The Colt revolver is one of the most popular handguns ever made. Pictured is an early model Colt revolver made in 1906. If there is one handgun that stands out in the minds of gun enthusiasts, history buffs, cowboy-action shooters or Western movie lovers, it would be the Colt singleaction Frontier model.

Beginning in 1873, Colt produced 312,000 revolvers of this type. About 2,000 of them were rimfire, and 90 percent of these were the 44 Rimfire caliber. The rest were center-fire in calibers such as .45 Colt, .44-40, .38-40, .41 Colt, .38 Colt, .450 Eley and .32-20.

Among the first orders were approximately 37,000 "singleaction Army" revolvers in .45 Colt caliber, and they sported 7 1/2-inch barrels.

An interesting version of the single-action Frontier model were the approximately 45,000 Bisleys, which used a different grip configuration, but the rest of the parts were interchangeable. This version ended in 1913.

During the years of production, several versions were made, such as the 16-inch barreled version with a removable shoulder stock, and a short-barreled version that had no ejector rod and was referred to as a "house" or "store keeper's" version.

Harold Harton is a veteran outdoorsman and photographer, and a longtime contributor to the Lampasas Dispatch Record. Today, these revolvers are highly sought after and bring rather strong prices, depending on their condition and year of manufacture. The earlier the year, the pricier they get if the condition warrants top dollar.

Pictured is an earlier model Bisley made in 1906. In fair condition, it has four marks on the grip, which may or may not mean a thing but in earlier days those represented someone killed for each mark.

Unfortunately, I am not aware of the history of this particular piece.