Bryson J. Gwinnell Master Factory Engraved - Colt Sheriff's SAA 1 of 35

Colt's Sheriff's Model has always had a certain swagger. It's the Single Action Army cut down to its essentials, with a short barrel and no housing for the ejector rod. It was made to ride in a coat pocket, not a long holster. In 1981, the Colt Custom Shop took that idea and dressed it up for a limited edition of just 35 revolvers. This is one of them.

A Colt master engraver hand-engraved and gold-inlaid every gun in the run. Colt split the work among several of its top hands, and this one was cut by Bryson J. Gwinnell, who signed it "BJ GWINNELL" on the butt strap. Gwinnell spent a decade at the Colt Custom Shop, and his signature appears on other guns from this same run. The coverage is classic floral scroll over a punch dot background. It wraps the barrel, cylinder, frame, hammer, and grip straps, with feathered work along the top strap. Flush gold borders trace the frame, hammer, and barrel, and a gold band rings the rear of the cylinder.

The theme is pure frontier law. A raised gold six-point star reading "SHERIFF" sits on the recoil shield. Turn the gun over, and there's a raised gold pair of handcuffs on the loading gate. The barrel reads "COLT SHERIFFS MODEL .45" in gold, framed by fleur-de-lis scrolls, and more gold fleur-de-lis sit between the cylinder flutes. A gold Rampant Colt sits on the left side of the frame, and "1 OF 35" appears in gold on the right.

The deep blue finish plays off the gold-plated trigger guard, backstrap, and cylinder pin. Both grip straps carry their own scroll engraving. The grips are two piece ivory, checkered inside carved diamond and scalloped borders, with the warm, even tone real ivory picks up over time.

Underneath it's a third-generation Single Action Army in .45 Colt, with a fixed blade front sight and a top strap notch rear. But nobody buys a gun like this to shoot it. With only 35 made, a chance to own one doesn't come around often.