Heirloom Standard Manufacturing Revolvers

Standard Manufacturing shouldered its way into the single-action revolver market a few years ago and has been romancing the shooting world ever since. Their business model is to produce the finest level of precision and detailing in a revolver to make shooters and collectors fall in love with an icon of the Old West all over again. Their goal isn’t to copy the Colt Single Action Army, known as the Peacemaker to many, but to produce their own version without compromising anything. Many would say they achieved their goal. But, if you’ve been watching the single-action market, this is yesterday’s news.

What you may not know is Standard Manufacturing has assembled a team of gunsmiths and machinists who love the legacy associated with the revolver they are producing. Along with their passion for making history, they have been given a great deal of leeway when it comes to making variations of their Single Action Revolver (SAR).

Many of these firearms are produced in limited runs or even one-off. I, like most shooters, never knew such a thing existed until I got a call from my friends Mike Short and Jeff Lawrence at Badger Creek Firearms to see their most recent purchases.

Mike Short and Jeff Lawrence are partners in Badger Creek Firearms in Mooresville, Ind. They love buying, selling and collecting firearms of the Old West. They are also a dealer for Standard Manufacturing and their enthusiasm for Standard’s iconic revolver infects many who walk into their small store. Because of Mike and Jeff’s special relationship with Standard Manufacturing, they often are the first to know when a limited run or one-of-a-kind piece is going to be available. Several of these unique firearms have found a place in their private collection.

The Standard Manufacturing Target (Buntline) Revolver

The original Buntline revolver is part of western folklore and got its name from dime western novel writer Ned Buntline. According to legend, Buntline presented five iconic gunmen of the Old West the extra-long barreled Colt Peacemaker as a form of tribute. Those five men included Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Charles Bassett, Neal Brown and Bill Tilghman. This story has been debated over the last century but one thing is true, Colt did possibly produce 31 long-barrel revolvers in 1876. Of these, a dozen are believed to exist in their original form.

The defining feature of the Buntline is an extra-long barrel. Normal Colt SAA revolvers could be ordered with 4-3/4″, 5-1/2″ and 7-1/2″ barrels. The Buntline was produced with 10″, 12″ and 16″ barrels. Instead of standard groove and blade sights, the “Buntline” featured a rifle-style front sight and a flip-up elevated rear sight. They also featured a modified hammer screw which served as studs to attach a special skeleton shoulder stock.

It goes without saying any remaining example of the original Colt “Buntline” is extremely rare. On December 3, 2010, Rock Island Auction Company offered serial number 28813. The revolver was chambered in .45 Colt, had a 16″ barrel and included the original shoulder stock. It sold for $368,000 plus a buyer’s premium. In September 2012 serial number 28826 sold for $546,250 plus buyer’s premium.

Yes, Colt did produce other Buntline revolvers with the rise of the TV westerns, but none of them have the elevated rear sight, rifle front sight, or shoulder stock studs.

After this, imagine my surprise when Mike Short gingerly placed a Standard Manufacturing Target Model (Buntline) on the padded mat in front of me. It was correct in almost every way including black-powder frame, elevated rear sights, rifle style front sight and shoulder stock mounting studs. Like the original, the caliber was .45 Colt. The color-case hardening was done by the historically correct bone and charcoal process. The grips were one-piece walnut.

The attention to detail was amazing. The hours spent producing a one-of-a-kind firearm boggled my mind. Even more fantastic was the fact they were not planning on making any more. But, as I write this, Mike was able to convince (beg) them to produce one more “Buntline” for Jeff but in .44-40 Winchester.

The 1872 Single Action Revolver

The Colt Single Action Army was in development in 1871, refined and tested in 1872, and started shipping in 1873. Over the last 147 years, Colt has stopped and started production a few times but for the most part, a Colt SAA made in 2020 is identical in almost every way as one made in 1873. The same cannot be said for the many reproductions made by Ruger, Uberti, USFA and others. In most cases, reproductions are slightly beefier in cylinder wall thickness and in other key areas. The common consensus among collectors and shooters feel this reduces the potential for accidents from improper use. The difference between a real Colt SAA and another manufacturer’s isn’t much measured in thousands of an inch, but it is enough to drastically increase the pressure and stress it can handle. The layman isn’t going to notice the difference but purists claim it changes the balance and feel of the firearm.

Standard Manufacturing also adds a tiny bit extra of steel where it counts. In this ligation happy world who can blame them?

Imagine my surprise when Mike Short told me Standard Manufacturing recently made one and only one revolver to Colt’s original 1872 measurements and he had it in his possession.

One of the first questions was why. Conspiracy theorists could go crazy with the reasons why Standard would produce such a firearm, especially with Colt’s ongoing struggle to meet the demand for the SAA and reducing calibers and options available in their catalog.

Like the Buntline, the cost of tooling up and producing only one revolver is prohibitive, so one does wonder why, and how.
According to Standard Manufacturing, their head Gunsmith, Peter Rhodes, who has dedicated his life to making the best single actions on the market, had taken the dimensions from an original assembled 1872 Colt Single Action.

The Standard 1872 model is not an exact copy of the 1872 Colt SAA. First, it’s chambered in the Winchester .44-40, not the original .45 Colt. It doesn’t have a pinched frame rear sight. The ejector is crescent-shaped like later models, not a bullseye shape like originals. I’m sure there are other slight variations but I am not about taking a caliper and micrometer to Mike’s prized revolver.

What it does have is the coveted original-style black-powder frame, 7-1/2″ length barrel, one-piece walnut grips and genuine bone and charcoal color-case hardening. It is a thing of beauty.

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