Colt SAA Value.

[SquirrelMan]

Hey all,

Preface: I know that value depends greatly on the condition of the gun, but bear with me as I will have pictures up tomorrow.

I have a line on a SAA .45 caliber black powder pistol with the s/n 107xxx.

I am not really interested in this era of firearm, but I am always interested in making money.

It was originally nickel plated which has all worn off but right in front of the trigger guard. It has a brown petina over all of it now with some small pits scattered over the whole gun.

The price the guy wants to get is $1000. And I think I can at least recoup my money from the deal, however, would I be able to make enough to make it worth the risk?

Like I said before, I know that you all need to see the condition, and you will see pics tomorrow, but what would this be worth on the open market?

[Wildalaska]

If the gun is correct, and lock up is tight, buy it.

WilddontworryaboutpicsAlaska TM

[Old Dragoon]

From the S/N it was made between 1876 and 1890. Check to see if the S/N's all match, the number on the loading gate will be an assy number and not the S.N.
I'd echo Wildalaska's comments as well.

[fastforty]

With a SAA of that age that is in "fair to decent" condition (for it's age), it's value will be greatly affected by it's mechanical condition. Cock the hammer and let it down easy & see how loose/tight the cylinder lockup is (without releasing the trigger) on all 6 notches. If the cylinder doesn't turn back & forth a degree or more during that test (it's NOT going to be tight) you may have something. With the amount of exterior wear that you describe, I would be suspicious if the mechanics weren't worn nearly out. And yeah, check the serial numbers, pieced together units aren't worth nearly as much as original assemblies. If you buy it, spend the 100 bucks or so for a Colt Factory Letter. You really won't lose anything by getting the letter, & you might just be very pleasantly surprised.

[SquirrelMan]

I checked the action today, and it is fairly tight. It doesn't lock up like my python, but I would say that it isn't too sloppy. I would say it turns less that 1/16th of an inch when it is locked up.

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/834/dscf0210ox3.th.jpg (http://img211.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf0210ox3.jpg)

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/674/dscf0215av2.th.jpg (http://img510.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf0215av2.jpg)

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/8083/dscf0216ds6.th.jpg (http://img258.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf0216ds6.jpg)

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/3497/dscf0219hl3.th.jpg (http://img258.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf0219hl3.jpg)

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/9476/dscf0220hg3.th.jpg (http://img258.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf0220hg3.jpg)

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/5929/dscf0218gz1.th.jpg (http://img258.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf0218gz1.jpg)

[James K]

That is not "patina" that is rust, with heavy pitting. I would say that $1000 is very much borderline. You might make money but, IMHO, not a lot. Nickle plated guns take a big value hit (50%) and the rest of the gun is in very poor condition. Mechanical funtioning is relatively unimportant in collector guns, but cannot be ignored entirely.

If you choose to buy, plan to hold onto it for a while and give the market a chance to build. (Of course inflation will build also, so the gun may be worth about the same in real dollars.) The Colt letter is a good idea; if you are lucky, and it belonged to someone famous (or infamous) it is worth a fortune. (If you are that lucky, buy lottery tickets with the $1000.)

P.S. The gun was made in 1884.

Jim