The Colt

"They say this gun can kill anything."

- John Winchester

The Colt is a supernatural revolver made by the hunter Samuel Colt. John Winchester had been searching for it for many years. According to legend, anything shot by this gun, using one of its thirteen original bullets, will die, including supernatural creatures normally immune to any and all weapons. On several occasions, it was in the possession of Sam and Dean Winchester, who used it to kill demons, including their leader, the Prince of Hell Azazel, vampires, including their Alpha, and a phoenix through time travel. It was severely damaged by the Prince of Hell Dagon after three failed attempts to kill her with it. It is unknown if it can be repaired.

Physical Appearance
The gun used in the series is actually a replica Colt Paterson 1836 ball and cap gun modified to fire metallic cartridges. On the barrel of the gun is inscribed a Latin quote from Psalm XXIII:4, "non timebo mala", meaning "I will fear no evil".

On the handle is a carving of a pentagram, with much of the finish removed to give it an aged appearance. It originally came with 13 bullets - eight were used before the Winchesters obtained it, and they used the other five. It then no longer worked. However, Bobby Singer and the demon Ruby managed to make more bullets for it.

Background
"Back in 1835, when Halley's Comet was overhead, same night those men died at the Alamo, they say Samuel Colt made a gun... a special gun. He made it for a hunter -- a man like us, only on horseback. The story goes, he made 13 bullets. This hunter used the gun a half dozen times before he disappeared, the gun along with him. Till somehow, Daniel got his hands on it. They say -- they say this gun can kill anything."

- John Winchester tells the legend of the Colt

In 1835, the famous gun maker and hunter Samuel Colt created the legendary gun that would become known as the Colt and thirteen special bullets for it. Legend states that Samuel Colt created the gun for an unknown hunter that used the Colt six times and whom the gun ultimately disappeared with. However, the gun may have been made for Samuel Colt himself or he later retrieved it as Samuel Colt owned the Colt in 1861.

Over the following years, the Colt became considered by many to be a legend. Samuel Campbell knew of it, but thought it to only be a bedtime story that he would tell his daughter Mary. Even John Winchester would initially believe the Colt to be a mere legend. Variations of the legend existed about just what the Colt could kill. The most commonly known version said that the Colt could kill anything while the version told by Samuel Campbell contained the truth: that the Colt could kill all but five beings in existence.

By 2005, the Colt ended up in the hands of hunter Daniel Elkins who possibly had it passed down to him by his ancestor Mr. Elkins who lived in Sunrise, Wyoming in 1861 when Dean Winchester used the Colt to kill a phoenix and dropped it before returning to his own time. John Winchester is implied to have suspected Elkins of having the gun, having been searching for it in his efforts to kill the Prince of Hell Azazel in revenge for murdering his wife in 1983.

Season 1
In Dead Man's Blood, Daniel Elkins, the current owner of the gun, is killed by Luther's nest who steal the Colt which Elkins attempted to use to defend himself without luck. From a letter sent by Elkins, John Winchester learns that Elkins had the Colt all along and teams up with his sons Sam and Dean to retrieve it. John eventually explains the legend of the Colt to them and his hope that it could be used to kill Azazel, the demon who had murdered their mother. A battle ensues between the Winchesters and the vampires over the Colt. At the end of the battle, John kills Luther with a headshot from the Colt, causing the surviving two vampires to flee.

In Salvation, the Winchesters and the demons fight for control over the Colt while the Winchesters attempted to use it to kill Azazel. Meg begins murdering the Winchesters friends in an attempt to force them to hand over the gun, but John tries to hand over a fake and gets captured. An attempt to kill Azazel in Rosie Holt's nursery fails and results in the Winchesters wasting a bullet though they manage to save the Holt family.

In Devil's Trap, Meg tracks the Winchesters to the house of Bobby Singer in an attempt to retrieve the Colt but is trapped and exorcised. From the dying Meg Masters, the Winchesters learn the location of their father and launch a rescue mission. Though Sam wants Dean to leave the Colt behind, he takes it in secret and uses it to kill the demon Tom to save Sam.

Later, during the Standoff at the Cabin, Azazel, possessing John, tries to trick Sam and Dean into handing over the gun, but Dean sees through the trick. During the confrontation that follows, Sam manages to break free and shoot John and Azazel in the leg with the Colt. Though John orders Sam to shoot him in the heart to kill both John and Azazel, Sam hesitates too long and Azazel flees before Sam can fire, leaving the Winchesters all injured, Azazel gone and only one bullet left in the Colt.

Season 2
At the beginning of In My Time of Dying, Sam uses the Colt to threaten the Trucker demon after the Wrecking of the Impala. Though initially amused, the threat causes the demon to flee his vessel. Later, John Winchester summons Azazel, but offers him the Colt and the last bullet in exchange for saving Dean. Azazel agrees to the deal after John sells his soul as well. Once John has seen that his sons are safe, he turns the gun over to Azazel and completes the deal.

In All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2, Azazel turns the Colt over to Jake Talley as the key to opening the Devil's Gate. After Azazel reveals that the Colt is the only weapon that can shoot him dead, Jake tries to kill Azazel with it but is tempted by the offer of power Azazel gives him. That night, Jake uses the Colt to open the Devil's Gate despite the intervention of the Winchesters, Bobby Singer and Ellen Harvelle and releases hundreds of demons upon the world.

After retrieving the Colt, Dean realizes its still loaded and can be used to kill Azazel. In the following battle, Azazel quickly disarms Dean with telekinesis, flings him against a tombstone and taunts him before preparing to kill Dean with the Colt. Before Azazel can fire, the ghost of John Winchester emerges from the Devil's Gate and pulls Azazel from his vessel, distracting him long enough for Dean to retrieve the Colt from the vessel's hand. When Azazel reenters his vessel, Dean shoots the Prince of Hell in the heart with the Colt, killing him. Afterwards, Dean tosses the empty Colt into the Impala's trunk.

Season 3
In Bad Day at Black Rock, the Winchesters and Bobby Singer attempt to get the Colt working again without success. Bobby continues his work alone in Sin City and while testing the gun, is approached by Ruby who he shoots to no effect. Ruby is able to help Bobby create new bullets for the gun which Sam uses to kill the demons Casey and Father Gil.

At the end of Bedtime Stories, Sam summons Dean's Crossroad Demon in an attempt to use the Colt to force her to break Dean's deal. However, the demon reveals that she doesn't hold Dean's deal and killing her won't change anything. Despite this, Sam kills her with a headshot from the Colt. His actions are discovered by Dean in Red Sky at Morning when he notices a bullet missing from the Colt and confronts Sam about it.

In Fresh Blood, after Gordon Walker is changed into a vampire, Dean decides to arm himself with the Colt rather than a machete. While hunting Gordon, Dean is forced to use the legendary gun to kill Gordon's Victim, a young woman turned into a vampire by Gordon to lure them into a trap.

In Malleus Maleficarum, Dean attempts to kill Ruby with the Colt when suddenly appears in the road in front of the Impala. However, Sam deflects the shot so the Colt simply fires into thin air. Later, after Dean is hexed, Sam takes the Colt to confront the Book Club in order to force the demon hexing Dean to stop. After Sam determines that Tammi Fenton is the one possessed, he attempts to shoot her with the Colt. However, the demon, Astaroth, is able to stop the bullet in mid-air with telekinesis.

In Dream A Little Dream Of Me, while the Winchesters are Dream Walking to deal with Jeremy Frost, Bela Talbot steals the Colt from their safe, prompting a hunt for her. In Jus In Bello, the Winchesters apparently catch up to Bela who in reality lured them into a trap with the FBI so that she could escape with the Colt. During the Sheriff's Station Siege, Ruby is angered to learn that the Colt is gone and suggests that they will have to use a spell instead to kill the attacking demons.

In Time Is On My Side, Dean finally catches up with Bela with the help of Rufus Turner, but she claims to have already sold the Colt. At the end of the episode, as Bela's deal comes due, she reveals she bartered the Colt to Lilith in an attempt to break her deal, but Lilith demanded the deaths of the Winchesters as well.

Season 4
During In The Beginning, after being sent back in time to 1973, Dean learns that the Prince of Hell Azazel is making deals with people. Dean tells Samuel Campbell that he intends to use the Colt to kill Azazel in 1973, causing Samuel to show a disbelief in the legendary gun's existence, telling Dean that its just a bedtime story he used to tell his daughter. Despite this, Dean tracks the Colt down at Daniel Elkins place and convinces him to part with the gun.

While at Liddy Walsh's home, Dean attempts to kill Azazel with the Colt, but fails. Dean later struggles to reach it while Azazel is possessing Samuel as does Deanna Campbell, both with no success. As Mary makes the deal with Azazel, Dean arrives and takes aim with the Colt, but Azazel vacates Samuel's body before he can fire.

Season 5
At the end of Sympathy for the Devil, Sam suggests that he and Dean should look for the Colt as a possible way of killing Lucifer. In the alternate future of The End, the future Dean locates the Colt and leads a mission with it to kill Lucifer. However, the future Dean is killed by Lucifer and the mission fails.

At the end of The Real Ghostbusters, Becky Rosen reveals that in the book version of Time Is On My Side, Bela Talbot gave the Colt to a demon named Crowley instead of Lilith as she had claimed. In Abandon All Hope..., Sam and Dean attempt to steal the Colt from Crowley who uses the gun to kill two of his own demons and reveals that he wants the Winchesters to use it to kill Lucifer.

In Carthage, Missouri, when confronted with Meg and several hellhounds, Dean uses the gun to threaten the demon before ultimately shooting a hellhound with the Colt, killing it. After the sacrifices of Ellen and Jo Harvelle take care of the hellhound pack, Sam and Dean make their move on Lucifer. While Sam distracts Lucifer, Dean shoots the archangel through the head with the Colt at point-blank range, apparently killing him. However, Lucifer rises again and reveals that he is one of only five beings in all of Creation that the Colt can't kill. He knocks Dean unconscious against a tree and the Colt is last seen dropped next to Dean before he and Sam are rescued by Castiel.

Season 6
In Frontierland, while looking for information on how to kill Eve, Dean discovers from Samuel Colt's Journal that he killed a phoenix in Sunrise, Wyoming in 1861. With phoenix ash being Eve's only weakness, the Winchesters have Castiel send them back in time to 1861 to retrieve the ashes after Samuel Colt kills the phoenix.

In 1861, Sam tracks down Samuel Colt shortly after he uses the Colt to kill two demons. Though Samuel Colt refuses to help fight the phoenix, Sam manages to convince him to lend Sam the Colt which he gives to Dean. During a duel with Elias Finch, the phoenix, Dean wields the Colt, killing Finch with a shot to the heart while Finch's shot misses Dean entirely. Dean drops the Colt as he rushes to retrieve the phoenix ash and its last seen on the ground where Dean dropped it.

Season 12
In a flashback to after the Apocalypse in Stuck in the Middle (With You), Crowley offers the Colt to the Prince of Hell Ramiel while trying to convince Ramiel to become the new King of Hell. Ramiel is shocked to see the Colt and wonders where Crowley got the legendary gun. Though Ramiel accepts the Colt and the Lance of Michael, he refuses the throne of Hell.

In the present of the episode, Mary Winchester leads a mission to steal the Colt for the British Men of Letters under the guise of dealing with a misbehaving demon. Though Mary succeeds in stealing the Colt, the Winchesters and their allies are unprepared to face a Prince of Hell, leading to Castiel being fatally poisoned by the Lance of Michael. Ramiel relentlessly pursues the Winchesters, angered that they stole from him and offering them their lives if they return his property to him. The Winchesters manage to kill Ramiel with the Lance of Michael and Mary hands the Colt over to Arthur Ketch, commenting that her father had told her stories about the gun and how there are only five things it can't kill. At the same time, Crowley desperately searches Ramiel's house for the Colt without success.

In The Raid, after learning that the Alpha Vampire is leading an attack on the British Men of Letters compound personally, Sam asks if the British Men of Letters have anything stronger than the AVD. This prompts Mary to have Mick Davies bring out the Colt, the strongest weapon the British Men of Letters possess. Sam is shocked to see the legendary gun once again, forcing Mary to admit that she stole it from Ramiel. However, the British Men of Letters have no bullets for the gun. Sam provides Mick with Bobby Singer's ritual to create more before leaving to get the AVD.

Moments after creating new Colt bullets, the Alpha Vampire invades the command room, aided by rogue hunter Pierce Moncrieff. Mick quickly hides the Colt and palms the new bullets so that the Alpha Vampire doesn't see them. When Sam and Mary arrive, Sam quickly grabs the empty gun and threatens the Alpha Vampire with it. Though impressed that Sam has the Colt, the Alpha Vampire claims to be one of the five things the gun can't kill. Sam sees through the bluff, pointing out that the Alpha Vampire would've already attacked if that was true. Sam uses the threat of the Colt to negotiate with the Alpha Vampire to let himself and Mary go in exchange for allowing him to have the British Men of Letters.

An apparently enraged Mick attacks Sam, but in reality slips him a bullet for the Colt while Mary distracts the Alpha Vampire long enough for Sam to load the gun. After throwing off Mary's attack, the Alpha Vampire calls Sam's bluff with the unloaded gun only to have Sam reveal how he just loaded it with Mick and Mary's help. Sam shoots the Alpha Vampire through the head with the Colt, killing him.

In The British Invasion, Mick provides the Winchesters with the Colt to face off against Dagon, stating that he will want it back afterwards. In the confrontation that follows, Eileen Leahy attempts to kill Dagon with the Colt, but misses when Dagon teleports away, causing the shot to kill Renny Rawlings instead. After the Winchesters succeed in talking Mick down, Eileen leaves with the Colt and returns it to the Winchesters before she leaves for Ireland.

In The Memory Remains, Dean brings the Colt with him on a hunt while Arthur Ketch and two of his men search the Men of Letters bunker, particularly for the Colt. During the hunt, the Colt is stolen from Dean by Pete Garfinkle who tries to kill Barrett Bishop Jr. with it before Pete is killed by Sam. At the end of the hunt, Sam uses the Colt to kill the pagan god Moloch.

In The Future, the Colt is stolen by Castiel in his and the angels efforts to kill Dagon and Kelly Kline before her Nephilim child can be born. When Castiel steals the Colt, there are only two bullets in the chamber and he was unable to ask for more. In the angels' skirmish with Dagon, Castiel gets off a shot, but misses the Prince of Hell. While Dagon is distracted with Hozai, Castiel attempts to shoot her but is stopped by Kelvin in favor of going after Kelly. He is able to find Kelly, but can't bring himself to shoot her. When the Winchesters arrive at Castiel's motel room, Castiel draws the Colt, fearing that they are Dagon. An annoyed Dean comments on Castiel stealing the Colt and takes it back from him.

During the Skirmish at the Heavenly Portal, Dean attempts to shoot Dagon with the Colt, only to have her teleport out of the way. Dagon disarms Dean and decides to take the Colt "off the board" by heating it up to the point that the barrel glows red hot and falls off.

In Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes, Sam examines the badly damaged pieces of the Colt in the Men of Letters bunker and admits that he doesn't know if he can fix it or not.

Known Owners and Users

 * Samuel Colt
 * Dean Winchester
 * Daniel Elkins
 * Luther
 * John Winchester
 * Sam Winchester
 * Azazel
 * Jake Talley
 * Bobby Singer
 * Bela Talbot
 * Crowley
 * Ramiel
 * British Men of Letters
 * Mick Davies
 * Eileen Leahy
 * Pete Garfinkle
 * Castiel

Usage
"They made the bullets special for this Colt. (...) Without 'em, this gun is useless."

- John Winchester

The Colt's original thirteen bullets could kill almost anything; there were only five things in all of creation (including Lucifer) that couldn't be killed by the revolver.

After using all the bullets, Ruby helped Bobby make other bullets that can kill supernatural monsters. Also, its barrel acted as a key to unlock a Devil's Gate, as seen in the episode All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2.

The following denotes the known uses of the Colt with the original "Samuel Colt" bullets shown in the color grey:

Appearances

 * Season 1
 * Dead Man's Blood
 * Salvation
 * Devil's Trap
 * Season 2
 * In My Time Of Dying
 * All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2
 * Season 3
 * Bad Day at Black Rock
 * Sin City
 * Fresh Blood
 * Bedtime Stories
 * Malleus Maleficarum
 * Dream A Little Dream Of Me
 * Jus In Bello
 * Season 4
 * In The Beginning
 * Season 5
 * Sympathy for the Devil
 * The End
 * The Real Ghostbusters
 * Abandon All Hope
 * Season 6
 * Frontierland
 * Season 12
 * Stuck in the Middle (With You)
 * The Raid
 * The British Invasion
 * The Memory Remains
 * The Future
 * Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes

Trivia

 * The props department of the show has a rubber version to be used in fight scenes for pistol whipping.
 * The design of the Colt appears to be a stylized Colt Paterson black powder revolver, patented by Samuel Colt in 1836. The Colt Paterson, however, was designed to use musket balls, having been designed and patented prior to the invention of conical-shaped bullets.
 * The Colt has appeared at least once in every season from Season 1 to Season 6.
 * Lucifer mentions that there's five things in creation that the Colt can't kill, and only he so far has been confirmed to be one of them. In The Raid, the Alpha Vampire claims to be another, but Sam Winchester quickly sees through this lie as the Alpha Vampire hasn't attacked him yet. The Alpha Vampire's claim is proven to be false when Sam kills him with the Colt.
 * While the Winchesters didn't know about the limitation on the Colt's ability to kill, Mary Winchester, who heard it from her father, the British Men of Letters and the Alpha Vampire all knew.
 * Sam and Dean Winchester have killed the most creatures on-screen with the Colt, each with 5. Dean killed Elias Finch, Tom, Azazel, Gordon's Victim, and a member of Meg's Hellhound Pack with the Colt. Sam killed Dean's crossroads demon, Casey, Father Gil, the Alpha Vampire, and Moloch.
 * The fate of the Colt was unknown until Stuck in the Middle (With You), where it is revealed that Crowley gave it to Ramiel between the events of Swan Song and Exile on Main Street. It was in the Winchester's possession after Eileen Leahy missed Dagon before Dagon severely damaged it in The Future.
 * In The Raid, the ritual for creating the Colt's new bullets is revealed.
 * The Colt has had a role in the deaths of two Big Bads: Dean used it to kill Azazel and later to kill a Phoenix whose ashes he needed to kill Eve.
 * In its Season Twelve return, The Colt was used to kill the same type of monster it was first used against in Season One and later in Season Three: a Vampire.
 * In The Future, Dean reveals that he sleeps with the Colt under his pillow.
 * The Colt has been used on two Princes of Hell, Azazel and Dagon and has missed both of them, though Azazel was eventually killed by the gun. Dagon suffered three failed attempts to kill her with the Colt, though only two shots were ever fired at her.
 * Asmodeus is the only Prince of Hell who was not in some way connected to the Colt. Azazel and Ramiel owned it briefly and Azazel was killed by it while Dagon had three attempts made to kill her with the gun, and destroyed it.
 * The Winchesters and Castiel had two missed chances where the Colt could've killed Dagon but they missed the chance in The Future: when Dagon is busy with Hozai, Castiel takes aim at her and has a chance to kill Dagon while she is distracted. However, he is stopped by Kelvin in favor of going after Kelly Kline since they only have one bullet left. Later, during the Skirmish at the Heavenly Portal, if Sam had shot Dagon with the Colt instead of his regular gun as she prepared to kill Castiel, he could've killed her. Instead, by the time Dean emerged with the Colt, Dagon was prepared to stop the attempt.
 * John Winchester was the first person to use the Colt on-screen, the first to kill a vampire, as well as the first to make an on-screen kill with the weapon, and was also the first to use one of the thirteen original bullets.
 * When a fan asked Jensen what four things The Colt couldn't kill besides Lucifer, Jensen said "God, Amara, and the Winchester Brothers."