American Handgunner Jul/Aug 1981 - Jeffersonian

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62
By George E. Virgines
The new Colt Sheriff's Model .44/40
with extra .44 Special cylinder in
shiny nickel ,finish and in Royal Blue.
THE WORLD'S BIGGEST POCKET PISTOL, has once again,
made its debut. This newest Colt Single Action is
introduced as the "Colt Sheriff's Model 44/40." It is
the ever-popular short barrel, ejectorless model that
has a heritage going back as far as the 1870's and
1880's and has continued right on to the present. Also
it continues to provide all the unique variations to satisfy
every Colt Single Action collector's whim and fancy. Even
the nick-names attached to this short barrel Colt constitute a
variety such as custom model, Storekeepers and/or Sheriff's
Model, hide-a-way gun, snubbie, pocket-pistol, and commemorative.
An extremely scarce version of the Sheriff's
Model of the pre-World War II era is the Bisley Single
Action short barrel model. After World War II Colt experimented
with the idea of a Frontier Scout Single Action .22
with a 3-Y2 inch barrel, however the idea fell thru. Two very
custom special Sheriff's Models were created from New
Frontier Single Action Flat-tops with Serial numbers 5410­
NF and 5411-NF, both in.45 Long Colt caliber and .45 ACp,
and profusely engraved by the master engraver Alvin A.
White.
This newest addition to the Colt family will certainly not
lack in any way for uniqueness or variety. Even in the 1870's
and early 1880's there is evidence that these ejectorless
models were supplied on special order basis long before they
were listed in Colt's catalogs. In over a century this practice
has not changed.
Today, this new Colt Sheriff's Model, 44/40 is being
offered in four variations, which should please the most
exacting collector. This was not too much the case in 1960
when the first new Colt Sheriff's Model was reintroduced in
.45 caliber and with a 3 inch barrel. Production was limited
to only 503 pieces, 25 ofthese nickel plated, and the balance
blued with case-hardened frames and equipped with two
piece wood grips. Only two of these 1960 models were
factory engraved and on the butts only. However some of
the 1960 models have been engraved by other than factory
engravers. To later enhance these 1960 Sheriff's Models,
blond wood cases were made available by Charles Kidwell,
noted collector and dealer of Wichita, Kansas. There were
52 single and 11 double presentation cases made up with the
lids branded "Sheriff's Model" and the same imprinted on
the inside of the cover lining. The interior is lined with
yellow gold velvet in the bottom and yellow satin in the lid.
This is one of the few and rare examples in which a nonfactory
case has become a rarity and collector's item.
Actually about the first time that the Sheriff's Model was
brought to the public's attention was the advertisement in
Colt's 1888 catalog which listed barrel lengths of 3-Y2 inch
and 4 inch without ejectors for their Colt Single Action
models. The actual count of how many Colt Sheriff Models
produced between 1870's to 1940 has not been determined.
AMERICAN HANDGUNNER· JULY IAUGUST 1981