Description from HiBid
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Special SAA Blue 12" .45 Single Action Revolver, 1980. Make: Colt
Model: Single Action Army Buntline Special, 3rd Generation
Serial Number: SA42759
Year of Manufacture: 1980
Caliber: .45 Colt
Action Type: Single Action Revolver with Side Loading Gate Cylinder
Barrel Length: 12"
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a quarter round blade fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a square groove in the top strap.
Stock Configuration and Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered black hard rubber with rampant colt in oval at their tops and American Eagles at their bottoms. The inside of each panel is hand-scribed "42759". There is no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks. The checkering is well defined. There is good detail in the colts and eagles. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Excellent condition.
Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color
Finish Originality: Original, numbered parts match.
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 10/10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 97% of its metal finish. There are a few tiny nicks and scratches, mostly on the barrel. The side faces of the hammer have a few spots of very faint oxidation. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The markings are clear. The screw heads are sharp. Overall, this revolver is in about Excellent condition.
Mechanics: The action functions properly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: In 1974, Colt quietly discontinued production of the single Action Army for the second time. Luckily, the loyal fans of the SAA would not need to wait long as colt would bring it back in 1976 as the "3rd Generation". Changes were made but the basic SAA was the same, three standard barrel lengths, finishes of full nickel or blue and case color, and grips of hard rubber or smooth walnut. Some changes were incorporated in an effort by Colt to keep prices down with a pressed-in cylinder pin bushing, re-shaped hand and cylinder ratchet and, for some unknown reason, the pitch of the barrel threads was changed. The introductory caliber for 3rd Generation SAAs was .45 Colt, just as it had been for the 1st Generation.
Everyone should have a Colt Single Action Army, and this would be a beauty to add to any collection. As with earlier generations, a longer barrel length was offered, the Buntline. The Colt Buntline Special is a long-barreled variant of the Colt Single Action Army revolver, which Stuart N. Lake described in his best-selling but largely fictionalized 1931 biography "Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal". According to Lake, the dime novelist Ned Buntline commissioned the production of six Buntline Specials equipped with 12" barrels and presented them to five lawmen as well as to Buffalo Bill Cody in thanks for their help in contributing local color to his western yarns. Two of the recipients were supposed to be Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson, but there is no record of them ever owning such handguns. That didn’t stop Hollywood from equipping Hugh O’Brian with a Buntline Special when he played Wyatt Earp in the TV series "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp". The Buntline Special was never made by Colt as a standard model, but they did make short runs of 2nd and 3rd Generation "Buntline Specials" as well as a "New Frontier Buntline Special" with adjustable sights.
Manufactured in 1980, this Buntline Special has a blue and case color finish and is chambered for the original .45 Colt cartridge. This is a classic Single Action Army chambered for a classic cartridge in a very desirable configuration. The revolver looks great with about 97% of its original finish, strong mechanics and a great bore. This will make a great display piece and should be a gun shooter, too. Please see our photos and good luck!
