That 1873 Revolver - What do we call it?

When the US army rejected the 1871-72 open frame .44 rimfire cartridge revolver they asked Colt to come up with a stronger design. In 1873 William Mason designed the solid framed Colt still in .44, a pistol that we know and love. But there can be confusion as to what it is called as it goes by a numbers of different names.

This classic cowboy gun is often referred to by US Army name of Single Action Army, often just shortened to SAA. Colt called the first civilian issue pistols the Model P. That P got expanded to Peacemaker, but it was never referred to as that by Colt. Colt did use the name Frontier for the .44-40 caliber version of the pistol. Target revolvers with a slightly modified grip are known as Bisley models. The long barrel versions, over 10” are called Buntline Specials.

To add to the fun different barrel lengths are also given different names. The original 7 1/2” model SAA is the Cavalry, the 5 1/2” the Artillery and the 4 3/4” the Civilian.

So if you have ever been confused as to what the 1873 should be called I’m not surprised, we have a whole heap of names for the same pistol. A number of other manufacturers make copies of the Peacemaker and they also have there own names for the design. Uberti call it the cattleman.

I tend to use the term SAA, short and to the point!