HELP NEEDED PLEASE: Colt Frontier .44 cal.

[TC-TX]

HELP NEEDED PLEASE: 1891 Colt Frontier .44 cal.

I have just acquired an old(er) Colt Frontier Six Shooter in .44 cal.

SN 138XXX

It is SA and in pretty good shape for an old(er) Colt... the Ejector tube and ejector are missing but that seems to be the extent of functional issues. The action is tight and very smooth. Blueing is virtually gone, but rust is almost non existent and there is a wee bit of corrosion on the bbl.

Plastic (?) Colt grips are tight and damage free.

QUESTIONS:

Where do I go to find the history and info on the SN?

What does it shoot? .44Spl or .44Mag? or something else?

Is this a piece in need of restoration or keep it as it is?

Where can I get replacement parts for the extractor and tube?

Do you have any information you can share?

All input is Greatly Appreciated...

EDIT TO ADD: Mfg. Date is 1891 Per Colt Registry

 

[SaxonPig]

If I recall correctly around 1892 or so at around serial 165,000 the SAA was declared safe with smokless powder loads. Your serial would indicate an early black powedr gun. These have considerable value even in rough shape. I should think the missing parts wouldn't be too tough to find and you can probably search and find Colt parts suppliers on the Net.

Any sort of restoration will reduce value by 50-90%. Collectors want these AS IS and I mean PERIOD. You take a $4,000 SAA and spend $2,000 to restore it and it's now worth $1,000.

Colt can provide what history they have and I think it's $100 or $125 for this (may be more since I last checked) and many 19th century records are missing due to fire or flood.

 

[huntershooter]

It shoots .44/40.

 

[Jim March]

There are current sources of black powder 44-40 loads for the CAS/SASS sports that would work in that ol' beastie . Lesse...

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=387173

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/categories/partList.aspx?catID=2&subID=190&styleID=949

Note how there's a "reduced recoil" version of this load...something that might be wise to stick with in a piece that old!

Here's another source:

http://www.republicmetallic.com/cartridge1.html

Note again that they load two power levels. I would stick with the milder. Also note their comments regarding bore sizes; you might want to have a gunsmith measure your piece to see what it really takes.

The above were found by googling with the string:

"44-40" "black powder" ammo

 

[TC-TX]

Thanks Jim, Thanks Saxon, Thanks Hunter -

Question for you: WHAT WOULD YOU DO???

Would YOU shoot it?

Would you clean it up (flitz, naval jelly) to remove surface stuff?

or would you find a collector to evaluate and value the gun before making any moves - shooting or cleaning?

I don't know if this thing is worth $5 or $500 or What... Not even a BallPark Clue!

 

[Jim March]

You need to have it looked at personally by a "Colt guy". Value may be FAR in excess of $500. I do NOT KNOW enough about older guns to advise you, other than to say that if you are going to shoot it, use milder forms of Black Powder ammo and if you want to ensure reduced pressure even more, buy ammo with projectiles sized .427 versus .429.

Something to remember about the .44-40. Modern .44Mag/Special ammo is sized .429, universally. Older .44-40 guns varied some but my recollection says that .427 was the norm. If that's what your gun is, .429 ammo (using projectiles meant for modern .44s, much easier to get!) could raise pressure to a dangerous degree.

The .44-40 was originally a rifle caliber. It was made for the Winchester '73, which was a fairly weak rifle as rifles go, so revolvers were commonly chambered in that caliber for ammo compatibility. That's why a lot of .44-40 SAAs like yours shipped. The .44-40 is NOT in the "family tree" of the .44Mag, .44Spl and .44Russian, that's a different chain of development.

Today the .44-40 is at a "dead end", while the tree that started with the S&W .44Russian is now extended into the .445Supermag and .444Marlin. But the .44-40 itself isn't dead, it remains as a very functional round and popular with folks in CAS/SASS who are seriously into "historical purity" .

And THAT is why you can still get black powder loads for it along with smokeless.

 

[kjeff50cal]

If it were mine I would not touch a thing clean yes BUT no buffing, flitzing or other wise parts replacement nor addition until I got a verdict from a verifyed Colt collector. Collectors want platina and original finish (the brown/grey coating that makes it look old ). Many Colts SAAs were sold without ejector housings. You can quickly turn an antique worth $5000+ into a $100 "parts gun".

 

[TC-TX]

Thank you gentlemen - Looks like I need to find a Colt Collector in North Texas!

 

[BluesBear]

I don't think it's missing any parts.

The photos are rather tightly framed but I didn't see an opening at the front of the frame for the ejector.

Methinks you have a Storekeepers Model which was made without any provision for an ejector.
If so this raises it value dramatically.

See my post in this thread; http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=211564

 

[TC-TX]

Thanks BB but it is missing something for sure...

there is a recessed hole in the face of the frame next to the bbl, where the tube is inserted and there is a protruding threaded sandoff on the side of the bbl about 1/4" from the end on the bbl...

I will go read your post...

Thanks