The Colt Single Action

When the Colt Firearms Company began producing the Colt Single Action Army revolver it was the premier fighting gun of the day. Designed first of all as a military weapon, like most military designs it soon was grabbed by as many civilians as possible. And like most military guns it has endured. Simple of design, easy to maintain, and possesing enough power to get the job done, the Colt SAA is still a good choice.

It is a good choice for those who head into the back country where gunsmiths are not to be found. It can be kept running with a minimum of labor and can be used adequately with quite a few parts missing. It is a good choice for hunting large or small game - if the hunter knows his and the firearm's limitations and abides by them. It is a good choice for a self-defensive weapon - IF the person using it is familiar with it's operation AND skilled in using a Single Action. (Note: I did not say "...skilled in shooting.." - "use" requires more than shooting skills)

Legends abound concerning the Colt's Model P as it was first designated. Some say Sam Colt was left-handed and that is why the loading gate is on the right side. First, Sam was long dead when the Model P was designed and built. Whether Mr. Mason was left-handed or not I have never heard. Secondly, if it was meant to be used left-handed, the loading gate would be on the left side of the frame, not the right. Stuffing smallish cartridges into the chambers is a job that requires a bit of dexterity. It is not the job to be fumbled with the hand not used to handling small objects in tight places. (The same argument goes for the cap & ball guns - unless you are pretty ambidextrious you do not seat the caps on the nipples with your "off" hand) All that is fun to argue on cold rainy days when you cannot get out and shoot, but really does not mean much. Third, it is said that the .45 Colt was the most powerful handgun around until the advent of the .357 Magnum. Actually, it was and still is. When the .357 Magnum was introduced in the 1930's many who worked in the forest and came in contact with bears switched over to the 35 caliber. After a few shootings and maulings, most of them went back to the .45, for they found out one thing. It kills in an out-of-proportion way to it's diameter and velocity. With modern bullets and powders it will still do about any job it is called to do.

Ask Gary Hanson, Government Hunter, who has taken more bears with a .45 Colt than anyone I know of. He regularly used a Colt New Frontier Single Action with a 310 gr. Keith-style bullet at 1000 fps to shoot big bears. Not always out of trees. At times he crawled back into dens and caves to get them. You better have something that works! He reported the 300 gr. slug penetrated completely and broke everything in it's path. He also used handloads with a 240 gr. jacketed bullet at 1100 fps and said these worked very well also.

Why did Mr. Hanson choose the .45 Colt instead of say, a .44 Magnum? For the same reasons those who work the back country have been using them for years: 1) The .45 gets the job done without the blast and recoil of the Magnum. 2) The gun itself is lighter and smaller - therefore easier to pack all day long. Especially when chasing dogs in rough country. 3) It works. The large diameter bullet simply works. And it does not have to be running at supersonic velocities to do the job well.

The original military load for the .45 Colt was a 250 or 255 gr. lead bullet loaded in an inside-primed case over 40 gr. of black powder. Velocities were stated to be over 900 fps from a 7 1/2" barrrel. In recent years it has become fashionable to downplay those loads. Some have said the early manufacturers with no electronic means of measuring bullet speed, did not really know how fast the loads shot and were just guessing. Which is pure horse dung. Ways of measuring velocity, though harder than today, was very accurate. Early artillery fire was measured so accurately that long-range bombardment could be done, long before the War of Northern Aggression.

Some years ago I took some old "REM-UMC" balloon-head cases and loaded them with 40 gr. of 3Fg Black Powder. I fired them out of a 7 1/2" barreled Old Model Ruger Single Action .45 and a 4 3/4" barreled Colt 45 and chronographed the loads. The Lyman #454190 is the original Colt .45 bullet. The #457191 is the 300 gr. .45-90 rifle bullet. I only fired it in the longer barrel. I shot a number of the 300 gr. loads out to distances of 400 yards and they work very well. Accuracy is on par with any smokeless load.

Top = Balloon-head Case
Bottom = Modern Solid-head Case
Note how much more powder the balloon-head case holds
and how much stronger the modern solid-head case is.

Bullet	4 3/4" barrel	7 1/2" barrel
#454190	858 fps	962 fps
#454424	855 fps	974 fps
#457191 (300 gr.)	n/a	873 fps

Any stories you might hear about the old Colt being "underpowered" are just that - stories. The above loads will take anything on the Continent if used within their limitations. For those of you who have never done so, take your favorite gun (44 or 45 - it don't matter) and load your favorite jacketed bullet to the top velocity that you normally load, and then load some of the same bullets to 950 - 1000 fps. Shoot the loads into wet newspapers and see what happens. You will be surprised. Hint: make sure you have a large pile of newspapers.

To me the Colt Single Action Army is the best packing gun made. Especially in the First and Second Generation Models. I like the old guns. There is something about the way it lays in my hand. My first .45 Colt was a Second Generation 5 1/2" that I bought for $150 in the 1960's. The first 3 shots I fired out of it were at an old car body at a distance of near 1/2 mile. This took place on my grandpa's ranch in eastern Washington State. In that dry fallow ground you can see a .22 bullet strike at a half mile and further. My first shot at the old car body went over it. The second shot was under and there was no visible sign of the thrid shot. Then we heard a distant CLONK! That sure was satisfying. The loads were Winchester-Western factory - the copper-washed bullet.

The Colt is also light. Most shooters who have never handled one are surprised the first time they pick up a Colt SAA .45 - it feels so light! Especially if they are used to Rugers or other heavy-framed .44's and .45's. There just ain't a lot of metal there! It is a gun that can be toted on the hip or in a shoulder holster all day without wearing you down.

Of the single actions the Ruger has to be the toughest of the lot. It's strong steels and coil springs make it a perfect candidate for heavier loads than should be shot in the Colts. It is larger and heavier than the Colt though. And while I have several different kinds of .45's, the Colt SAA remains a favorite. Probably because I am something of a throwback and perfer the old-time ways, methods, manners, customs and guns. Freedom Arms builds THE BEST .45's in the world. John Linebaugh makes some wonderfully powerful conversion guns. Hamilton Bowen builds the nicest custom .45 Single Actions you will ever see. Jim Stroh, Milton Morrison, John Gallagher, Ben Forkin just to name a few all build wonderful, great looking, fine shooting peices of equipment. Much better than the Colt. (AND I WANT AT LEAST ONE FROM EACH!) But I will take the old factory Colt .45 any day.

Not because it is "better". Because it is a Colt. People often try to justify their choice of a car, a handgun, or whatever by arguing how much better it is when the real reason is much more intangible. The real reason is: They like it because they like it! And that is the way I am. It don't have to make sense.

The .45 Colt caliber has been announced as having died a number of times in the last 80 years. The rumors have proven unfounded. There are more .45 Colts being produced today than there ever were when Colt was the major producer. "Clones" (exact or very close copies of the old Colts) abound in record numbers. For those who desire to shoot the old-style guns but hate to pay the prices that a Colt brings these days, this has proven to be a real blessing. While die-hard .45 Colt fans have kept the .45 alive, Cowboy Action Shooting has caused a large revival of interest in the caliber like nothing else. And I sincerely appreciate those shooters who use full-power black powder loads in competition. These guys are experiencing and using the real thing.

Handloads (and now heavy factory loads) in the larger-framed .45 Colts have been used by some of us for years to do long-range shooting and hunting of big game. These loads should never be used in the smaller-framed Colts and Colt-clones. The pressures can tear them apart. Most loading manuals have sections now dealing with Rugers and TC's loading Data intended only for those guns. Stick within the specified pressure ranges. The .45 with a well-designed 300 gr .bullet running 1200 fps will cleanly take almost anything you are going to shoot with it. I know that if you are going after Elk you usually want the last word in velocity. But it ain't needed! All I can do is tell you to "try it and see". If you have done it you understand what I am talking about. If you never have, you will have lots of questions - "what ifs". The main thing is this: Learn to shoot it VERY WELL. So that you can land the bullet in the proper place on the target. When that big slug hits the proper place - even at the "slow" speed of 1100 - 1200 fps you will be surprised what it will do.

COLT -Single Action Army Model P by Fred E. Christensen
A small booklet containing some useful information on the First Generation Colt Single Actions
Price - $10.00 (includes postage)

Order from:
The Pressworks
907 Main St.
Bayard, Iowa 50029

(on First Generation guns - ONLY with a modern smokeless powder cylinder and ONLY in guns that are deemed safe to fire)

Bullet	Size	Powder	Charge	Primers
#454190	.452"	Bullseye	6.0 gr.	Large Pistol
#454190	.452"	Unique	7.5 gr.	Large Pistol
#454424	.452"	Unique	8.5 gr.	Large Pistol
#454424	.452"	2400	16.0 gr.	Large Pistol

I especially like Unique in the .45 Colt. In standard velocity loads it is easy on the gun. For each grain of powder it will give roughly 100 fps (within limits of course) and has proven accurate over many years. With the above loads the bullets do not have to be cast extra-hard and as long as a decent lube is used give no leading problems.