Villa or, in its diminutive form, Pancho Villa — was one of the foremost leaders and best known generals of the Mexican Revolution, between 1911 and... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

In The Media

In the popular video game series Metal Gear Solid, Revolver Ocelot is armed with several SAA's, primarily after being advised to use a revolver after his first encounter with a CIA agent. After this he continues to use the SAA and frequently spins the revolver in his fingers and teases opponents with Russian roulette. Metal Gear Solid ) (commonly abbreviated to MGS) is a stealth-based game directed by Hideo Kojima. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with List of recurring Metal Gear characters. ... Big Boss is a fictional character in the Metal Gear video game series created by Hideo Kojima and published by Konami. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Also, in the video game, Resident Evil 2, a small but fast "Colt S.A.A." becomes available to those playing as Claire (A or B), by killing Brad Vicker's zombie and retrieving his locker key.

Peacemaker, resembling the SAA, is one of Vincent Valentine's first weapons in Final Fantasy VII To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Final Fantasy VII ) is a console role-playing game (RPG) developed and published by Square Co. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Colt Single Action Army

• Official Safety and Instruction Manual (.pdf)
• Modern Firearms
• Sixguns