"Formerly in the Bill Powell collection", etc., it would appear to be the real deal.

Colt Single Action .44 Russ & Special (C8546 ) @ Collectors Firearms, Houston, TX

Price: $8950.00

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If that gun could talk, what stories it would tell.

I handled that gun countless times over a number of years. It was one of Bill's favorites, and he had a whole stack of provenance for it.

JLF

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

Never any mention of Croft from Bill, and I don't remember any reference in the paperwork. If memory serves, it was one of Elmer's later sixguns.

JLF

I have seen the gun many times listed for sale, I honestly doubted its history a bit but if Jack says its right then it is in my mind. But the configuration is very practical and would make for a cool gun, it obviously was used a lot in its day.

I have had the thought a time or two that having someone make soemthing along these lines from a USFA would be pretty neat. But now that USFA has gone it would be pretty silly expensive to do for what would simply amount to an experiment that had been done before. For whatever reason I have never cared for the Ruger Vaqueros that have had adjustible sights added to them.

Neat gun for sure...

HAROLD CROFT DID NOT "MAKE" ANY GUNS. OTHERS CARRIED OUT HIS IDEAS. ALL OF HIS KNOWN SINGLE ACTIONS, #1, #2, #3, AND #4 WERE SPECIAL LIGHTWEIGHT SIXGUNS IN .45 COLT. AFTER COMING WEST TO MEET KEITH HE HAD THEM CONVERTED TO .44 SPECIAL. HIS FOUR COLTS ARE THE REASON KEITH'S #5 WAS SO NAMED.

The cream of the crop best 1/3 of the Powell collection was sold off in a Rock Island auction and scattered to the four winds. I still see one pop up for sale every now and then, but most change hands when they do with no public knowledge. I had the entire collection sold intact to a fine fellow for a 7-figure cash number, but there were too many oversize egos involved, and the deal was rejected.

JLF

wearing an Attorney name badge the way I remember it. I dealt with him on a value on Bill's building. Sheesh what an asshole.

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.....just cronies.

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