Guns That Changed The World - Part 1

Colt Single Action Army M1873 "Peacemaker"

A New Era of Revolver

The Colt Single Action Army held many names over the years. First came its clunky official title, the New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol. But soon, it became known as the Frontier, the Equalizer, the Model P, and most famously, the Peacemaker.

This iconic revolver had a six-chamber cylinder that used a loading gate on the right side of the receiver. One of the Colt’s most interesting features was the ability to “fan fire” the revolver. By holding down the trigger and slapping the hammer with the opposite hand, the user could make the revolver fire with each slap until the cylinder was empty. Although not particularly practical, the method added to the revolver’s popularity, particularly after it was featured in postwar Hollywood westerns, appearing in virtually every cowboy and western film ever made.

The Government's Gun

The U.S. Army adopted the new handgun in July 1873, naming it the M1873, and bought 36,000 revolvers chambered in .45 Colt caliber. The revolver was introduced to the civilian market two months later, acquiring the nickname “Peacemaker.”During the 1870s, a brand new Colt Peacemaker cost approximately $17.50 (or about $330 today). The M1873 was used extensively across the nineteenth century western frontier by all sides, from the U.S. Army to white settlers and even Native American tribes. The M1873 remained in limited service with the U.S. military, seeing action in the Spanish American War, Philippine Insurrection, and even the U.S.-Mexico border conflict of the 1910s.

Cowboy Culture

John Wayne and his Colt Peacemaker - Born to the West 1937

Because of the Colt's military success, the gun soon found its way into civilians' hands. the Peacemaker and Frontier revolvers proved extremely popular on the western frontier with people who relied on their guns to survive. Lawmen, outlaws, scouts, and cowboys loved the accuracy, power, and reliability of the Colt. Famous outlaws like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Butch Cassidy and lawmen like Bat Masterson, Ben Daniels, and Pat Garrett all carried Colts. And so did Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday on that fateful October day at the O.K. Corral.

The famous showman Buffalo Bill even owned a Colt Frontier and would be instrumental in cementing the weapon's legacy as the "gun that won the West."

We Love The Single Action Army

We are huge fanatics for Colt Single Action Army revolvers. Only a select group of guns can claim to having been in almost continuous production across three centuries, and the Colt Single Action Army is part of that group. If you have a Colt SAA and are thinking about selling it, look no further than CaliberSwap! We make the burden of selling a gun simple and fair. Whether you’re looking to downsize a private collection, you inherited unwanted firearms, you plan to move to a more restrictive state or any other reason, we would be honored if you would consider selling your firearm to us.