Samuel Colt had to wait for Smith and Wesson’s patent on revolvers to expire before he could he could release a gun designed for the new centre-fire cartridge. When he finally did so, the result became a legend. The Single Action Army (SAA), often referred to simply as the ‘45’,  was released in 1873 and became the most famous revolver ever ever made.

It was produced in various models until 1941 – this 1891 weapon is the longer-barrelled Cavalry version – and then revived sporadically after 1950. Despite the popularity of the gun and its .45 calibre ammunition, the screw-laden construction and lock were not much improved from Colt’s muzzleloaders of thirty years before. However, since it appeared during the settlement of the American West, it acquired the nickname ‘Peacemaker’ or ‘Frontier’, and was used by such men as Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickok, and Pat Garrett.