In early March 1878, retailers were advertising
the Colt Frontier Six Shooter. Photo by Alan Garbers.
The name Colt Frontier Six Shooter conjures up visions of salty cowboys driving unruly Texas Longhorns north to the railhead in some wide-open town in Kansas, or a tall, lean, weatherworn marshal standing off a gang of desperados. But the moniker confuses the uninitiated. The Colt Frontier Six Shooter looks identical to the Colt Single Action Army, also known as the Peacemaker, so what is the difference?
Smith & Wesson, as well as other manufacturers, followed Colt in advertising their .44 WCF revolvers as the “Frontier”. Photo by Alan Garbers.
When first introduced, the Peacemaker was marketed as the New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol, designed to be the new sidearm of the US Cavalry. The previous model was the Colt Model of 1860, which was a slow-loading percussion revolver.
So, it makes sense that Colt Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing wanted to highlight modern improvements. It truly was the new model army revolver designed for the new, powerful .45 Colt self-contained cartridge.
But, in marketing terms, “New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol” is not a name that would drive buyers to their local Colt dealer. Colt’s biggest distributor, B. Kittredge & Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, started marketing the big-bore Colt as the Peacemaker, perhaps in honor of Samual Colt.
Peace Maker was the nickname given to Samual Colt by his friend, Texan Samual Walker, in response to the production of the revolutionary Colt Walker. According to author John Parsons, the name “Peacemaker” originally only applied to Colts chambered in .45 Colt, but many call any Colt Single Action Army revolver the “Peacemaker” regardless of caliber or chambering.
Lawman Pat Garret carried a Colt Frontier Six Shooter during his pursuit of Billy the Kid. Lawman preferred the .44 WCF because they could have a rifle and revolver in the same cartridge. Photo by Alan Garbers.
So, where does the Colt Frontier Six Shooter fit in? The same year that Colt introduced the Peacemaker, Winchester introduced their legendary ’73 lever-action rifle. The first chambering for the new iron-framed rifle was the Winchester .44 Center Fire Cartridge, later known as the .44-40 or .44 WCF.
The cartridge fired a 200-grain bullet being pushed by 40-grains of black powder. Compared to other cartridges of the day, the .44-40 punched above its weight class and was an instant hit. Some claim the .44-40 took more game and killed more men than any other cartridge prior to WWI.
The .44 WCF was developed as a rifle cartridge but was short enough to be used in a revolver. From left to right: .45 Colt, .44 WCF, .44 Magnum. Photo by Alan Garbers.
While the .44-40 was developed as a rifle cartridge, it easily fit into the Colt SAA cylinder, so in 1878, Colt wisely offered their prized revolver in the Winchester cartridge.
Some claim the board members at Colt were loath to stamp anything crediting Winchester on the barrel of a Colt, so, in a trend repeated over the next 50 years, they ignored the original name and marked the revolver barrel in a manner that would not credit their competitor.
The Colt Frontier Six Shooter was born.
The Colt Frontier Six Shooter roll mark lasted from 1890 to 1923. After 1923, the 44-40 stamping was added. Photo by Alan Garbers.
The Colt Frontier Six Shooter model is identical to every other Colt Single Action Army except for the chambering. Photo by Alan Garbers.
Starting with the early 41000 serial number range, the barrel marking was applied by acid etching. Unfortunately, the acid etching was only 8-10 thousandths of an inch deep, and the marking was easily worn off or covered during refinishing. An original acid-etched Colt Frontier Six Shooter is now highly sought after by collectors. In December 1889, Colt went to a roll-stamp, which was faster to produce and much more durable.
The Colt Frontier Six Shooter is found mainly in 7 ½” barrel models, which were often cut down later.
Photo by Alan Garbers.
Complete acid etched barrels are rare and desirable. From the collection of Ian Collins Civco, DVM.
Mechanically and physically, there is no difference between the Frontier Six Shooter or any other Colt Single Action Army. The name simply applies to the cartridge it was chambered for.
The Colt Frontier Six Shooter can also be found on the Colt Bisley and, in rare cases, the Colt Model of 1878. Over the years, limited runs of acid-etched and roll-stamped models have been issued, and collectors have gobbled them up. After all, what is more Wild West than a Colt Frontier Six-Shooter?