Colt Single Action Army Russell, Majors & Waddell Pony Express Presentation Pair

Most commemorative Colts wear their tribute on the barrel and stop there. This pair takes it further. Each gun rolls a complete story across a set of spare cylinders, and that is where the Russell, Majors & Waddell Pony Express set earns its keep.

The two revolvers are Third Generation Single Action Army Peacemakers in .45 Colt, both wearing the long 7.5 inch cavalry barrel and finished in bright nickel that throws light in every direction. Barrel markings read COLT 45 PEACEMAKER on the top, with the dedication RUSSELL, MAJORS AND WADDELL PONY EXPRESS PRESENTATION MODEL rolled along the side. The grips are smooth ivory-colored panels carrying the rampant colt medallion. Standard fixed sights, a blade front and the hammer-notch rear, just as the pattern has always run.

What sets this set apart sits in the case beside the guns. Each revolver ships with three additional cylinders, eight total across the pair, and every one is engraved with a chapter of the Pony Express story. One shows the founders, with RUSSELL, MAJORS, and WADDELL named beneath their portraits over the word FOUNDERS. Others trace the route, station by station, naming St. Joseph, Marysville, Fort Kearny, Julesburg, Fort Laramie, Fort Bridger, and Salt Lake City. Another carries a galloping rider with the line 120 CELEBRATED RIDERS RODE 650,000 MILES. The detail is fine and reads clearly under good light.

The pair lives in a fitted wood presentation case with a glass lid and red fabric lining, the guns nested in the center and the cylinders seated in cutouts at the corners. The case shows light handling marks at the edges. The nickel on both guns remains bright and clean.

For a collector who wants Western Americana with a narrative built into the steel, this set tells the whole Pony Express run in a way a single engraved barrel never could.