From the Vault: Elmer Keith's No. 5 Colt Single Action Army

Описание: Elmer Keith. If you know even a little about revolvers, you probably know that name. Hunter, rancher, guide, cartridge developer, dyed-in-the-wool lifelong firearm lover, and of course gun writer, few people in the 20th century knew more about revolvers and the cartridges for them than Keith. Brownells Gun Tech™ Steve Ostrem is joined by Joel Colander of Rock Island Auctions, gunsmith Bobby Tyler of Tyler Gun Works in Friona, Texas, AND the spirit of Elmer Keith embodied in his personal custom Colt Single Action Army "No. 5" revolver. Built in 1929, this gun could be justly called the Last Word in single action revolver design, often copied but NEVER duplicated.

The story behind it starts with a Pennsylvania gunsmith named Harold Croft, who had read Keith's many articles.... and questioned the extent of Keith's skill with revolvers. This led to a challenge and Croft travelling cross-country to Durkee, Oregon, with a suitcase full of revolvers to meet Keith face to face and put the writer to the test at the range. The contents of Croft's suitcase included four custom Colt SAAs that he had built to solve various problems with the basic design. The showdown must've gone well for Keith because afterwards he toted up a list of improvements and customizations he wanted to see on the venerable "Peacemaker" - and asked Croft to build him the gun. Since a lot of those features came from Croft's four custom Colts, Keith and Croft named the gun "No. 5." It's the model for many revolver customizations that are still done today.

The toughest part of the whole job was probably the graceful hammer with its compound curves. No. 5 has target sights with a unique attachment method for the front sight, and an adjustable rear that made it easy for Keith to change sight settings when he changed loads - important for a handloading experimenter! Note the tiny, exquisitely machined latch that locks the cylinder pin in place. Nearly 100 years later, with modern machining technology, that part would STILL be a challenge to replicate. The grip is custom designed to fit Keith's hand and is drawn from the Colt Bisley grip but unique to unto itself. No. 5 was a working cowboy gun that Keith carried a LOT. It has been reblued several times. What about that gorgeous engraving? It was actually added later, AFTER Keith had used this Colt as a working gun for a long time, and it had proven itself worthy of aesthetic enhancement..... Actually, the engraving also covered up accumulated dings and wear. No. 5 is chambered in .44 Special and marked for both that cartridge and .44 Russian on the side of the barrel. How many Keith semi-wadcutter .44 bullets went down the bore of this gun? We'll never know, but what a piece of history!