I was lucky enough when I was a child I got to handle a few guns that were carved ivory and pearl grips that were owned by Elmer Keith at his house in Salmon, Idaho in the early 1960's. He was a friend of my Dad. When I was a teenager my Dad had another friend named Hathaway in Payette, Idaho. His Dad grew up on the Mexico -Arizona border during the time before and during Pancho Villa raids eventually becoming a Deputy Sheriff in the 1920's. His name was Jim Hathaway and was profiled in some of the pulp True Police Magazines I think in the1930's. He survived a number of gunfights. Some of his pistols were carved ivory one of which had a raging bulls head on one side and his tailend on the other. This was a .45 Colt nickel plate with fancy engraving. This was the most accurate .45 single action I have shot up until recently. I'm A month shy of 70. Many of the old weapons that I got to handle were personalized or had belong to famous people in history. I didn't appreciate how lucky I was at the time. Such is the ignorance of youth.
@@thecinnabar8442 you are welcome . You deserve it. I know that a lifetime of a lot of hobbies (I am a bit older than you) that learning all these skills can be a bit much. I recently started nickel plating at home lol what I learned tho was that I knew less about polishing metal than I thought I knew. I can cut and weld and polish and make things... but on a level way below yours. My 'gunsmithing' is basically repair and replace with some fitting.
Had my dealer try to special order a single action from Colt back when Hickok 45 got a few for his son and grandson. Got some Uberti’s from Taylor’s and they’re nice,but always wanted a genuine Colt. Never heard back from Colt. Great video!
I have a S&W 629 I bought new and it ended up not liking my cast bullet loads. Checked the bore and cylinder measurements and found the cylinder to have a multitude different size chamber throats. I sent the revolver back to the factory and they said everything was in spec, pissed me off that they wouldn’t stand behind their product. I ended up reaminng the the chambers to .429. That solved the accuracy problem and leading problems. What really pissed me off is that The Uberti SA clone I have has perfect bore and cylinder measurements, in gun that cost me quite a bit less than the Smith.
American manufacturing (whatever is left of it) quality went downhill sharply, probably due to toxic inflationary environment caused by exponential fiat money creation. Inflation in an economy is like cancer, slowly kills its host. Just when we think american manufacturing is 'coming back', people would be avoiding the infamous 'Made In Usa' label soon if this trend does not slow down...
I heard it as such: "Be not afraid of any man, no matter what his size...call on me in time of need and I will equalize". That is a beautiful old Colt with a fantastic sounding action!
Very good video. That inscription was the 1st I ever memorized. Never has anyone other than Winston Churchill uttered a sentiment so befitting weaponry ... "never in the annals of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few". Col. Colt would have been proud of him. BTW ... I love and envy your Ranch.
What a beautiful well cared for old Colt!! Glad the quote wasn't signed, "Stud *muffin...* " Thanks for sharing, and I hope you had a great Christmas, and have a very Happy New Year, Mark!!
Thanks for the video. I retire late 2025 and going to Tulsa in the spring and coming to see you in Cody. Well possibly gonna walk through a museum or two also.
Mark, you need some hollow base bullets cast of 1:40 lead/tin composition. I have a great Rapine mold that is specifically for the 44-40. If you like, I’d gladly cast up some for you and send em’ out so you can size/lube depending on if you’re using smokeless or black powder. Seriously, let me know!
Whoever owned that gun previously was most likely a left hand shooter. I don't think that they would want the elk engraving rubbing on the palm of their hand. Very beautiful piece.
Actually, just the opposite is true. Grips carved on the left panel are very unusual and made specifically for left-handed shooters. The rationale being that the carving afforded a better grip in the palm of the shooter.
That gun is incredible shape for its age. Normally nickel plating doesn't endure that well. Especially for a gun worn around by a working cowboy out on the trail.
Mike Venturino wrote about the mismatched bore diameters in both Winchester rifles and the early “frontier” Colt saa. Trying to find two that would both shoot the same accurately was a stroke of luck, at least that was my impression. I’ve never been a saa fan, but I sure love those old patina Winchesters. Thanks for all the hard work.
Yea, but were they signed by, "Stud"?😀😀😀 It's a pretty fitting phrase on an old firearm. I've even heard of a Winchester rifle with it carved in the stock. Happy New Year, Flint!!
Very nice revolver! If it is not to be just a "see pretty" I would consider bringing to dimensions into correct relationship. I like a slight downward progression from cylinder forcing cones to barrel leade to groove diameter. I am not a gunsmith, so I would not tackle such a valuable arm as that one; but I did that to both of Ruger old model Vaquero revolvers and it really helped with the cast boolits.
That's excellent advice. It's the reason we very slightly swage down the end of our liners when we reline a barrel. I'd tell you how we do it, but it's top secret.😀
I would love to see a video on the holster that you used at the end of this video. I am a leather tooler and one of my good friends is a leather tooler
I'll try to show it in better detail next time I have in of for an episode. You can search "Edward Bohlin holsters" and find lots of info and pictures of them as well.
Idk about the 1st Gen. Colt ssa BUT my Colt M1911 1914 vintage needed a good deep cleaning of the barrel to get it to shoot properly. And when I say a good deep clean I mean it like when your done you should have a grapefruit sized pile of dirty patches. Well that’s what I ended up with anyways. And the 1914 M1911 shoots about 6 to 7” groups. When before i did the cleaning it wasn’t even hitting pie plates at 15 feet
Thanks for the great vid. You mentioned the loads as being cowboy loads. I wonder if you load your own black powder 44-40's for these old six shooters? I'm about to load some up for my newly acquired 1st gen Frontier Six and I'm trolling for some advice. Am about to slug my barrel and see what she looks like. I know my .428 lead won't free fall through the cylinder front end. Really looking forward to seeing what the bore diameter is.
I think I mentioned that it letters as nickel plated, but grips aren't specified, so it should have had plain grips originally. Being signed by "Stud" really caps off the inscription. 🙂
@@thecinnabar8442 Ok I understand mark maybe you can just walk us thru the steps so we can try for ourselves I have a couple single actions I would like to make grips for but not sure what the steps are. Thanks and Happy New Years !!
The more famous quote was, "God created man, but Sam Colt made them equal". I've found no reference to either of these quotes being used by Colt in early advertising. I'd love to see an example of early Colt advertising with either of these quotes, though. Make a great wall-hanger.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours , Mark I have 1909 1895 in 30 army, took it out last thursday , bought it in Oct, took it to my smith to have the sights changed out and for him to check the head space and the rifle in general . My question or problem is I can only load and hold 3 rounds, when I try and put the 4th round in, the feed tray is real tight and I can't get the 4th round under the feed lips . Cleaned and oiled the rifle yest. Took empty 30-40 brass and got 4 rounds in with some difficultly, fed the top two but the bottom two stuck ,ran that senerio several times. What is your oppinion ? I think my spring is to long in the mag ? Taking it back to my gun smith in 7 Valleys Pa . Thanks for the great videos ! P:S still looking for the rear sight for my 1917 built 1895 saddle ring carbine in 30 govt 06,need help ! Had the lyman sight on it ,put that sight on the rifle have no sight for my carbine.
That kind of problem would be quite challenging to diagnose without having the rifle in hand. My best guess is that there is something bent. Best of luck finding the 1895 carbine rear sight. I always have an eye out for them and rarely come across them. If you're patient enough, I'm sure one will eventually come up when you least expect it.
I have a Frontier Six Shooter made in 1883. Nickel plated. Started out 7-1/2" but now 5". From the marking, it appears to have been reworked by Colt with newer parts and script. Not as nice as yours but to think Jesse James was still alive when it was made.
if you run a 1/4 drill bit about a 1/4 in deep in the 428 lead to hollow base it ,you can chamber and probably expand to rifling , ,it should clean up a bit of accuracy, cheers big ears from down under
I was lucky enough when I was a child I got to handle a few guns that were carved ivory and pearl grips that were owned by Elmer Keith at his house in Salmon, Idaho in the early 1960's. He was a friend of my Dad. When I was a teenager my Dad had another friend named Hathaway in Payette, Idaho. His Dad grew up on the Mexico -Arizona border during the time before and during Pancho Villa raids eventually becoming a Deputy Sheriff in the 1920's. His name was Jim Hathaway and was profiled in some of the pulp True Police Magazines I think in the1930's. He survived a number of gunfights. Some of his pistols were carved ivory one of which had a raging bulls head on one side and his tailend on the other. This was a .45 Colt nickel plate with fancy engraving. This was the most accurate .45 single action I have shot up until recently. I'm A month shy of 70. Many of the old weapons that I got to handle were personalized or had belong to famous people in history. I didn't appreciate how lucky I was at the time. Such is the ignorance of youth.
I never get tired of these vids where the guy knows all about what he is talking about.
Thanks so much, Doran!
@@thecinnabar8442 you are welcome . You deserve it. I know that a lifetime of a lot of hobbies (I am a bit older than you) that learning all these skills can be a bit much. I recently started nickel plating at home lol what I learned tho was that I knew less about polishing metal than I thought I knew. I can cut and weld and polish and make things... but on a level way below yours. My 'gunsmithing' is basically repair and replace with some fitting.
What a fine piece of history! Congrats on being it's caretaker.
It's always nice to see an old original revolver with lots of history. The story some of these old guns could tell.
Very true!
Had my dealer try to special order a single action from Colt back when Hickok 45 got a few for his son and grandson. Got some Uberti’s from Taylor’s and they’re nice,but always wanted a genuine Colt. Never heard back from Colt. Great video!
I have a S&W 629 I bought new and it ended up not liking my cast bullet loads. Checked the bore and cylinder measurements and found the cylinder to have a multitude different size chamber throats. I sent the revolver back to the factory and they said everything was in spec, pissed me off that they wouldn’t stand behind their product. I ended up reaminng the the chambers to .429. That solved the accuracy problem and leading problems. What really pissed me off is that The Uberti SA clone I have has perfect bore and cylinder measurements, in gun that cost me quite a bit less than the Smith.
American manufacturing (whatever is left of it) quality went downhill sharply, probably due to toxic inflationary environment caused by exponential fiat money creation. Inflation in an economy is like cancer, slowly kills its host. Just when we think american manufacturing is 'coming back', people would be avoiding the infamous 'Made In Usa' label soon if this trend does not slow down...
Love that comment on the grip. Beautiful revolver.
Me too! It makes that great old Colt so much more interesting! Thanks for watching and Commenting.
I heard it as such: "Be not afraid of any man, no matter what his size...call on me in time of need and I will equalize". That is a beautiful old Colt with a fantastic sounding action!
I greatly enjoyed this episode, as usual - thank you.
You're very welcome. Thanks for watching!!
Happy Holidays to you Mark and your family!
Great video Thanks Mark.
Thanks for watching!
Very interesting! Beautiful piece of history! Thank you!👍🏽😊❤️🇺🇸
You're very welcome, Jeff!!
Thank You Mark Happy New Year 😇😊😊
You are most welcome, Happy New Year to you as well!
Very good video. That inscription was the 1st I ever memorized. Never has anyone other than Winston Churchill uttered a sentiment so befitting weaponry ... "never in the annals of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few". Col. Colt would have been proud of him. BTW ... I love and envy your Ranch.
Thanks a bunch, Richard!! I love our operation in Cody, but I do miss the ranch when I'm away.
Thanks for sharing that beautiful old revolver with us! I hope that you had a great Christmas!
Thanks Jeff! And Happy New Year
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Great video. I enjoy historical Colts very much. Thanks for sharing and all the best in the New Year,,,
Keep up the videos this is my favorite Chanel
I love your channel. Awesome sharing of knowledge in a beautiful country backdrop.
Thanks so much, John. Glad you enjoy it!
Another great video Thanks for sharing it with us
What a beautiful well cared for old Colt!! Glad the quote wasn't signed, "Stud *muffin...* " Thanks for sharing,
and I hope you had a great Christmas, and have a very Happy New Year, Mark!!
I almost made a smart comment about Stud Muffin. I'm glad I didn't now. 😀 Happy New Year, Karl!!
Hi from Alaska
Hi Teddy!!!!
No place like home. God bless
That's for sure. We love Cody, but it just isn't the same.
How about hollow based bullets? That way you don't have to modify the revolver at all. Might be worth a try!
Hi from Maryland...I always enjoy your videos.
Thanks a bunch!
Thanks and Happy New Year
Thanks for the share and merry Christmas to you and yours
Thanks for the share!!
You're welcome! Glad you liked it.
Merry Christmas Happy New year
You too, Happy New Year!
nice old frontier handgun.👍
Thank you!
Beautiful!
Too late now for me to say Merry Christmas, but I do wish you guys a very happy new year!
Thank you Mark, great video keep bringing them.
You're very welcome, Henry!!
Certainly looks like a wapiti head to me. Beautiful pistol. Cheers from NZ🇳🇿.
Thanks for the video. I retire late 2025 and going to Tulsa in the spring and coming to see you in Cody. Well possibly gonna walk through a museum or two also.
We'll be looking forward to your visit. No better museums than you'll find in Cody.
@@thecinnabar8442 drove out there two summers ago. Well worth the 1100 mi drive. Even met Mark at the WACA show. The museums at Cody are great!
Very interesting! Glad you’re getting some moisture and thank you for sharing. Oh, and have a happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you and yours! And this moisture is a real blessing after several dry years.
Nice to see you back on the home range Mark. Beautiful hand gun. Thank you for sharing.😊
Thank you very much! It's good to be back at the ranch for a while!
Thanks, Mark, for the great video of this Peacemaker! Tim from Pennsylvania.
You're very welcome, Tim! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Mark, you need some hollow base bullets cast of 1:40 lead/tin composition. I have a great Rapine mold that is specifically for the 44-40. If you like, I’d gladly cast up some for you and send em’ out so you can size/lube depending on if you’re using smokeless or black powder. Seriously, let me know!
That’s a beauty
Thanks a bunch!
Whoever owned that gun previously was most likely a left hand shooter. I don't think that they would want the elk engraving rubbing on the palm of their hand. Very beautiful piece.
Actually, just the opposite is true. Grips carved on the left panel are very unusual and made specifically for left-handed shooters. The rationale being that the carving afforded a better grip in the palm of the shooter.
@thecinnabar8442 that makes sense.
@@thecinnabar8442 I also think it's the side that is going to be seen when holstered, since the gun was holstered more often than it was shot.
What a beauty
Thanks Snapper!!
That gun is incredible shape for its age. Normally nickel plating doesn't endure that well. Especially for a gun worn around by a working cowboy out on the trail.
How many hats do you have??? 😀
Warm seasons greetings from eastern Nebraska.
Thank you. And the same to you and yours!!
Mike Venturino wrote about the mismatched bore diameters in both Winchester rifles and the early “frontier” Colt saa. Trying to find two that would both shoot the same accurately was a stroke of luck, at least that was my impression. I’ve never been a saa fan, but I sure love those old patina Winchesters. Thanks for all the hard work.
You're very welcome!!
Happy New Year!!!
I would be willing to bet that Mark Twain first put that saying on the map.
A very interesting old Colt. I have seen that saying on a couple of old six guns.
Yea, but were they signed by, "Stud"?😀😀😀 It's a pretty fitting phrase on an old firearm. I've even heard of a Winchester rifle with it carved in the stock. Happy New Year, Flint!!
Beautiful Colt Single Army revolver......Thank you Mark
Old Vietnam war F-4 Phantom pilot Shoe🇺🇸
You're very welcome, Steve!! Thanks for watching
Very nice revolver! If it is not to be just a "see pretty" I would consider bringing to dimensions into correct relationship. I like a slight downward progression from cylinder forcing cones to barrel leade to groove diameter. I am not a gunsmith, so I would not tackle such a valuable arm as that one; but I did that to both of Ruger old model Vaquero revolvers and it really helped with the cast boolits.
That's excellent advice. It's the reason we very slightly swage down the end of our liners when we reline a barrel. I'd tell you how we do it, but it's top secret.😀
I would love to see a video on the holster that you used at the end of this video. I am a leather tooler and one of my good friends is a leather tooler
I'll try to show it in better detail next time I have in of for an episode. You can search "Edward Bohlin holsters" and find lots of info and pictures of them as well.
Thanks so much
Idk about the 1st Gen. Colt ssa BUT my Colt M1911 1914 vintage needed a good deep cleaning of the barrel to get it to shoot properly. And when I say a good deep clean I mean it like when your done you should have a grapefruit sized pile of dirty patches. Well that’s what I ended up with anyways. And the 1914 M1911 shoots about 6 to 7” groups. When before i did the cleaning it wasn’t even hitting pie plates at 15 feet
Yep, the breech end of the bore on this one needed a good long scrubbing.
Every time I see you, you remind me of my hero LaVoy Finicuim.
Thanks. I'm honored by the comparison.
@@thecinnabar8442
Now I’m again impressed that you know the man. Kudos Sir!
Thanks for the great vid. You mentioned the loads as being cowboy loads. I wonder if you load your own black powder 44-40's for these old six shooters? I'm about to load some up for my newly acquired 1st gen Frontier Six and I'm trolling for some advice. Am about to slug my barrel and see what she looks like. I know my .428 lead won't free fall through the cylinder front end. Really looking forward to seeing what the bore diameter is.
Thanks Mark
Thanks for watching, Wilber!!
What does the letter say do you think it came for colt nickel pearls what a stud
I think I mentioned that it letters as nickel plated, but grips aren't specified, so it should have had plain grips originally. Being signed by "Stud" really caps off the inscription. 🙂
🇦🇺😎👍🎄
Real nice gun Mark maybe that would be a good video is to make a set of grips.?
I really like making grips, but I'm too much of a perfectionist to make any money at it. It takes me a week to make a set.
@@thecinnabar8442 Ok I understand mark maybe you can just walk us thru the steps so we can try for ourselves I have a couple single actions I would like to make grips for but not sure what the steps are. Thanks and Happy New Years !!
@@thecinnabar8442 Do you know anyone that can do that inscription on a set of Micarta grips ?
I thought the saying was an early Colt advertising slogan.
The more famous quote was, "God created man, but Sam Colt made them equal". I've found no reference to either of these quotes being used by Colt in early advertising. I'd love to see an example of early Colt advertising with either of these quotes, though. Make a great wall-hanger.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours , Mark I have 1909 1895 in 30 army, took it out last thursday , bought it in Oct, took it to my smith to have the sights changed out and for him to check the head space and the rifle in general . My question or problem is I can only load and hold 3 rounds, when I try and put the 4th round in, the feed tray is real tight and I can't get the 4th round under the feed lips . Cleaned and oiled the rifle yest. Took empty 30-40 brass and got 4 rounds in with some difficultly, fed the top two but the bottom two stuck ,ran that senerio several times. What is your oppinion ? I think my spring is to long in the mag ? Taking it back to my gun smith in 7 Valleys Pa . Thanks for the great videos ! P:S still looking for the rear sight for my 1917 built 1895 saddle ring carbine in 30 govt 06,need help ! Had the lyman sight on it ,put that sight on the rifle have no sight for my carbine.
That kind of problem would be quite challenging to diagnose without having the rifle in hand. My best guess is that there is something bent. Best of luck finding the 1895 carbine rear sight. I always have an eye out for them and rarely come across them. If you're patient enough, I'm sure one will eventually come up when you least expect it.
Hey Mark, will you be going to Vegas for the Antique Gun Show this year? I JUST missed you last year!
You bet. We'll have a table in the Winchester Arms Collectors section. See you there.
I have a Frontier Six Shooter made in 1883. Nickel plated. Started out 7-1/2" but now 5". From the marking, it appears to have been reworked by Colt with newer parts and script. Not as nice as yours but to think Jesse James was still alive when it was made.
Very cool!!
God made man,
Samuel Colt made them equal
.
Another excellent quote for an old Colt.😀
Did you move your shop over to montana?
We still have our shop in Oregon, but we bought a turnkey restoration shop in Cody, Wyoming where we do our gunsmithing work. www.wyomingarmory.com/
If it doesn't group good, get closer!
Christ Bless!
Hey, that's great advice! 😀 You've probably noticed that I don't usually get too far away from the target - or the milk jugs
👍😆
Sure is pretty...
Thanks!
if you run a 1/4 drill bit about a 1/4 in deep in the 428 lead to hollow base it ,you can chamber and probably expand to rifling , ,it should clean up a bit of accuracy, cheers big ears from down under