Last updated April 2026 · By Nick Hall, lifelong revolver shooter who has handled both an original 1985 Lew Horton BOA and the 2026 production gun at NRA Houston
Quick take: Colt is bringing back the BOA in 2026, four decades after the original limited-run .357 Magnum left the catalog in 1985. The new Colt BOA 2026 ships in 4.25-inch and 6-inch barrels, carries an MSRP of $1,999.00 ($1,999.99 retail through CNC Firearms), and keeps the original spec almost untouched. Santos rosewood grips, brass bead front sight, blued finish, custom commemorative box. If you missed the 1985 run, this is your shot. Probably your only one.
- What it is: Factory Colt-built BOA, a Trooper Mk V frame mated to a Python-style full-lug barrel, finished in deep blue. Same recipe as the 1985 original.
- Price: $1,999.00 MSRP, both barrel lengths. CNC Firearms lists at $1,999.99.
- Where: Exclusive distribution through CNC Firearms (Custom & Collectable Firearms), not every Colt dealer.
- Why it matters: Original 1985 BOAs run $5,000 to $8,000+ at auction. Factory production drops the cost of entry by roughly two thirds.
The 1985 Original
Only 1,200 BOAs were ever made. That’s it. Colt built the run for Lew Horton Distributing in Southborough, Massachusetts, with serial numbers running BOA1 through BOA1200. Odd numbers on the 4-inch guns, even numbers on the 6-inch. The whole production left the factory in a single year and the line went away.
What it actually was: a hybrid. The frame and action came from the Trooper Mk V, which was Colt’s then-new “improved” duty-grade revolver with a reworked, shorter-lock-time trigger. The barrel, sights, and finish came from the Python. Splice the two together, ship them to a single Massachusetts distributor, and you’ve got the BOA. It was never an officially cataloged Colt model. It existed because Lew Horton ordered it.
Today an original BOA in clean condition sells at auction for $5,000 to $8,000 depending on box, papers, and barrel length. Cased matched pairs (Lew Horton shipped 100 of those, one 4-inch and one 6-inch in a single case with consecutive serials) regularly clear five figures. Rock Island Auction has handled multiple in the last few years and the trend is up, not flat.
The BOA earned its collector status the way every scarce Colt does. Not by being the best-shooting revolver of its era (the Python held that crown), not by being the lightest, not by being the most accurate either. It earned it by being nearly impossible to buy a clean one and staying that way for forty years.
What’s in the 2026 Run
Colt unveiled the Colt BOA 2026 at the NRA Annual Meetings in Houston in mid-April, and I spent a chunk of the show floor on the CNC Firearms booth handling both barrel lengths. The collaboration is between Colt’s Manufacturing in Hartford and CNC Firearms (Custom & Collectable Firearms, a Texas-based collector-grade distributor). CNC has been working with Colt on the project for several years to land the build spec close to the 1985 gun, and the result feels closer than I expected.
The spec sheet, taken straight off CNC’s product page and verified against what I had in my hands:
- .357 Magnum, 6-shot cylinder
- 4.25-inch or 6-inch barrel (the original 1985 was 4 inches even, so the quarter-inch is the only meaningful spec change)
- Double / single action
- Santos rosewood grips with the gold Colt pony medallion
- Brass bead front sight, fully adjustable rear
- Deep blued finish
- Commemorative custom Colt box, designed for this release
- 100% factory Colt production at the Hartford plant, not contracted out
No trigger upgrade. No frame change. No optics cut. That’s the point. If you want a modern .357 on a King Cobra or Python frame, Colt has those in the current catalog already (and you can dig into how Colt’s current snake guns actually shoot in our Python review). If you want the BOA, you want the BOA the way it was in 1985, with 2026 manufacturing tolerances and a brass bead you’ll probably squint at.
Pricing sits at $1,999.00 MSRP across both barrel lengths. CNC’s product page lists $1,999.99 retail, which is the dealer price you’ll actually see. That’s a long way under what an original commands at Morphy’s or Rock Island, and it’s the first time in four decades buyers have had a factory option on a BOA they don’t have to bid for.
How Many, How to Get One
CNC Firearms hasn’t confirmed a total production number for the 2026 run, and Colt hasn’t either. The phrase being used is “not mass-produced,” which on past Colt collaborations has meant low four-figure production runs. Expect the 4.25-inch to sell through faster than the 6-inch, matching the original distribution ratio.
Distribution is exclusive through CNC Firearms, not every Colt dealer, so the usual pre-order spreadsheet tricks will matter here. The CNC product page is live at cncfirearms.com, and the listed contacts are 903-321-4252 and info@cncfirearms.com. If you want one and you don’t already have an FFL relationship, get that lined up before pre-orders open. The 1985 run sold out before most collectors knew it existed and the 2026 run will move the same way.
Should You Buy One?
This is the part where I separate two audiences, because the answer is opposite for each.
If you’re a Colt collector: yes. Obviously yes. A factory-built Colt BOA 2026 at $2,000 with a commemorative box and current Colt fit-and-finish is the kind of thing you don’t think twice about. The only argument against is “wait for a clean 1985 with original papers”, but those are routinely four to five times the money, and you can always buy the 2026 now and the 1985 later.
If you actually shoot .357 Magnum and want a working revolver: probably not. The Ruger GP100 does everything the BOA does and shoots it harder, for about a third of the money. The SP101 and Smith 340PD handle carry. The current Colt Python does what the BOA does with a modern lockwork and adjustable spring kit. The BOA isn’t a tool. It’s a piece. And paying tool prices for a piece is fine, but paying piece prices for what you intend to use as a tool is the wrong order of operations.
The right way to think about the Colt BOA 2026, assuming you can get one: it goes in the safe, comes out for the occasional range trip with .38 Special wadcutters, and gets handed to a kid in twenty years who actually knows what it is. Buy it for that or don’t buy it at all.
The Colt BOA 2026 in .357 Magnum Context
The BOA exists in a chambering that’s been having a moment. .357 Magnum was the dominant police cartridge for forty years before the move to semiautos, and it’s quietly come back as the default house-gun and woods-gun cartridge for shooters who want hard-hitting ballistics out of a manual action. Our .357 Magnum buyer’s guide walks through the modern landscape, and the barrel-length analysis is what most BOA buyers will actually want to read before deciding between 4.25 and 6.
Short answer on the barrel question: the 4.25-inch is more carry-friendly, faster on the swing, and trades roughly 100 to 150 fps of velocity. The 6-inch is the better range gun, the better hunting tool, and the harder one to conceal. Lew Horton split the original run 600/600 for a reason. Both have a use case.
For loadout, modern .357 ammunition options are deeper than they’ve been in years, and a 1,500-fps 158-grain load out of a 6-inch BOA is the same authority signal it was in 1985. The cartridge hasn’t changed. The platform hasn’t changed. That’s the whole pitch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Colt BOA 2026?
The Colt BOA 2026 is a factory revival of the 1985 limited-run Colt BOA, a Trooper Mk V framed .357 Magnum revolver mated to a Python-style full-lug barrel. Colt is producing it in collaboration with CNC Firearms (Custom & Collectable Firearms), in 4.25-inch and 6-inch barrel lengths, with an MSRP of $1,999.00 and a retail price of $1,999.99 through CNC.
How is the 2026 BOA different from the 1985 original?
The spec is nearly identical. The only meaningful change is the short-barrel option, which moves from 4 inches in 1985 to 4.25 inches in 2026. Grips, sights, finish, frame source, and chambering are all unchanged. Manufacturing tolerances reflect 2026 Colt production standards rather than the 1985 Hartford floor.
What original Colt model is the BOA based on?
The BOA is a hybrid. The frame and action come from the Colt Trooper Mk V, which used an improved shorter-lock-time trigger. The full-lug barrel, sights, and Royal Blue finish come from the Python. It is not a Diamondback variant despite occasional confusion. The BOA was never an officially cataloged Colt model in 1985 either, which is part of why it remains rare.
How many original 1985 Colt BOAs were made?
Exactly 1,200, with serial numbers BOA1 through BOA1200. Production was split 600 4-inch and 600 6-inch, distributed exclusively through Lew Horton Distributing of Southborough, Massachusetts. Lew Horton also assembled 100 cased matched pairs containing one of each barrel length with consecutive serials. Those cased pairs are the most collectible configuration.
How much does a 2026 Colt BOA cost?
Colts MSRP is $1,999.00 across both barrel lengths. The CNC Firearms product page lists $1,999.99 retail. Compared to original 1985 BOAs at auction (which routinely run $5,000 to $8,000+ for clean examples and well into five figures for cased pairs), the 2026 production gun is roughly one-third the cost of an original.
How do I buy a 2026 Colt BOA?
The 2026 BOA is exclusive to CNC Firearms (Custom & Collectable Firearms). You buy it through their distribution channel, not from any Colt dealer. The product page is at cncfirearms.com, and contact phone is 903-321-4252 or info@cncfirearms.com. Have an FFL relationship lined up before pre-orders open. The 1985 run sold out before most collectors knew it existed and the 2026 run will move similarly.
Is the 2026 BOA a good shooter or just a collectible?
It is a collectible first and a shooter second. The build is faithful to the 1985 original, which was a competent .357 Magnum but never the best-shooting revolver in Colts catalog. If you want a working .357 you will actually run, the Ruger GP100 or current Colt Python will outshoot the BOA for less or comparable money. The BOA is for collectors who want a factory option on a gun that has been auction-only for forty years.
Will the 2026 BOA hold its value like the 1985 original?
Probably not as a one-to-one comparison. The 1985 BOA appreciated because the run was tiny and the gun was discontinued the same year. The 2026 production is also limited but the count has not been disclosed, and a known factory revival often softens the long-term collectibility curve compared to an unknown one-year run. That said, a clean factory Colt BOA with original box at $2,000 is unlikely to depreciate. Treat it as a hold-and-pass-down piece, not a flip.
Related Reading
- 10 Best .357 Magnum Revolvers in 2026
- Colt Python Review: Is the King of Revolvers Worth $1,500?
- Ruger GP100 Review: The Indestructible .357 Magnum
- .357 Magnum Buyer’s Guide
- Best Barrel Length for a .357 Magnum
Sources
- Custom & Collectable Firearms / CNC Firearms BOA product page. cncfirearms.com
- Colt’s Manufacturing Company official BOA listings. colt.com
- The Outdoor Wire press release, April 16, 2026. theoutdoorwire.com
- Original 1985 BOA history and serial-number breakdown. Guns.com
- BOA auction history and current market values. Rock Island Auction
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