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The receiver was solid and contained the major working components to manage the cylinder, trigger and hammer functions. The heart and soul of the firearm was naturally its six-round, rotating cylinder nestled within a bridged frame. Interestingly, the Model 1873 was nothing overtly special in its design, form and function. Upon entering service, the new Colt Single Action Army replaced the outgoing Colt Model 1860 Army percussion cap revolvers then in service. From there, the legacy of the fabled "Colt 45" was secured. After successfully clearing evaluation, the Colt design was accepted into service with a signed procurement contract as put forth by the US Army. In 1873, the US Government was on the lookout for a new service revolver aimed at arming Cavalry elements, prompting Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company (founder Samuel Colt passed away in January of 1862) to lend its talents in supplying the required piece. Once the patent had expired in 1869, the field was open for any and every firearms firm to move in and develop their own designs and a plethora of revolvers soon permeated the gun markets from America to Europe. In the time leading up to Colt's excellent SAA design, a key patent owned by Smith & Wesson - noted as the "Rollin White Patent" of 1855 - protected the use of a "bored-through" cylinder design utilizing metallic cartridges. While other weapons lent themselves to the title of "The Gun That One the West", few can argue the reach that the Colt Single Action Army revolver - a gun that was brought back into production multiple times since its inception because of the public demand for the classic type - has had on developing both America itself and its prized gun culture. The revolver lasted in "official" US Army roles from 1873 to 1892 though its use survived much longer outside of the military thanks to its popularity with the public. Regardless of the name, the revolver became one of the most popular sidearms in the history of sidearms with it seeing action through the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War and the Range Wars to name a few. Perhaps their biggest contribution to the movements was the Colt Single Action Army revolver - otherwise known as "The Peacemaker", the "M1873", the "Model P", the "Colt 45" or, simply, the "SAA". The Colt firearms firm certainly hit its stride in the 1800s, helped no doubt by the American Civil War and goings on along the Western Frontier.