Colt DAA

[Kp321]

Had a Colt Double Action Army come in for repair. First one I have seen in person. What can you experts tell me about it? It is 45 Colt, no markings except serial on butt, US on right above trigger, and RAC on trigger guard and frame. The trigger is extremely long and trigger guard is correspondingly oversize. Owner says they were issued in Alaska and had oversize triggers and guards. Anyone heard that before?

Anyway, I need a source for parts such as trigger spring and sear spring.

Thanks in advance for your assistance and information.

 

[Jim Watson]

Sounds like you have a Model 1902 Colt DA .45, large guard version of the 1878.
About 4600 made for the Army.

There are two legends about the large guard and long trigger:
Alaskan Model - large guard for shooting with winter gloves.
Philippine Model - long trigger for increased leverage against the tough first generation double action pull.

Since most if not all actually went to the Philippines...

Parts at
http://coltparts.com/pt_1878da.html

Hold on to your hat for reading the prices of those odd shaped springs.

 

[ljnowell]

This gun, right:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_M1878

 

[Kp321]

Thanks for the input. Whatever the purpose of the long trigger, it is needed. A very hard pull. Thought it odd that there is no cylinder locking bolt. Did it depend on the hand for timing? How did that work out?

 

[Jim K]

CAUTION WARNING

The hammer screw on that gun has a LEFT hand thread. Many of those guns have been ruined by someone using excess force trying to remove that screw and twisting off the screw or wiping off the little lug on the sideplate.

That gun uses an odd system of cylinder locking in which the hand both turns and locks the cylinder. The loading gate keeps the cylinder from rotating backward when the trigger is released. The same hand system was used on the Model 1899 Colt Navy, but it doesn't have a loading gate and the cylinder can rotate when the hammer is down.

Jim

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I actually handled one of these revolvers. My friend refered to it as the Phillipine constabaluary model. I asked him why the trigger guard was so huge and he smiled and told me that it was made so large as the d/a pull was so hard that it took 2 fingers to make it fire.

 

[Jim K]

Actually, the DA pull is not bad, but the whole gun is awkward and the "knob" on the backstrap, which provides the pressure point for DA firing beats the heck out of my hand in the big calibers. I don't like the darned things (although I'll gladly take any that are being given away) as a practical gun. That might have been why they didn't sell well.

FWIW, for years, the ones with the large trigger guard were called the "Alaskan model" since the presumption was that they were made for use with gloved hands. Then it was discovered that the intent was that Philippine natives with small hands could use both hands and two or more fingers on the trigger.

Jim