Colt SAA Stocks Numbered

1988RRC

Was it typical for the stocks to be numbered to the gun on 1st, 2nd &3rd gen models?

john carr

My 1st Gen was a U.S. model and the grips were cartouched with RAC but no numbers added. My 2nd Gen has the black grips and scratched on the underside on both is 113 which is the last three digits of the serial number before SA. Sorry, don't have a 3rd Gen but wag is they will have.

Old-Colts

I can only comment on the civilian versions of 1st Generation Colt Single Actions.

Originally, one piece wood/walnut was the standard stocks fitted to Colt Single Actions. Colt began using hard rubber Eagle stocks as the standard single action stocks in late 1881 or early 1882 (January). The one piece wood/walnut stocks were typically marked on the top of the spacer between the stock panels, usually in ink, but sometimes in pencil, with the last 4 or 5 digits of the serial number. When Colt transitioned to the Hard Rubber Eagle Stocks it appears they continued the practice of serializing the stocks by writing the last 4 digits of the serial number, in pencil, on an inside flat of each stock panel. Occasionally you will find the four digits of the serial number written on the flat that mates up to the rear of the frame. When Colt started the transition from Eagle Hard Rubber Stocks to non-Eagle Hard Rubber Stocks in late 1891/early 1892, the practice of marking the last 4 digits of the serial number in pencil appears to have continued. However, with stocks being removed while cleaning the gun and then being wiped before reassembly, the pencil markings were easily wiped off and you'll rarely find the serial numbers on stocks from this period.

Colt continued the practice of using a pencil to mark the stocks as a carryover from the days when they marked the wood stocks with ink or pencil, but finally started scratching them into the hard rubber. My personal experience is that Colt didn't start scratching the serial number inside the panels until sometime after 1900, probably closer to 1906/1907. Not all panels will have a serial number inside them, so fit is the most important thing to look for.

That has been my observation over the years and seems to be substantiated by the Single Actions I have in my collection. Unfortunately, those penciled serial numbers on hard rubber stocks have probably been wiped off over the years by collectors that didn't know how they were marked and didn't notice they were there.

One thing to remember, anyone can scratch or write a number inside the panels, so fit is the most important thing to look at. Unfortunately, some collectors believing the early hard rubber stocks should be marked; have scratched serial numbers in them "to make them right"!!!!!!!