WITH FACTORY LETTER. EX FLAYDERMAN & RHOLES COLLECTIONS. Cal 22 RF. S# 1860. Bbl. 7 1/2" with correct short blade front sight. Beginning in 1875 Colt began production of the 44 RF SAA, however by this time centerfire cartridge performance had already far outpaced that of rimfire cartridges rendering SAAs chambered in 44 RF obsolete from the start and are found in the S# range 1-18XX. In an attempt to bolster sales, Colt then decided to manufacture or convert RF frames to a more desirable / saleable caliber, thus the introduction of the 22 RF to the Colt SAA line. The "solution" fell flat however and as stated in "A STUDY OF THE COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER" by Graham, Kopec & Moore page 29, "In his research of Colt shipping records, John E Parsons accounted for 107 .22 caliber standard frame Single Actions. However a separation of converted .22's and regular .22 cal. production was not noted." With a meager 107 22 RF SAAs produced, this remains one of the rarest calibers in existence. Matching numbers appear on frame, cyl, grip frame & bbl. Left front of trigger guard bow marked "22 CAL" and does not appear to be an overstamp. Correct unnumbered 2 piece checkered hard rubber eagle grips. Bbl. has 1 line block letter address. Left side of frame marked with 3 line patent date. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: Colt factory archive letter to Norm Flayderman dated August 20, 1987 stating the following: "Serial Number: 1860/ Caliber: .22 Rim Fire/ Barrel Length: 7 1/2"/ Finish: Blue/ Type of Stocks: Rubber/ Shipped to: Schoverling, Daly & Gales/ Address: New York, NY/ Date of Shipment: May 28, 1889/ Number of Same Type Guns in Shipment: 1". CONDITION: Fine overall for RF production as few surviving examples retain any finish whatsoever. Metal components retain 20-30% original blue, notably in protected areas, butt & grip frame. Balance of metal turning gray with a pleasing brown patina. Action is also a blend of gray / patina with small areas of cleaned light pitting ahead of cyl. Hammer retains strong case colors. Grips show only light wear and fading commensurate with age. Very good bore retains strong rifling with areas of light frosting. Mechanically fine. PROVENANCE: Ex. Norm Flayderman Collection, Ex. Tommy Rholes Collection. James D. Julia past auction, March 2014. (01-25363/BH). ANTIQUE. $18,000-27,000.