One of the most successful pistols of all time would no doubt be the Colt Single-Action Army. Designed by Colt Manufacturing and introduced in 1873, this revolver became the iconic symbol of the American West. Hundreds of thousands of these pistols were manufactured after their original patent. The revolver, favored by military and lawmen, was commonly referred to as The Peacemaker.
The 1885 Colt SAA shown here, serial number 115061, was once the property of Trooper Louis G. Bishop. He was a member of Theodore Roosevelt’s first United States volunteer cavalry, and was carrying this gun the day that Roosevelt led the historic charge up San Juan Hill in 1898, during the Spanish-American War.
In its original configuration, this Single-Action Army had a 7 1/2-inch barrel that was shortened to 5 1/2 inches, perhaps before the Spanish-American War.
This Colt revolver, a loyal companion of a real Rough Rider, is just one of many treasures you’ll find at the NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Va.
