Key Takeaways:
- The Single Action Army requires manual hammer cocking before each shot.
- Modern double-action revolvers can cock and release the hammer through the trigger, while swing-out cylinders provide simultaneous access to every chamber.
- Colt Single Action Army revolvers are grouped into First, Second, and Third Generation production, with distinguishing dates, serial-number formats, and component markings.
Colt introduced the Single Action Army in 1873. The company secured a U.S. government contract designating it as the standard military service revolver and delivered more than 30,000 examples between 1873 and 1891.[1]
The Single Action Army and a modern double-action revolver share the same basic principle: a rotating cylinder aligns successive chambers with a single barrel. Their operating systems, however, reflect different periods of revolver development.
The Mechanical Divide
The Single Action Army requires the hammer to be manually cocked before each shot. Cocking the hammer rotates and locks the cylinder; pressing the trigger releases the hammer. The trigger does not cock the action.
A conventional double-action revolver offers two firing modes. Ruger’s GP100 manual states that the revolver can be fired by pulling the trigger through its complete arc or by manually cocking the hammer before pressing the trigger. The latter produces a shorter and lighter trigger movement.[2]
Colt’s own chronology places these developments after the Single Action Army. The company introduced its first production double-action revolver, the Model 1877, four years after the Single Action Army. Colt followed with the Model 1889 Navy, its first double-action revolver with a swing-out cylinder.[1]
The GP100 illustrates the practical consequences of that later architecture. Its cylinder swings out to the left after the crane latch is pressed, exposing all chambers for loading. Pushing the ejector rod operates the extractor and removes the cartridges or fired cases together.[2]
The difference is substantial. A double-action trigger eliminates the need to cock the hammer manually before every shot. A swing-out cylinder provides simultaneous access to every chamber and collective extraction. These are structural advantages for rapid operation, not merely refinements in materials or manufacturing.
Sights, Grips, and Configuration
Modern double-action revolvers are produced in numerous configurations, so comparisons must identify the exact model rather than treating an entire product family as uniform.
The GP100 manual, for example, describes a replaceable front-sight insert, an adjustable rear sight on applicable versions, and a frame extension designed to accept wraparound grips. Ruger cautions that features and configurations vary among individual GP100 models.[2]
The Single Action Army’s grip and fixed-frame profile remain central to its design. Comfort, balance, and pointing characteristics are subjective, however. They cannot be reduced to a universal finding that one grip system is superior to another.
Trigger weight and accuracy require the same restraint. Trigger pull varies among individual firearms and may be affected by wear, maintenance, manufacturing tolerances, or previous alteration. Mechanical accuracy also depends on ammunition, barrel condition, chamber alignment, sights, and the individual revolver. Broad claims that one action type is inherently more accurate are not supportable.
Three Production Generations
Collectors generally divide Colt Single Action Army production into three generations. First Generation production ran from 1873 until 1941, when Colt halted manufacture after completing 357,859 revolvers. Colt revived the model in 1955. Revolvers made through 1975 are classified as Second Generation examples, while production beginning in 1976 is known as the Third Generation.[3]
These divisions reflect more than production dates. Second Generation revolvers began with serial number 1001SA and ordinarily carry an “SA” suffix. Their cylinders were marked with the Rampant Colt at the rear and the final digits of the revolver’s serial number at the front.[3]
Third Generation identification is less straightforward. Colt used some remaining Second Generation frames during early Third Generation production. Later revolvers adopted an “SA” serial-number prefix, and subsequent production used additional formats. Component substitution further complicates identification because Second Generation cylinders and other parts have been installed on revolvers from different periods.[3]
For that reason, no single serial-number feature or component marking should be treated as conclusive. Collectors should examine the serial number, cylinder markings, barrel, frame, finish, chambering, and other numbered components together.
Colt’s archival service can research the original specifications and delivery information associated with a particular serial number. The surviving information varies by firearm, but an archive letter may establish how a revolver was configured when it left the factory.[4] That documentation should be evaluated alongside the physical evidence of the firearm itself.
Historical Design and Modern Function
The modern double-action revolver has clear operational advantages. Its trigger can cock and release the hammer, its cylinder opens for simultaneous chamber access, and its extractor can remove multiple cases in one movement.[2]
The Single Action Army belongs to an earlier mechanical system. Its manually cocked action is slower to operate, but that characteristic is inseparable from its historical identity. Colt introduced the revolver for U.S. military service in 1873, manufactured the First Generation for nearly seven decades, and returned the design to production in the 1950s.[1][3]
The comparison does not establish that every modern revolver is stronger, more accurate, or better made than every Single Action Army. It establishes something narrower and more useful: modern double-action revolvers provide faster action operation and more efficient cylinder access, while the Single Action Army preserves the operating form and collector distinctions of Colt’s 1873 design.
Frequently Asked Questions
Colt introduced the Single Action Army in 1873. The company delivered more than 30,000 examples under its U.S. government contract between 1873 and 1891.
The Single Action Army requires the hammer to be manually cocked before each shot. A conventional double-action revolver can cock and release the hammer through one complete trigger pull.
A swing-out cylinder exposes all chambers simultaneously for loading and inspection. Its extractor can also remove multiple cartridges or fired cases together.
First Generation production ran from 1873 to 1941, and Second Generation production ran from 1955 to 1975. Third Generation production began in 1976.
Collectors should examine the serial number, component markings, configuration, and physical condition together. A Colt archive letter may document the firearm’s original specifications and delivery information.
Sources
[1] Colt’s Manufacturing Company. “Timeline.” Colt’s Manufacturing Company, n.d.
[2] Sturm, Ruger & Co. Instruction Manual for Ruger GP100 Revolvers. PM053, n.d., pp. 10, 15–19, 26.
[3] Hacker, Rick. “150 Years of the Colt Single Action Army.” American Rifleman, January 3, 2023.
[4] Colt’s Manufacturing Company. “Archive Services.” Colt’s Manufacturing Company, n.d.
