Colt Model 1878 Frontier

About the Colt Model 1878 Frontier

The Colt Model 1878, commonly called the Frontier or Double Action Army, was Colt's first large-frame double-action revolver. Chambered most notably in .45 Colt and a wide array of other cartridges, it shared its cylinder-forward parts with the Single Action Army and used a bird's-head grip. The US Army purchased a militarized variant, the Model 1902 Philippine (also called the Alaskan), with an enlarged trigger guard, longer trigger and lanyard ring.

Its weak mainspring and fragile locking-bolt spring made the Model 1878 misfire and break so often that gunsmiths dreaded it, and unlike the Single Action Army it could not be fanned because the trigger had to fully reset between shots. Buffalo Bill Cody nonetheless special-ordered a pair with extra-long 9-inch barrels in 1888.

Colt Model 1878 Frontier specifications

The Model 1878 had no conventional cylinder stop or bolt and relied on a weak mainspring and a fragile locking-bolt spring, giving it a heavy double-action pull and a reputation for misfires and breakage. Offered in numerous chamberings from .22 rimfire up to .476 Eley.