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Work order — Colt Single Action Army

Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification. Generated from the Pew-Takedown entry last updated 2026-10-29. Confidence: high.

Shop difficulty: Tier 2 of 3

Single-action frame-screw strip of about 67 pieces with flat springs (mainspring, two-leg trigger/bolt spring) and a hand with its own leaf spring; no lever system as on the Colt DAs, but bolt and hand timing interact and owners warn it is no job for a novice. Hardest single action here, still moderate within revolvers. 56 parts (Colt’s single list for SAA, Sheriff’s/Storekeeper’s and New Frontier (56 line items); adjustable rear sight parts are New Frontier only). Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's.

Bench time: strip ~30 min, rebuild ~50 min (estimate). Actual: strip ______ rebuild ______

Special tools:

• Fitted hollow-ground screwdriver set (SAA screw sizes) — All frame, backstrap and lockwork screws; SAA screws burr easily
• Base pin puller (if the base pin is stuck) — Drawing a fouled base pin straight forward

Watch for:

• Hand timing and bolt timing interact with trigger pull, and correcting them is an armorer job (hand stretching, heat treat). (reassembly; American Gunsmithing Institute)

1. Clear and make safe

1. Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger.
2. Draw the hammer back to the half-cock position.
3. Open the loading gate.
4. Rotate the cylinder and ensure all six chambers are empty.
   Warning: Every chamber, individually, by eye. Colt's caution is to ensure the revolver is not loaded before stripping and cleaning.
5. Eject any cases by aligning each chamber with the gate and pushing the ejector rod rearward.
6. Remove all live ammunition from the work area.

2. Disassemble

Stripping for Cleaning — Cylinder Removal

1. Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure, with the hammer at half-cock and the loading gate open.
2. Depress the base pin retaining catch, located on the left side of the frame in front of the cylinder.
   Warning: Blackpowder-frame revolvers have a base pin retaining screw in front of the frame instead, and it must be removed before the base pin will come out.
3. Keeping the retaining catch depressed, pull the base pin forward and remove it from the revolver, then release the catch.
4. Carefully remove the cylinder to the right of the frame.
   Warning: Avoid contact between the ratchet and the loading gate as the cylinder comes out. That contact is what damages both.
5. Clean the chambers, bore, cylinder face and forcing cone.
   Tip: Colt warns against contact between cleaning rod and muzzle, and against striking the rear frame of the revolver — burring the metal around the firing pin hole leads to firing failures.
6. Stop here.
   Warning: Colt's instruction is explicit: do not strip your revolver further than removing the cylinder. Further maintenance goes back to Colt or a competent gunsmith.

3. Refinish

The components the procedures above separate. Coating, masking and cure are outside this database; follow your coating system's instructions. A part the manufacturer marks "factory fit" should not be swapped or reworked.

The manufacturer's full parts list (56 parts) is on the reference page.

4. Reassemble

Assembling After Cleaning

1. With the hammer at half-cock, carefully install the cylinder by rolling it into the frame from the right side.
   Warning: From the right, the same way it came out, keeping the ratchet clear of the loading gate.
2. Install and secure the base pin.
   Tip: On a blackpowder frame, refit the base pin retaining screw.
3. Check that the cylinder rotates freely.
   Warning: If it does not turn freely, stop and find out why before going further.
4. Lower the hammer to the safety position.
   Tip: Thumb on the spur, finger off the trigger: draw back about a quarter inch, and at the click ease the hammer slightly forward until the safety notch engages.
5. Close the loading gate and perform the function check.

5. Torque

No manufacturer torque values are recorded for this firearm.

Fit or check on rebuild

• Hand timing and bolt timing (bolt drops into the lead, locks before full cock) — Hand, bolt and hammer cam interact; AGI teaches the order of corrections.
• Trigger/bolt spring legs bear on the trigger and bolt correctly; trigger pull and half-cock/safety notch work — Flat two-leg spring; Colt warns about the safety notch.
• Cylinder rotates freely with the base pin fully home — Entry reassembly failure: base pin not fully home or cylinder not seated.

6. Function check

• Verify every chamber is empty before each check.
• Cock the hammer slowly and listen for the traditional four clicks.
• Confirm the cylinder indexes and locks at each chamber before full cock.
• With the hammer at full cock, confirm the cylinder is locked with minimal play.
• Press the trigger and confirm a clean hammer fall.
• Confirm the half-cock notch holds the hammer and allows the cylinder to rotate freely.
• Confirm the base pin is fully seated and its screw is tight.
• Remember: load five, rest the hammer on the empty chamber.

If any check fails, the firearm is not safe to fire. Stop and see a licensed gunsmith.

If it won't go back together

Sources

1. Colt Single Action Army Revolver Instruction Manual — Colt's Manufacturing Company primary
   https://www.colt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/singleactionarmyrevolver.pdf
2. A Study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver secondary
3. Single Action Army — Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC (product page) — Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC primary
   https://www.colt.com/series/single-action-army/
4. AGI Armorer’s Course for Colt Single Action Revolvers — American Gunsmithing Institute secondary
   https://www.americangunsmith.com/product/colt-single-action-revolvers/

Educational guide only. Some information comes from non-authoritative sources. Always consult your manufacturer's manual and a licensed gunsmith. Verify your firearm is unloaded before every procedure. Full disclaimer: https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown

Legal notice: this material is third-party information compiled from sources of varying reliability and is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not gunsmithing, technical, safety or legal advice, it is not verified or endorsed by any manufacturer, and it must not be taken as fact. Any work on a firearm beyond the routine field stripping described in its own owner's manual should be performed only by a licensed and insured gunsmith. You use this material entirely at your own risk. Fundamental Build LLC and the project's contributors make no warranty of any kind and accept no liability for death, injury, damage or loss arising from its use. Full terms: LEGAL.md.