Colt Model 1871-1872 Open Top Single Action Revolver Silver Plated

A Rare And Desirable Colt Model 1872 “Open Top Frontier” Single Action Revolver Serial Number 5235 For 1872.

7 and 1/2 inch barrel. .44 rimfire caliber. The ancestor of the Colt Single Action Army and more than 25 times as rare as a pre-1899 Colt SAA with only 7000 manufactured between 1871 and 1872, the Open Top was the real Western Expansion revolver prized by Americans and Mexicans alike as it chambered the same cartridge as the Henry and the Winchester 1866.

Serial 5235 is a good example of an Open Top that likely first went West then South of the Border where it was heavily silver plated. As with many Open Top’s this one’s barrel has been “stretched” to its original length after being reduced to a far more handy 5 and 1/2 inch. It is still in rimfire configuration. All numbers match except for the cylinder, though original is now unnumbered.

Barrel and frame markings are clear. The revolver retains nearly 100% of its old heavy silver plating. The rifling is good for 5 inches and the barrel extension is nearly smooth. The walnut grip is remarkable as it retains 98% varnish with few if any marks. The action is crisp.

Health issues that would seriously diminish the value of a Colt SAA can be forgiven in the case of an Open Top given their undoubted association with the American West and their status as the ancestor of the legendary Single Action Army.