Wheelgun Wednesday: The .476 Caliber Colt SAA Revolver

The Colt Single Action Army revolver is primarily associated with the .45 Colt and .44-40 Winchester cartridges, as these were the cartridges this iconic American wheelgun was predominantly chambered in, with the former being the cartridge the US military adopted the SAA with in 1873 and the latter being probably the most popular chambering for the commercial revolvers. However, over the years, Colt offered the SAA in dozens of different calibers, from .22 to .476. The Colt SAA chambered in .476 Enfield is the largest caliber factory production Colt Single Action Army revolver. In this installment of Wheelgun Wednesday, we’ll take a look at a .476 caliber Colt SAA revolver that is consigned to the upcoming August 2022 Rock Island Premier Firearms Auction.

Rock Island Auction Company @ TFB:

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• 10 Obscure Flintlock Guns from August 2022 Rock Island Premier Firearms Auction
• Wheelgun Wednesday: Wild Bill Hickok’s Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 Old Army Revolver

Colt SAA revolvers chambered in the black powder .476 Enfield cartridge (also known as .476 Eley) were produced for export to the United Kingdom. This cartridge was introduced in 1881 and was replaced in the British service by the .455 Webley in 1887. In order to accommodate the larger cartridge and cylinder, the frames of the .476 caliber Colt SAA revolvers have been modified. In total, from 1885 to 1891, Colt’s London Agency imported 161 Colt SAA revolvers chambered in .476 Enfield from which less than 4% are documented to be brought back to the United States which makes them extremely rare and highly sought-after firearms among American collectors. In fact, this is the first time Rock Island Auction Company is offering a .476 caliber Colt SAA for sale.

This .476 caliber Colt SAA is Lot #127 in the catalog of the August 2022 Rock Island Premier Firearms Auction. The estimated price range that this revolver will be likely sold at is $40,000 – $60,000. It is one of the many unique Colt Single Action Army revolvers consigned to the auction which you can learn more about by watching the below-embedded Rock Island Auction video.