Colt New Frontier .22

[H. Faversham]

My new-to-me New Frontier was made in 1974; L1404X. It had only a .22 LR cyl. when I bought it used. The bbl. is stamped ".22", so I don't know for sure if it's a .22LR/Mag convertible.
When I called COLT to ask if it originally came with a Mag cyl., too, because I wanted to try Stingers (figuring that if it was strong enough for Mags, it would be OK for Stingers), she said she never heard of Stingers, but, unless the bbl. is stamped .22 Mag, I should not use Stingers because the 1974 steel was not strong enough.
All of my independent research indicates that a L serial number is a convertible, but the COLT rep. may know what she is talking about.
Can anyone with a convertible New Frontier made in the seventies tell me what is stamped on the bbl.?
Thanks for your help.

 

[ArmedBear]

It's hard to imagine anything made of steel in the late 20th century that wouldn't handle Stingers. On the other hand, not everything is steel in the .22 world.

The only modern guns I know of, where Stingers don't work, are guns with match chambers. Stingers don't fit the chambers.

 

[22-rimfire]

What barrel length is your L-series New Frontier? What does it say on the barrel as to model number? New Frontier Buntline or New Frontier .22? As you probably know, Wilkerson says that a total of 23,900 revolvers were potentially manufactured with an estimated 65% being New Frontiers. Some were single caliber NF's, but most were dual caliber (two cylinders). Some variations appear to be rather rare.

You may have purchased it without the extra cylinder. The only way to know for sure is to request a factory letter.

Stingers should be no problem at all for the 22LR cylinder. They are steel revolvers.

 

[H. Faversham]

22-rimfire, the ONLY marking (ain't it sweet!) on the six inch bbl. is "NEW FRONTIER .22". A very knowledgable COLT collector tells me there is no way to tell if it was originally a convertible, except maybe a factory letter.

I have a hunch it was because of what the books generally say and because the cyl is stamped ".22 L.R.".

 

[Bullet Bob]

I've fired stingers in my New Frontier of the same year with no problem, other than they're not particularly accurate. Of the hyper velocity .22s, Remington Yellow Jackets worked best, but still not as good as Winchester SUper-X's.

 

[22-rimfire]

The info you got is correct unless you have the original box. Factory letter is the only way to verify at this point. I noticed your post over on the Colt Forum after I gave you my suggestions here. I'm one of those Colt collectors too.

The cylinders are actually marked 22LR and 22WMR for safety reasons. I have a couple of them. I doubt Colt made different cylinders for different Peacemakers or New Frontiers.

 

[H. Faversham]

22-rimfire, now that a guy on the COLT forum told me my NF is relatively rare because of the L serial no. and that they sell for about $450, I will limit ammo to mostly target rounds.


Bullet Bob, does your 1974 NF have a L serial no.? Is the bbl stamped "NEW FRONTIER .22"?
So far, of the moderately priced target ammo, mine likes Wolf MT best.

 

[JoeHatley]

My very 1st handgun was a Colt New Frontier .22 convertable, purchased new in 1974. IIRC... I paid $105 for the gun a holster and some ammo.

I traded the gun for some motorcycle parts a few years later. Sure wish I had it back.

I don't remember any markings on the gun to indicate it was a convertable. The box had a hard foam lining, with a recess for the extra cylinder.

BTW: I ran a lot of hyper velocity ammo through mine, and never noticed any problems.

Joe

 

[22-rimfire]

The L series or L-prefix were only made for a few months in 1974. Production began on March 25, 1974 and ended on September 9, 1974. Don Wilkerson's book, Colt Scouts Peacemakers and New Frontiers in .22 Caliber is the definitive reference for Colt single action 22's. He did a number of books on Colt single actions. Mr. Wilkerson was well thought of in Colt circles. The information that I have comes primarily from his book. Wilkerson estimates that 4,726 6-inch L-Series New Frontier revolvers were manufactured. That makes it uncommon, probably not rare in the world of Colt revolvers. He wrote that approx. 10,809 4.4" barreled NF's were made. In general, the single action 22's were good sellers for Colt and they made a lot of them.

The 22-magnum cylinder was unfluted after Mid-1972. The cylinders were also not recessed like the 22LR cylinders. The chambers on both calibers were recessed to protect the rim of the cartridge.

After he published his book, the Colt 22 single actions started climbing in price and were much more interest to collectors. They are still pretty reasonable in price compared to many of the Colt revolvers. If you are interested in the Colt 22 single actions, I would suggest you find a copy of his book.

To my knowledge, there are no special markings on the single actions to indicate that a 22WMR cylinder was provided with the new gun.

 

[Bullet Bob]

Mine's serial number starts with "G" (oh no, less rare). I have both cylinders, and the box, but I really don't know why I've kept the latter, I'm not that kinda guy. Since it's a 7&1/2" barrel, it has "New Frontier Buntline" on the barrel.

Anyway, I've ruined any collector value by having a patridge front sight installed. I guess I've cheated my poor son out of some future money.

 

[22-rimfire]

I figure your son will live. Let him get his own! I have one just like your 7.5" Buntline version. It was the first one I bought. I love the case colors!

 

[H. Faversham]

Thanks guys. That is funny, because last night I called my son in Raleigh and told him to find one, if he could, and buy it--he was considering getting a Bearcat.

Bob, you may have ruined some of its collector's value, but certainly not it's overall appeal. That is a beautiful piece!

The more I shoot this NF, the more impressed I am with its accuracy--keeps almost everything under 2" at 25 yds off bags. I've discovered it likes Mini Mag HPs just about as well as target ammo, which makes it a good field/working gun. Out of a machine rest, I bet it would group close to an inch at 25 yds for six shots. That's my standard for an exceptionally good .22 LR revolver.