1873 SAA

[William surveyor]

Hi folks, please forgive, I here am new, so I’m pretty sure this question has been asked. I am considering an 1873 45 LC clone for Christmas, but I really don’t want one with floating firing pins, transfer bars and the like. I’d like one as close to original design as possible. I’m smart enough to only load five. Looking on internet is a dizzying experience. Would one or all of you be able to suggest what I want and where to get it? Thanks a bunch in advance

 

[.38 Special]

I asked a similar question a while back and got some pretty good answers.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/best-authentic-saa-clone.870627/

 

[Master Blaster]

Whatever you do stay away from Uberti with the floating firing pin.

The first one I bought an el patron .357 went back twice. Once for the fp safety, and a second time when the frame stretched and the gun went out of time completely at 200 rounds of .38 spl. Thankfully I never fired any full power or magnum ammo out of it.

They destroyed my first el patron and sent me a new one 5 months later.
It was unable to fire one full cylinder of ammo out of the box. Back it went to benelli. I requested a refund. 4 weeks+ and they sent me an email saying they were fixing it.

uberti = Utter garbage

 

[William surveyor]

Thank you both. One of this guns assignments is going to keep rattlesnakes and coyotes at a respectable distance as I do my job as a land surveyor. Right about then is when I don’t want it to hiccup. Plus it’s just a drop dead sexy revolver.

 

[Master Blaster]

Get a ruger, vaquero or blackhawk, accurate durable reliable.

 

[Armored farmer]

I am sorry that @Master Blaster had such a lemon. I would be upset if I had bought that lemon too. my experience with an Uberti El Patron has been very good. It has the floating firing pin. It is a smooth running, accurate, and good looking.
I have three Uberti. All have been excellent.
I have a Pietta also, and it has been perfect.

I am satisfied that I bought the Uberti instead of a vaquero.

 

[ontarget]

My experience mirrors that of @Armored farmer . I've been happy with all 3 of my Ubertis. If the floating FP is a deal breaker there is a kit available to replace it with a hammer with a fixed FP.

 

[v8stang289]

Both mine are Cimarron, made by Uberti. One is an older fixed firing pin in 45 and the other is a newer floating pin in 357.
No issues with either one.

 

[William surveyor]

Is this a drop in kit with no further modifications? If so, where would I find it? Uberti looks good but have heard a lot of horror stories. Want a dependable one

 

[William surveyor]

Love that cimmaron. Been thinking hard about one of those

 

[ontarget]

Is this a drop in kit with no further modifications? If so, where would I find it? Uberti looks good but have heard a lot of horror stories. Want a dependable one

I believe the kit is available on Ubertis website.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

My Uberti had the little flat spring break once but I replaced it with the piano wire type and it works well. I like it.

Mine goes with me places

 

[Master Blaster]

The drop in hammer and trigger will not fix a poorly heat treated defective frame.

Uberti may have made a wonderful saa once but two in a row with major defects and I wouldn't ever buy another they make.

 

[1KPerDay]

Get a ruger, vaquero or blackhawk, accurate durable reliable.

OP said he didn't want transfer bars.

 

[Jim Watson]

Old Model Ruger, then.

 

[NeroM]

Pretty satisfied here with Taylor Uberti - in 44 Mag with the "Army style" grip.
Fits my large hand comfortably,
Shoots well, like it.
Only issue so - not actually related to the firearm - seam on the supplied case split;
Applied some ShoeGoo to fix it.

 

[Jimster]

Love show and tell. My Uberti blackpowder frame is my favorite revolver! Solid firing pin hammer sounds interesting and more authentic. Wouldn’t mind getting one.

 

[Crunchy Frog]

I suggest a Pietta with a traditional lockwork. It will come with a two position base pin as a sort of manual safety. You can ignore it, or modify or replace the pin.

The EMF Great Western 2 is one example, another is the Cimarron Frontier.

I know a couple of people who have purchased the El Malo at a decent price. It’s a Pietta with an octagonal barrel. I think it has the longer 1860 style grip frame so it’s not an exact replica of the Colt SAA.

 

[William surveyor]

Thanks for all the advice. I certainly appreciate it. And thanks for sharing pics of your toys. Maybe I will have one to share in a bit.

 

[Jimster]

You’re welcome. Now I feel like going to the backyard and squeezing some blackpowder rounds off into my burn pile.

 

[Speedo66]

Another satisfied Uberti with fixed firing pin customer.

Click click click click.

 

[AlexanderA]

Whatever you do stay away from Uberti with the floating firing pin.

That "floating firing pin" is wholly contained within the hammer. The hammer can be replaced with a standard one. VTI Gun Parts is your friend.

In general, Uberti SAA clones are excellent quality.

 

[Tallball]

My inexpensive Cimarron has a traditional firing pin without any sort of obvious interference.

I bought it NiB this year.

I think it's the version where you can have the cylinder pin only 95% of the way in and the gun won't function, but if you push it in that final little bit, everything works.

If I'm recalling correctly, they pretend that's a safety device.

Cimarron Model P in 357 magnum

• Tallball
• Apr 24, 2021

 

[Electricmo]

Cimarron pistols made by Pietta will have traditional hammers. As stated before the cylinder base pin will have to notches for safety. Easily modified or replaced. I have two of these pistols and cannot complain.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

I think it's the version where you can have the cylinder pin only 95% of the way in and the gun won't function, but if you push it in that final little bit, everything works.

If I'm recalling correctly, they pretend that's a safety device.

I think you have that backwards.

I bought this Uberti Cattleman used, about 20 years ago. It came with the two position cylinder pin. When the pin is shoved all the way in, the rear of the pin protrudes out the back of the frame enough to prevent the hammer from falling all the way forward. With the pin pulled forward to the second position, the rear of the pin does not protrude and the hammer can fall all the way to fire a cartridge. This style of 'safety device' did not really work as a safety in the conventional sense of the word because nobody would stop, grab the pin with their other hand, and pull the pin forward in order to shoot. It was really only a device to allow the revolvers to be imported. Many of us realized what a stupid device it was and either ground off the rear of the pin, or substituted a conventional cylinder pin. I probably still have the stupid two position pin somewhere in my parts box, but I bought a replacement pin that fucntioned just like a Colt, only one position.






This photo shows the Belt Mountain pin I substituted for the original two position pin. This revolver has a coil spring in one of the grip screws substituting for the leaf spring in the hand that is subject to breakage.






It has a conventional firing pin mounted in the hammer, pretty much like a Colt.






When Uberti came out with the hammer mounted retractable firing pins just a few years ago, it took a year or so before all the old stock with a conventional hammer were sold out. So far as I know, the retractable style firing pin is all that is available from Uberti now.