POTD: Colt’s First Double Action – 1877 Thunderer Sheriff’s Model

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have Colt’s first swing at a double action revolver. This is an 1877 “Thunderer” in 41 Long Colt with the 6 inch ejectorless Sheriff’s Model barrel, shipped in November 1877 to B. Kittredge in Cincinnati.

Start with the name, since Colt never used it. The 1877 came in three chamberings and the trade hung nicknames on all of them: Rainmaker for the 32, Lightning for the 38, Thunderer for the 41. Kittredge is generally credited with coming up with those, and with pinning Peacemaker on the Single Action Army. Good marketing from a distributor, not factory language.

The 1877 sold well, somewhere north of 160,000 through 1909, and gunsmiths have cursed it ever since. William Mason’s lockwork is a pile of small, thin parts that break, and when they break the gun stops running. Find a working one today and the smart money says leave it alone. That reputation is most of what the 1877 is known for now, which is a shame, because the trigger and the grip are both good.

The ejectorless barrel is the other piece here. No ejector rod housing means nothing hanging off the right side to catch a holster mouth, and you push empties out with the base pin. Slow to unload, quick to draw. First year guns like this one also carry the etched panel on the left side of the barrel, which Colt gave up on fairly quickly in favor of roll stamps.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Early Production Colt Sheriff’s 1877 Thunderer Revolver.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4097/118/early-production-colt-sheriffs-1877-thunderer-revolver. Accessed 31 July 2026.

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