MedWheeler
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.455_Hunter writes:
Sig line material there.
Sig line material there.
New Colt SAA?
- Thread starter JCooperfan1911
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Tallball
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"I’m going to get a Pietta 1873 next, cowboy the living daylights out of it and try to fix it."
Good choice.
I can't afford a Colt, so I got an Italian job (a Cimmaron). I bided my time and got one under $400 NiB.
The action is nice and it's a very good shooter (better than I am). I'm also impressed by the finish. You read mostly good things about the Italian SAA "clones".
If someone were saving up for a Colt, they could purchase and shoot an inexpensive Italian copy while they were waiting, then sell it and get most of their money back before they bought the Colt.
Good choice.
I can't afford a Colt, so I got an Italian job (a Cimmaron). I bided my time and got one under $400 NiB.
The action is nice and it's a very good shooter (better than I am). I'm also impressed by the finish. You read mostly good things about the Italian SAA "clones".
If someone were saving up for a Colt, they could purchase and shoot an inexpensive Italian copy while they were waiting, then sell it and get most of their money back before they bought the Colt.
BobWright
Member
While the Eliason, and similar rear sights, make excellent target sights, the blade overhangs the frame too much to suit me as it can catch your thumb if one is not careful!
Bob Wright
I “afforded” an actual Colt by buying a pre-owned commemorative model. Most commemoratives are less desirable to purist collectors. The NRA 150th-Year Commemorative was notable in that it had very few markings that indicated it was a commemorative, and other than the grip medallions, nothing bright and shiny. Sadly, water damage, during a storm, marred its finish, and then, it was misplaced during clean-up, so it rusted, for an extended period of time. (It was believed to have been lost or stolen, while we were airing-out the house.) So, it needs a major restoration, when I manage to get it to a friend who will do the work.
My USFA Single Actions remained high and dry, during that flood, thankfully.
My USFA Single Actions remained high and dry, during that flood, thankfully.
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Gordon
Member
From what I have seen USFS SAA are the best ever made for quality AND "traditional" looks !
Mark_Mark
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I got the stoger version of that, the"I’m going to get a Pietta 1873 next, cowboy the living daylights out of it and try to fix it."
Good choice.
I can't afford a Colt, so I got an Italian job (a Cimmaron). I bided my time and got one under $400 NiB.
The action is nice and it's a very good shooter (better than I am). I'm also impressed by the finish. You read mostly good things about the Italian SAA "clones".
If someone were saving up for a Colt, they could purchase and shoot an inexpensive Italian copy while they were waiting, then sell it and get most of their money back before they bought the Colt.
I bought the Stoger verion, and I’m rough with my guns, I dry fired it, dropped it a few times, slip hammer it (dry), and it broke. Took it apart and the bolt broke. It’s a $20 part, and I didn’t want to deal with Stoger long warranty wait time."I’m going to get a Pietta 1873 next, cowboy the living daylights out of it and try to fix it."
Good choice.
I can't afford a Colt, so I got an Italian job (a Cimmaron). I bided my time and got one under $400 NiB.
The action is nice and it's a very good shooter (better than I am). I'm also impressed by the finish. You read mostly good things about the Italian SAA "clones".
If someone were saving up for a Colt, they could purchase and shoot an inexpensive Italian copy while they were waiting, then sell it and get most of their money back before they bought the Colt.
one of the legs on the bolt sheered right off
Speedo66
Member
He said he shot a copy of the paperwork, original paperwork was preserved no doubt.
Mark_Mark
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Was a copy?? lol, I would have shot the original
RetiredUSNChief
Member
HAHAHA!
Yes, it was a printout of the PDF of the owners manual! The actual hardcopy of the owner's manual is still in the case!
Gordon
Member
Ya squided him Chief !
BobWright
Member
Considering the price of current copies of the Colt SAA, one would seem to be better off buying the original Colt. Finely made as they are, years from now they will still be a copy of the Colt, an expensive copy at that. I am referring, of course, to the Standard and USFA models. The Great Western revolvers of yore are collector's items now, but still not in the range of an original Colt.
Bob Wright
Bob Wright
Bristol Mt.Man
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I always wanted one, so I got two, just in case. Both 3rd gen. in 44spl.
JCooperfan1911
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Wow, I am very surprised the gun comes with that stupid paper. I swear Colt should have “U” instead of an “O” sometimes.
Hard pass. It seems Colt does not want you to even attempt to use the guns as a gun?
I lost interest in collecting things when I sold my baseball cards. What a waste of good firearms. I”m glad you shot yours and very nifty idea to shoot that silly paper. Maybe we can send pictures of it to Colt so they can stop being snobs and if there customers want to, I don’t know, SHOOT their guns then they shouldn’t be made to feel bad about it??
RetiredUSNChief
Member
Well...I don't think it's Colt that is being snobbish about this. They're catering to the market. And, of course, absolutely nothing keeps a person from actually firing their SAAs.
There are a LOT of Colt SAAs out there. If Colt quit making them, I suppose their value would go up somewhat, but probably only marginally. And if they did...what do you think the price difference would be between one in NIB condition as compared to one that has been fired and yet taken care of throughout its life? Probably not all that much. Certainly one wouldn't lose any money over the original price, I should think.
Mr. Mosin
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Those grips stand proud... no thanks
I had a 3rd Gen Colt, which some called a 4th Gen because it had a black powder style frame. It never felt right in my hand and I eventually sold it.
You see, I got my start with the SAA back in the mid 1980s. I ended up with 6 of them, all 1st Generation guns, and I shot all of them. Four were pre-1896 and had BP frames as did the originals. I only shot black powder loads through them. The other two were from around the turn of the century, a 4-3/4" SAA and a 5-1/2" Bisley. They got smokeless reloads.
Long story that I won't bother with but I had to sell them and the rest of my 19th Century guns and I got out of back powder cartridge shooting. In my old age and retirement I got back into shooting black powder cartridge, starting with that 4th Gen Colt. Because of spending 10 or 11 years shooting the real thing (1st Gen) the 3rd Gens I've handled just didn't feel right.
It wasn't until I handled a USFA Pre-War model that I found a gun that felt just like the 1st Gen Colts I had once owned. I now have several of them and most with the black powder frame which I prefer.
I looked into a Standard Mfg SA but the sales rep I talked to was only interested in me putting down a deposit. A very negative experience so I stuck with the now discontinued USFAs. Because they aren't making them any more the USFA guns are getting pricy on the used market. Still they are the closet thing I've handled or shot that matches the fit, finish, and quality of the 1st Gen Colt SAA.
Dave
You see, I got my start with the SAA back in the mid 1980s. I ended up with 6 of them, all 1st Generation guns, and I shot all of them. Four were pre-1896 and had BP frames as did the originals. I only shot black powder loads through them. The other two were from around the turn of the century, a 4-3/4" SAA and a 5-1/2" Bisley. They got smokeless reloads.
Long story that I won't bother with but I had to sell them and the rest of my 19th Century guns and I got out of back powder cartridge shooting. In my old age and retirement I got back into shooting black powder cartridge, starting with that 4th Gen Colt. Because of spending 10 or 11 years shooting the real thing (1st Gen) the 3rd Gens I've handled just didn't feel right.
It wasn't until I handled a USFA Pre-War model that I found a gun that felt just like the 1st Gen Colts I had once owned. I now have several of them and most with the black powder frame which I prefer.
I looked into a Standard Mfg SA but the sales rep I talked to was only interested in me putting down a deposit. A very negative experience so I stuck with the now discontinued USFAs. Because they aren't making them any more the USFA guns are getting pricy on the used market. Still they are the closet thing I've handled or shot that matches the fit, finish, and quality of the 1st Gen Colt SAA.
Dave
Mark_Mark
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you don’t like the grips?
Mark_Mark
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alright, have a nice day
Gordon
Member
Uh someone you may have heard of nade the statement : "there are guns for the classes and guns for the masses"
Truer words have not been spoken since IMHO.
Master Blaster
Member
The paper is there because liability lawyers are sharks, and people are stupid.
How many folks that buy one are unaware that the firing pin rests on the primer and can discharge if struck?
How many are too dumb to read the instructions and load all 6 chambers and then carry the gun around?
How many are too dumb to check and see if its loaded before they cock the hammer point it at someone and pull the trigger???
The answer to the above is too many folks.
How many folks that buy one are unaware that the firing pin rests on the primer and can discharge if struck?
How many are too dumb to read the instructions and load all 6 chambers and then carry the gun around?
How many are too dumb to check and see if its loaded before they cock the hammer point it at someone and pull the trigger???
The answer to the above is too many folks.
Driftwood Johnson
Member
Howdy
It has nothing to do with snobbery.
Part of the reason Colt includes that warning is it lets them get around the import rules that the importers of Uberti and Pedersoli replicas have to comply with when importing their single action revolvers into the US. For years Uberti replicas of the SAA had a small hammer block mounted in the hammer that prevented the hammer from falling all the way unless the trigger was pulled. Later they had the two position cylinder pin that prevented the hammer from falling unless the cylinder pin was pulled to the forward position. Most recently Uberti has included a retractable firing pin in the hammer. This version will only fire if the trigger is pulled. All of these efforts have been to get around the Colt's well known tendency to discharge if the revolver falls onto the hammer spur with a live round under the hammer. The Colt action is basically the same as it was in 1873. A strong enough blow to the hammer will most likely discharge the revolver if a live round is under the hammer, even if the trigger is in the so called 'safety cock' notch on the hammer. By emphasizing the Single Action Army is collector's item, and down playing that owners may actually shoot one, they have gotten away with continuing to manufacture a revolver that does not have any modern safety devices built in.
All Rugers made since the mid 1970s have had a transfer bar, all Smith and Wesson revolvers made since sometime in the 1920s have had an internal hammer block. Colt has been able to continue to make a revolver that is unchanged since 1873 without any modern safety features partially because they emphasize it is a collector's item and may not actually be suitable for shooting. Of course, any Colt, no matter when it was made is suitable for shooting, that is just Colt's way of covering their butt. Don't forget, Ruger got sued bigtime and lost bigtime when shooters injured themselves with the old Three Screw Blackhawks that did not have a transfer bar inside. That's why all Rugers have had a transfer bar ever since sometime in the 1970s, and Ruger will convert any old Three Screw have a transfer bar free of charge.
Quality of the 3rd Generation of the Colt Single Action Army (the model currently being made) dipped shortly after it started being made in 1976. At this time Colt did away with the removable cylinder bushing and instead the bushing was integral with the cylinder. This raised an outcry among Colt aficionados so Colt made the cylinder bushing removable again a few years later. Some feel this constituted a 4th Generation of the SAA, but collectors only recognize 3 generations.
I don't own any 3rd Gens, but I own two 1st Gens and five 2nd Gens, including a New Frontier. I have examined several recent 3rd Gens closely, and in my humble opinion the machining is not quite as precise as a 2nd Gen, but it really is not bad. I have no interest in owning a 3rd Gen I have enough Colts, but if I did I would not hesitate to buy and shoot one, they are fine.
The best price I have ever paid for a 2nd Gen SAA is $680 for this one that left the factory in 1968. I bought it about 20 years ago. The reason the price was so good is it is a parts gun, a few of the parts are from different guns. I bought it from an honest dealer who explained all that to me. Do not be put off by its appearance, when I bought it a previous owner had stripped off all the finish in an attempt to make it look old. Another reason for the low price. After 20 years of nothing but Black Powder cartridges being fired through it, it has gotten a little bit more 'seasoned' looking.
The most I have paid for a Single Action Army is $2200 for this 2nd Gen from 1973 a couple of years ago. Besides being in immaculate condition, it came with the original box.
I paid somewhere in between those two prices for my other two 2nd Gen SAAs.
I think I did quite well on this New Frontier a few years ago for $900. All New Frontiers are 2nd Gens, all made between 1961 and 1969, named after President Kennedy's domestic and foreign programs. This one shipped in 1965. New Frontiers are not in as much demand as a standard SAA and generally go for less.
We will not be discussing what I have paid for my 1st Gens.
Regarding broken parts in a Colt:
Here is a broken bolt from my SAA parts gun. They don't break often, but if they do, this is the way they break. Colt bolts are made of spring steel. Every time the cam on the hammer flashes past the bolt as the hammer falls, that leg has to bend then spring back to its original shape. This one finally gave up the ghost right at the thinnest cross section around the pivot hole from metal fatigue. It does not happen often, but when it does, that is where it will break.
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JCooperfan1911
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I want to me you when I grow up, D.J.! Gorgeous guns!!
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
The Colt SAA of the last 10-15yrs is the best they've ever been. Due to stiff competition from USFA, they have really upped their game. I still don't consider them as good as the later domestic USFA's, which have all the appeal of a fine Swiss watch and 19th century craftsmanship. Their machine work, fit and finish are without peer.
Modern Colt's still have white sided hammers and modern hot salt bluing and that to me is not very 19th century. They look like a modern Colt.
With period correct carbona bluing and color case hammer, the USFA Pre-war is a much better representation of the original Colt guns. Only better.
Modern Colt's still have white sided hammers and modern hot salt bluing and that to me is not very 19th century. They look like a modern Colt.
With period correct carbona bluing and color case hammer, the USFA Pre-war is a much better representation of the original Colt guns. Only better.
Not true. In the `80's Cimarron was working with Uberti to improve their guns and paying an extra $30 for extra fit and finish. Today, they all get the same guns and have for some time.
Mark_Mark
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with SA & SAA… I find, you get what you pay for. But, I find joy in stripping a gun and see how I can make it better.
Now were can I find heavy duty parts for a SA 1873??
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