Some of you may have already seen this very informative piece on the history of the Colt .22 Single Actions revolvers. I found it on the Colt Forum and it is written by one Bruce Buckner. I suggest you read it on the Colt Forum as he includes some explanatory photos. I include the text of his well written piece here, but also the link to his thread.
Thank you to Bruce Buckner of the Colt Forum for his work compiling the history of these Colt Revolvers.
https://www.coltforum.com/forums/co...r-scouts-other-22-caliber-single-actions.html
Colt's Frontier Scouts and other .22 Caliber Single Actions
Colt reintroduced the Single Action Army (SAA) revolver in 1955. It was a popular revolver, but even then, the price was high. THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN magazine for December 1955 had an advertisement for the Colt SAA in .38 Special or .45 Colt for $125.00. Colt decided that they needed a .22 caliber single action revolver to capitalize on the interest in .22s and to compete with Ruger in the rimfire area. Thus, the Frontier Scout was created in 1957. The Frontier Scout was a little smaller that a SAA (7/8th scale) and weighed about 24 ounces. And the price was within the reach of most sportsmen, at $49.50 retail.
There were many variations of these .22 caliber single action revolvers and they are described briefly below in the order of introduction by Colt.
The Q Series "Duotone" revolvers were introduced in November of 1957 (serial number 1000Q) and were characterized by "in-the-white" aluminum alloy receivers, grip frames, ejector rod heads and loading gates, and by serial numbers that ended with the letter "Q". The cylinders, ejector rod housings, base pins, screws, triggers and barrels were made of steel and blued. Q series revolvers were produced for only about five months with the last serial number being 16520Q which was recorded in March, 1958. The Q series revolvers were offered only in .22 Long Rifle (LR) and only with 4 3/4 inch barrels. Grips (or "stocks", if you prefer) were molded checkered black plastic with the Rampant Colt in an oval at the top. Colt called the grip material "checkered ebony composition". The guns were shipped from the factory in two-piece cardboard boxes with a top covered in a brown wood grain paper with the Colt logo in gold. The inside of the box was lined with green paper and usually had the Colt logos in gold. Some of the very earliest boxes did not have the interior Colt logos. An instruction sheet or booklet and warranty card was always included with the revolver. Other paper items were sometimes included such as NRA membership application cards and gun care flyers. Usually a barrel cleaning brush also accompanied the revolver. The gun was wrapped in heavy brown, rust preventive paper. Serial numbers were usually marked on the outside bottom of the boxes in black marker.
Colt's Frontier Scouts and other .22 Caliber Single Actions-q7809q1.jpg
F Series Frontier Scouts in Duotone finish followed the Q series revolvers. Initially, the F series had the same "in-the-white" receivers, grip frames and other parts as the Q revolvers but in September 1958 the "all-blue" model was added to the product line. The aluminum alloy parts were colored dark blue to match the steel barrel and cylinder. Along with the all-blue finish, the Buntline Scout model was introduced in 1958 with a 9 1/2 inch barrel. Plain walnut wood stocks were also introduced in 1958. The factory fitted wood stocks did not have medallions and were routed on the back (inside) to increase strength. When shipping Frontier Scouts with factory fitted wood grips, the boxes were usually marked "WS" in black on the end label and on the outside bottom of the box along with the serial number.
In 1959, the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) chambering was added to the Frontier Scout and Buntline Scout lines. It is interesting to note that Colt never marked its .22 single action revolvers with "WMR" or "Winchester Magnum Rimfire". The marking used was always ".22 Magnum". Because of the differences between the .22 LR and .22 Magnum cartridges, barrels for the latter had to be bored to different dimensions. The barrels were not interchangeable so, in order to facilitate identification by assemblers, barrels bored for the .22 Magnum were finished with a rounded crown. The crown on the .22 LR barrels remained flat. In 1961, the Duotone finish was discontinued with about 40,000 having been produced. In the same year, a decorative scroll pattern was stamped into the bottom of the grip frame.
The guns were shipped from the factory in two-piece cardboard boxes with a top covered in a brown wood grain paper with the Colt logo in gold. The inside of the box was lined with green paper and had Colt logos in gold. Later boxes lined with black paper did not have the logo on the inside bottom. An instruction sheet or booklet and warranty card was always included with the revolver. Other paper items were sometimes included such as NRA membership application cards and gun care flyers. Usually a barrel cleaning brush also accompanied the revolver. The gun was wrapped in heavy brown, rust preventive paper. Serial numbers were usually marked on the outside bottom of the boxes in black marker. Later boxes with black bottoms had the serial number written in white marker.
In 1964 Colt introduced the "dual cylinder" Frontier Scout revolvers which were designed to fire the .22 LR or .22 Magnum cartridges by merely changing the cylinder in the gun. These guns had barrels bored for the .22 Magnum chambering and were marked ".22 CAL". The dual cylinder guns were shipped in a special tan two-piece box with a cut-out in the bottom for the revolver and for the accessory .22 Magnum cylinder. A small label was affixed to the end of the box stating the finish (blue) and the two calibers.
Another change initiated in 1964 was the pinning of barrels into the frame. Owners of these guns had found that the steel barrels tended to unscrew from the alloy frames with extended use. Colt fixed this problem by installing a transverse pin to prevent movement of the barrel. This change was made sometime in the serial number range of 175000F to 178000F.
Wood stocks were discontinued in 1965, although a small number of Frontier Scouts were fitted with rosewood grips with gold Colt medallions in 1967. In 1969, the .22 Magnum was discontinued as a specific caliber. Dual cylinder Buntline Scouts were introduced in 1969. The dual cylinder Buntlines were shipped in the same extra long wood grain boxes as the single cylinder Buntlines but a special label which indicated the finish (blue) and the two calibers was affixed to the end of the box and "DC" (for dual cylinder) was usually marked on the outside bottom of the box.
F series revolvers were sold from 1958 until 1971 with about 246,000 produced. The highest serial number known is 245423F.
The K series Frontier Scouts were introduced in 1960 and were finished in bright nickel plating. Serial numbering started with 1K. Receivers, grip frames and loading gates were made of Zamak alloy which was considerably heavier than the previously used aluminum. Barrel lengths and chamberings were the same as the F revolvers. All K series revolvers were fitted with plain walnut grips and most were shipped from the factory with wood presentation cases lined with red fabric. The cases were marked on the outside with an impressed Colt logo in the center of the lid and were "French-fitted". This consisted of gluing a cardboard cutout of the revolver in the bottom of the case and covering it with red cloth. Usually the cloth in the inside lid was red satin with the Colt logo in gold and red velvet was used for the bottom where the gun rested.
Beginning with the K series revolvers, Colt began shipping pairs of guns with consecutive serial numbers in addition to single revolvers. Pairs were two Frontier Scouts, a combination set with one Frontier Scout and one Buntline Scout or two Buntline Scouts. Calibers were mixed as well; some pairs were both .22 LR, some were both .22 Magnum and some were one gun of each caliber. After the first year or two of production, the logistics of maintaining consecutive serial numbers in pairs of guns became too time consuming and many pairs were shipped with non-consecutive serial numbers. In most cases, special wood presentation boxes for two revolvers were used. In ten years of production (1960 to 1970) about 44,000 revolvers were produced in the K serial number series.
As in the F series, the decorative scroll pattern on the bottom of the grip frame was introduced in 1961 and in 1964 dual cylinder nickel Frontier Scouts were introduced as was the change to the pinned barrel. Dual cylinder K Frontier Scouts were usually shipped in the same box as the dual cylinder F series revolvers. The only difference was a small white end label with red printing that indicated the nickel finish and both calibers. 1968 was the last year for the .22 Magnum as a separate caliber and the dual cylinder Buntlines were first produced in 1969. The highest serial number on record is 43987K.
Colt's Frontier Scouts and other .22 Caliber Single Actions-k5271k1.jpg
The P series or "Frontier Scout '62" revolvers were introduced in 1962 and featured a new "Midnight Blue" finish combined with the heavy Zamak alloy receiver and grip frame of the K series. The series started with serial number 999P. The new finish on the grip frame and receiver was apparently a painted or dipped coating that was glossy black. Unfortunately, this finish was highly variable with regards to durability. Many revolvers have survived with mint finish but others, even some unfired specimens, have suffered significant damage from minor handling. Barrel lengths and chamberings were the same as in the F and K series revolvers. Guns were fitted with synthetic grips called "Staglite" which resembled real stag horn material with silver colored Colt medallions. The early grips had a nickel-plated screw and escutcheon (size was similar to the center fire Single Action Army grip parts), while the later ones used a smaller nickel plated or blued screw and escutcheon similar to the other Frontier Scouts. The Staglite grips themselves varied also. Some had a smooth finish and were nicely contoured to the grip frame. Others, usually later examples, were darker in color, "blockier" in shape and had a rougher finish.
As in the F and K series, the dual cylinder P series Frontier Scouts were introduced in 1964 as was the change to the pinned barrel. The '62 Scouts never had plain bottom grip frames because they were introduced after the decorative scroll was added in 1961. The last year for the .22 Magnum as a separate caliber in this series was 1967 and the dual cylinder Buntlines were first produced in 1969. The last P models were shipped in 1971 with about 67,000 having been produced.
There were many variations in the boxes for the P series revolvers. The earliest P revolvers were shipped in a red, white and black "picture" box which had six round pictures of cowboys, Indian fighters, gunslingers and others on the lid with a revolver shaped cutout in the box bottom. The later guns were generally shipped in tan cardboard boxes with revolver shaped cutouts in the box bottom and some of these had additional cutouts for the extra magnum cylinder. Early single cylinder boxes had the price ($59.50) printed directly on the paper liner. The price marking was not present in dual cylinder boxes. Except for the labeling, these boxes were very similar to those used with the F series dual cylinder guns. Dual cylinder boxes had a small white label on the end which indicated the model ('62) and the calibers. With these boxes, the serial number was not written on the outside bottom as it was with previous guns. Instead, Colt protected the box with a plain cardboard sleeve and the serial number was written on the outside of the sleeve. Unfortunately, most sleeves were discarded by the original purchasers of the revolvers, so the boxes usually cannot be matched unequivocally with the guns inside.
P series Frontier Scouts and P Buntline Scouts were shipped in regular wood grain boxes like other Colts and some were shipped with wood presentation cases. The Buntline boxes did not have a special label for the P model. The label used was the same as for the F series guns with the notation about "ebony comp. stocks" crossed out with black marker and the full serial number including the letter suffix written on the outside bottom of the box. Like the K series guns, many consecutive serial numbered sets were produced in the P series and these were usually shipped with the wood cases. One very interesting consecutive set was called the "Matched Pair" and consisted of two .22 LR Frontier Scouts in a double gun box with special graphics. This set is quite rare today. The P series revolvers were produced from 1962 until 1971 with a total of about 68,000 guns.
Thank you to Bruce Buckner of the Colt Forum for his work compiling the history of these Colt Revolvers.
https://www.coltforum.com/forums/co...r-scouts-other-22-caliber-single-actions.html
Colt's Frontier Scouts and other .22 Caliber Single Actions
Colt reintroduced the Single Action Army (SAA) revolver in 1955. It was a popular revolver, but even then, the price was high. THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN magazine for December 1955 had an advertisement for the Colt SAA in .38 Special or .45 Colt for $125.00. Colt decided that they needed a .22 caliber single action revolver to capitalize on the interest in .22s and to compete with Ruger in the rimfire area. Thus, the Frontier Scout was created in 1957. The Frontier Scout was a little smaller that a SAA (7/8th scale) and weighed about 24 ounces. And the price was within the reach of most sportsmen, at $49.50 retail.
There were many variations of these .22 caliber single action revolvers and they are described briefly below in the order of introduction by Colt.
The Q Series "Duotone" revolvers were introduced in November of 1957 (serial number 1000Q) and were characterized by "in-the-white" aluminum alloy receivers, grip frames, ejector rod heads and loading gates, and by serial numbers that ended with the letter "Q". The cylinders, ejector rod housings, base pins, screws, triggers and barrels were made of steel and blued. Q series revolvers were produced for only about five months with the last serial number being 16520Q which was recorded in March, 1958. The Q series revolvers were offered only in .22 Long Rifle (LR) and only with 4 3/4 inch barrels. Grips (or "stocks", if you prefer) were molded checkered black plastic with the Rampant Colt in an oval at the top. Colt called the grip material "checkered ebony composition". The guns were shipped from the factory in two-piece cardboard boxes with a top covered in a brown wood grain paper with the Colt logo in gold. The inside of the box was lined with green paper and usually had the Colt logos in gold. Some of the very earliest boxes did not have the interior Colt logos. An instruction sheet or booklet and warranty card was always included with the revolver. Other paper items were sometimes included such as NRA membership application cards and gun care flyers. Usually a barrel cleaning brush also accompanied the revolver. The gun was wrapped in heavy brown, rust preventive paper. Serial numbers were usually marked on the outside bottom of the boxes in black marker.
Colt's Frontier Scouts and other .22 Caliber Single Actions-q7809q1.jpg
F Series Frontier Scouts in Duotone finish followed the Q series revolvers. Initially, the F series had the same "in-the-white" receivers, grip frames and other parts as the Q revolvers but in September 1958 the "all-blue" model was added to the product line. The aluminum alloy parts were colored dark blue to match the steel barrel and cylinder. Along with the all-blue finish, the Buntline Scout model was introduced in 1958 with a 9 1/2 inch barrel. Plain walnut wood stocks were also introduced in 1958. The factory fitted wood stocks did not have medallions and were routed on the back (inside) to increase strength. When shipping Frontier Scouts with factory fitted wood grips, the boxes were usually marked "WS" in black on the end label and on the outside bottom of the box along with the serial number.
In 1959, the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) chambering was added to the Frontier Scout and Buntline Scout lines. It is interesting to note that Colt never marked its .22 single action revolvers with "WMR" or "Winchester Magnum Rimfire". The marking used was always ".22 Magnum". Because of the differences between the .22 LR and .22 Magnum cartridges, barrels for the latter had to be bored to different dimensions. The barrels were not interchangeable so, in order to facilitate identification by assemblers, barrels bored for the .22 Magnum were finished with a rounded crown. The crown on the .22 LR barrels remained flat. In 1961, the Duotone finish was discontinued with about 40,000 having been produced. In the same year, a decorative scroll pattern was stamped into the bottom of the grip frame.
The guns were shipped from the factory in two-piece cardboard boxes with a top covered in a brown wood grain paper with the Colt logo in gold. The inside of the box was lined with green paper and had Colt logos in gold. Later boxes lined with black paper did not have the logo on the inside bottom. An instruction sheet or booklet and warranty card was always included with the revolver. Other paper items were sometimes included such as NRA membership application cards and gun care flyers. Usually a barrel cleaning brush also accompanied the revolver. The gun was wrapped in heavy brown, rust preventive paper. Serial numbers were usually marked on the outside bottom of the boxes in black marker. Later boxes with black bottoms had the serial number written in white marker.
In 1964 Colt introduced the "dual cylinder" Frontier Scout revolvers which were designed to fire the .22 LR or .22 Magnum cartridges by merely changing the cylinder in the gun. These guns had barrels bored for the .22 Magnum chambering and were marked ".22 CAL". The dual cylinder guns were shipped in a special tan two-piece box with a cut-out in the bottom for the revolver and for the accessory .22 Magnum cylinder. A small label was affixed to the end of the box stating the finish (blue) and the two calibers.
Another change initiated in 1964 was the pinning of barrels into the frame. Owners of these guns had found that the steel barrels tended to unscrew from the alloy frames with extended use. Colt fixed this problem by installing a transverse pin to prevent movement of the barrel. This change was made sometime in the serial number range of 175000F to 178000F.
Wood stocks were discontinued in 1965, although a small number of Frontier Scouts were fitted with rosewood grips with gold Colt medallions in 1967. In 1969, the .22 Magnum was discontinued as a specific caliber. Dual cylinder Buntline Scouts were introduced in 1969. The dual cylinder Buntlines were shipped in the same extra long wood grain boxes as the single cylinder Buntlines but a special label which indicated the finish (blue) and the two calibers was affixed to the end of the box and "DC" (for dual cylinder) was usually marked on the outside bottom of the box.
F series revolvers were sold from 1958 until 1971 with about 246,000 produced. The highest serial number known is 245423F.
The K series Frontier Scouts were introduced in 1960 and were finished in bright nickel plating. Serial numbering started with 1K. Receivers, grip frames and loading gates were made of Zamak alloy which was considerably heavier than the previously used aluminum. Barrel lengths and chamberings were the same as the F revolvers. All K series revolvers were fitted with plain walnut grips and most were shipped from the factory with wood presentation cases lined with red fabric. The cases were marked on the outside with an impressed Colt logo in the center of the lid and were "French-fitted". This consisted of gluing a cardboard cutout of the revolver in the bottom of the case and covering it with red cloth. Usually the cloth in the inside lid was red satin with the Colt logo in gold and red velvet was used for the bottom where the gun rested.
Beginning with the K series revolvers, Colt began shipping pairs of guns with consecutive serial numbers in addition to single revolvers. Pairs were two Frontier Scouts, a combination set with one Frontier Scout and one Buntline Scout or two Buntline Scouts. Calibers were mixed as well; some pairs were both .22 LR, some were both .22 Magnum and some were one gun of each caliber. After the first year or two of production, the logistics of maintaining consecutive serial numbers in pairs of guns became too time consuming and many pairs were shipped with non-consecutive serial numbers. In most cases, special wood presentation boxes for two revolvers were used. In ten years of production (1960 to 1970) about 44,000 revolvers were produced in the K serial number series.
As in the F series, the decorative scroll pattern on the bottom of the grip frame was introduced in 1961 and in 1964 dual cylinder nickel Frontier Scouts were introduced as was the change to the pinned barrel. Dual cylinder K Frontier Scouts were usually shipped in the same box as the dual cylinder F series revolvers. The only difference was a small white end label with red printing that indicated the nickel finish and both calibers. 1968 was the last year for the .22 Magnum as a separate caliber and the dual cylinder Buntlines were first produced in 1969. The highest serial number on record is 43987K.
Colt's Frontier Scouts and other .22 Caliber Single Actions-k5271k1.jpg
The P series or "Frontier Scout '62" revolvers were introduced in 1962 and featured a new "Midnight Blue" finish combined with the heavy Zamak alloy receiver and grip frame of the K series. The series started with serial number 999P. The new finish on the grip frame and receiver was apparently a painted or dipped coating that was glossy black. Unfortunately, this finish was highly variable with regards to durability. Many revolvers have survived with mint finish but others, even some unfired specimens, have suffered significant damage from minor handling. Barrel lengths and chamberings were the same as in the F and K series revolvers. Guns were fitted with synthetic grips called "Staglite" which resembled real stag horn material with silver colored Colt medallions. The early grips had a nickel-plated screw and escutcheon (size was similar to the center fire Single Action Army grip parts), while the later ones used a smaller nickel plated or blued screw and escutcheon similar to the other Frontier Scouts. The Staglite grips themselves varied also. Some had a smooth finish and were nicely contoured to the grip frame. Others, usually later examples, were darker in color, "blockier" in shape and had a rougher finish.
As in the F and K series, the dual cylinder P series Frontier Scouts were introduced in 1964 as was the change to the pinned barrel. The '62 Scouts never had plain bottom grip frames because they were introduced after the decorative scroll was added in 1961. The last year for the .22 Magnum as a separate caliber in this series was 1967 and the dual cylinder Buntlines were first produced in 1969. The last P models were shipped in 1971 with about 67,000 having been produced.
There were many variations in the boxes for the P series revolvers. The earliest P revolvers were shipped in a red, white and black "picture" box which had six round pictures of cowboys, Indian fighters, gunslingers and others on the lid with a revolver shaped cutout in the box bottom. The later guns were generally shipped in tan cardboard boxes with revolver shaped cutouts in the box bottom and some of these had additional cutouts for the extra magnum cylinder. Early single cylinder boxes had the price ($59.50) printed directly on the paper liner. The price marking was not present in dual cylinder boxes. Except for the labeling, these boxes were very similar to those used with the F series dual cylinder guns. Dual cylinder boxes had a small white label on the end which indicated the model ('62) and the calibers. With these boxes, the serial number was not written on the outside bottom as it was with previous guns. Instead, Colt protected the box with a plain cardboard sleeve and the serial number was written on the outside of the sleeve. Unfortunately, most sleeves were discarded by the original purchasers of the revolvers, so the boxes usually cannot be matched unequivocally with the guns inside.
P series Frontier Scouts and P Buntline Scouts were shipped in regular wood grain boxes like other Colts and some were shipped with wood presentation cases. The Buntline boxes did not have a special label for the P model. The label used was the same as for the F series guns with the notation about "ebony comp. stocks" crossed out with black marker and the full serial number including the letter suffix written on the outside bottom of the box. Like the K series guns, many consecutive serial numbered sets were produced in the P series and these were usually shipped with the wood cases. One very interesting consecutive set was called the "Matched Pair" and consisted of two .22 LR Frontier Scouts in a double gun box with special graphics. This set is quite rare today. The P series revolvers were produced from 1962 until 1971 with a total of about 68,000 guns.