Picard examines a 500-year-old Colt .45
The Colt .45 was a projectile weapon popular in the 19th and 20th centuries. The .45 single action cavalry pistol was invented by Colt Firearms in 1873.
In 1893, Samuel Clemens owned a Colt .45 which was lost to time under San Francisco, only to be later discovered in the 24th century. (TNG: "Time's Arrow", "Time's Arrow, Part II")
In 2268 in the melkotians reinactment of The Gunfight of OK Corral, the entire landing party was given colt 45.'s, however they were never used, as they were given to them by people who were to execute them. Their remakes of the Earp brothers also carried the same guns. (TOS: "Spectre of the Gun")
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Background
Data incorrectly refers to the Colt revolver discovered at the archeology site as a ".45 caliber double action cavalry pistol invented by Colt Firearms in 1873.". In actuality, Colt never produced a double action revolver in 1873. The revolver was in fact a "Colt Single Action Army" also known as "The Colt Peacemaker" (see external links below).
In the episode TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday", the sidearms carried by the Air Police and by Lieutenant Colonel Fellini were the 1917 version of the Colt .45, the six-shot revolver M1917 used during World War I.