POTD: Colt Single Action Army in 44 German – The Most Elusive Colt
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Single Action Army that most Colt collectors will never see in person. This SAA shipped on June 22nd, 1882, as one of six sent to Colt’s London Agency, chambered for the “44 German Cartridge.” Only about 60 SAAs are known in the chambering, and author David Brown dubbed it “the most elusive Colt” after hunting 20 years before he found one.
In December 1873, 40 revolvers went to Germany as samples for 1874 trials by the Prussian Military School of Musketry, going up against Smith & Wesson and the Belgian Pirlot Frères. Germany went its own way with the Model 1879 Reichsrevolver in 10.6x25mmR, which Americans called the 44 German Government cartridge.
This batch has a great paper trail. In April 1882, a single SAA for the German cartridge went through Colt’s London agent, von Oppen, for Baron Hermann Speck von Sternburg, a Saxon cavalry officer. A June letter reports Sternburg was so pleased he wanted six more right away, saying it beat the Dreyse, the Mauser, or anything else, though he wanted a taller 8mm front sight and a lighter trigger pull.
Sternburg is a story in his own right. He was an excellent rifle shot and a close friend of Theodore Roosevelt, who later lobbied Germany to make him ambassador to the United States, a post he held from 1903 to 1908.
As for this gun, it came back to America in 1945 as a GI bringback with the 38th Infantry. That’s quite a round trip in my book.
Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!
“Antique Colt London Single Action Army Revolver in .44 German.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4097/3140/antique-colt-london-single-action-army-revolver-in-44-german. Accessed 29 Sept. 2026.
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