This antique, black powder Colt Single Action Army Revolver has a special order 8 /12 inch barrel, and the extremely rare length is confirmed by the accompanying factory letter as well as by noted Colt historian and author R.L. Wilson. This barrel length is certainly a rarity in Colt collecting as it is the only original 8 1/2 inch barreled SAA we have cataloged. Colt factory records show that SAA barrel lengths ranged from 2 inches all the way up to 16 inches. However, 3, 4 3/4, 5 1/2, and 7 1/2 inches were the standard barrel lengths, making all other lengths built to suit custom orders. The accompanying factory letter states the revolver was shipped to John Meunier Gun Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 6, 1893, with an 8 1/2 inch barrel in .38-40 caliber, blue finish, and type of stocks not listed. This was a single gun shipment. To give perspective on the rarity of the rarity of the 8 1/2 inch barrel, the authors to “The Official Record of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver 1873-1895" only listed two .38 WCF chambered SAAs in the 1-164100 serial number range as having a factory 8 1/2 inch barrel (page 353) as well as one 8 1/2 inch barrel SAA in .32 Colt (page 365). Additional information on the two 8 1/2 inch SAAs in .38 WCF is found on page 291: Schoverling, Daly & Gales ordered an .38-40 caliber revolver with an 8 1/2" barrel in April and John Meunier, a gunsmith in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was shipped an identical revolver in July." R.L. Wilson examined this SAA and recorded his observations in his accompanying letter. Wilson noted, "Serial number 152524 is from that extremely rare category of special barrel length, custom-ordered factory-built guns. Number 152524 is entirely original, with clear markings and a good share of bluing present." Wilson found that Colt advertised the ability to add lengths to a SAA barrel for the additional cost of $1 per inch. As 7 1/2 inch was a standard length and based on Wilson research, the 8 1/2 inch would have cost the customer a $1 extra. The extremely rare barrel is marked with the one-line Hartford address on top and the caliber designation "38 W.C.F." on the left side. The frame has the two-line patent dates marking followed by an encircled Rampant Colt on the left side. The revolver wears a set of Rampant Colt embossed hard rubber grips, which are numbered to the gun ("2524"). The matching full serial number appears on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap. Provenance: The Doug Carlson Collection; The Charles Marx Collection

Very good, retaining 20% original blue finish in and around the protective areas with the strongest amounts on the underside of the barrel and on the ejector rod housing with a smooth gray patina on the balance. The well-worn grips are good. Mechanically excellent. An extremely rare factory documented 8 1/2 inch barrel black powder Colt Single Action Army revolver well worthy of the finest collection. This Colt SAA will be a crown jewel in any collection no matter how advanced.