So, if your SAA has a serial number starting with SA17, this would tell you that your gun is Single Action with a standard frame and in. 45 caliber, and the number ‘9’ would denote a caliber of. If the number is a ‘7’, this will denote a caliber of. 357 there is no number ‘5’ in this caliber identification sequence. The number ‘6’ would denote a caliber of. The number ‘4’ indicates a caliber between. The second number in the sequence is the code for the caliber of the gun, and these run from the number ‘4’ to the number ‘9’. Colt Serial Numbers – What The Caliber Numbers Mean Now that you know the frame type, we can move on to the second number, which would indicate the caliber of the firearm. In this case, the number ‘3’ indicates a non-standard frame, while the number ‘2’ would indicate that the frame came from the Colt Custom Shop. If the number is a ‘1’, this would indicate the standard frame for that model, while a ‘2’, ‘3’ or ‘4’ denote later variants of the gun. The first number represents the model’s frame type. For example, we’ll look at the gun that won the West – the Colt Single Action Army. The Colt Firearm Model CodesĬolt uses a series of numbers that denote more details about the gun in question like the type of frame, caliber, barrel length, and finish used on that specific gun. The prefix ‘C’ stands for Commercial, and here is where the Colt serial number sequencing can get confusing as sometimes the letters can be used to denote the year of manufacture of the weapon.Ī sure way to read your Colt’s serial number is to get the firearm reference table, and you can then match your serial number accordingly. The ‘NF’ code denotes New Frontier, ‘SP’ is the prefix or suffix for ‘Sporter,’ and ‘MT’ is the ‘Match Target’ prefix or suffix code. More often than not, the prefix & suffix codes are simply abbreviations of the model name of the firearm, so where you see the prefix or suffix ‘SA,’ for example, this denotes Single Action. How To Read Colt Serial Numbers: The Prefixes & Suffixes While this may sound like a spell out of Harry Potter, Colt has long used this system for classifying their guns, so let’s look at each element and gain a better understanding of each and what they mean. Reading Colt Serial Numbers – The Letter Of AuthenticityĬolt Serial Numbers: Prefixes, Numerals, And Suffixes.How To Read Colt Serial Numbers – The Serial Number Lookup.Colt Serial Numbers: What The Material Finish Numbers Mean.Colt Serial Numbers – What The Barrel Length Numbers Mean.Colt Serial Numbers – What The Caliber Numbers Mean.How To Read Colt Serial Numbers: The Prefixes & Suffixes.Colt Serial Numbers: Prefixes, Numerals, And Suffixes.