EVALUATING THE GREAT EQUALIZER
“God created men, but Sam Colt made them equal.” That adage was more of a premonition than a witty saying. When you look into it, what Colt did with its original revolvers was to offer the individual the first widely produced and available compact repeater for means of defense and offense. It could be said that Colt designed the gun that popularized handguns in general.
The SAA is still produced today by Colt. It’s difficult to get this gun brand-new from the factory, but there are many thousands of fine examples available out in the “wild.”
There are three main generations of these revolvers. First-generation Colts entered production in 1873 and were manufactured right up until the beginning of World War II in 1941. These guns are some of the most prized today, and many are still in firing condition.
AMERICA’S LEGENDARY GUN: FIRST-GEN SAA
Because the SAA was in the hands of Americans during our most formative and transformational eras, it became endeared to the had influence on the American psyche. Where older cultures have their swords, knights, samurai and archers, we, as a young nation, found our heroes in the gunslinger, cowboy ... and occasionally in the “good-hearted” outlaw.
