Then, with further examination, you will see the serial number 5089 on the cylinder is faint (as is the inspectors initials A P). The loading gate has been nickeled at some point and pretty much all of the finish is gone. At a glance, you will notice it does not have the original grips or butt strap and has a 5.5” barrel. Its overall condition would be considered “fair” in our opinion. You can see why we were exited to see revolver #5089 come in! (Revolver #5100 was actually a Little Big Horn Battlefield find, dug up in the 1980s.) A number of other serial numbers close to 5089 have also been analyzed and are believed to have “strong possible” association with the Seventh Cavalry and the Little Bighorn for a variety of reasons. It is assumed the serial numbers in each crate were “of similar chronological serial numbers, but were not necessarily in exact sequence.” Therefor, if you come across a gun with a serial number in the range of within 50 numbers of a documented 7th Cavalry revolver, it stands to reason that your odds increase that you have a possible “Little Bighorn” or “7th Cavalry” gun. Read on.Īt the time of issue, Colt SAA revolvers were shipped to the armory in crates containing fifty to a crate. There are others with good possibilities, but less documentation. They go on to list a number of revolvers with, “strong, but less positive Seventh Cavalry association” from that shipment and they are numbers: 4729, 4949, 4955, 5133, 5153, 51. In the book they state, “Very few documented or positively-associated Seventh Cavalry Colts are known.” They list some numbers from that serial number range of 4500 thru 5504 with a positive association: 4507, 4553, 4597, 5100, 51. The book goes on to state that in later half of 1874, there were 755 new Colt SAA revolvers issued to the 7th Cavalry and that about 600 of them came from the shipment which contained serial numbers 4500 thru 5504 (or about six out of every ten revolvers in that shipment). That most desirable serial number range according to the research is from a shipment which contained serial numbers 4500 thru 5504. In the book, they explain much of the research that has gone into narrowing down a serial number range of Colt SAA’s that have a high probability of being 7th Cavalry revolvers. half of the book dedicated to Custer’s 7th Cavalry Colts).
Sterling Fenn, the duo wrote, Colt, Cavalry & Artillery Revolvers, a Continuing Study (with approx. There has been a plethora of research done on the subject, and probably the most noted experts in this field would be John Kopec and the late, Dr. There is an interesting story here.įirst off, there are only a handful of documented 7th Cavalry guns in existence. My first reaction was, “WOW! could that possibly be a Custer (7th Cavalry/Little Bighorn) gun? Here is what was found out. Recently a Single Action Colt Army (SAA) with the very low serial number(s) 5089 came to us.