Colt SAA Advice Needed

[Randy63]

Hello all,
Like a lot of folks I've wanted a saa since I'm a kid. I'd like to buy a real Colt saa to shoot occasionally. I want one with the 5.5" barrel. Would I be better off finding a nice used 2nd generation or a new 3rd gen. I like the looks of the nickel guns. Are they much harder to keep looking nice? What's a fair price to pay for a 3rd generation nickel gun?

Thanks,

K22

 

[Old Fuff]

Well if you want to buy a Colt Single Action you'd better save your money ....

That said, those in mint or near mint condition usually command high prices from colectors or investors. Those that have been shot and/or show finish wear usually go in the $700.00 - $900.00 range unless they are really beat. Factory nickel finish is much harder to find as only about 1 in 5 or so were nickeled.

In my opinion the best ones made were in the second-generation and had serial numbers that ENDED "SA" Later ones weren"t as made and had numbers that BEAGIN with "SA."

Third-generation guns incorporated minor changes that were made to make production more economical - in other words they were cheaper, but only slightly so.

 

[Wil Terry]

I OWN FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD GENERATION COLT SAA PISTOLS.

THE CALIBERS SPAN 38SPECIAL TO 45COLT WITH STOPS AT 44SPECIAL, 44/40, AND 45ACP.
The best COLT SAA I own is a third generation SAA 45ACP/45COLT convertible. It was no doubt a bit of the luck -of-the-draw but this 45 sixgun shoots everything well a tiny bit high in 45COLT and a tiny bit low in 45ACP; never touched the sights.
I had Eddie Janis do his magic on it including colorcase hardening the hammer [ I despise white hammer sides ] , fit it with smooth stag stocks, and put a 2 1/4lb trigger on it. None of my other COLT'S will shoot with this particular third generation SAA sixgun and all of the others are damn good pistols or I'd not have bothered keeping them.

 

[cslinger]

Just for the record, American Western Arms is was or is being sued by Colt because their SAAs are much to close to Colts and much much cheaper.

Personally that sounds like mighty fine praise and advertising from Colt if you ask me.

I know part of the mystic is that it is a Colt and I fall into the I would like to have a real Colt myself group but if you are not as interested in name you may just want to check out their offerings.

Chris

 

[Jim March]

For me, it's not about the "Colt name", it's about the SAA's handling over a Ruger Vaquero.

The new Beretta has a lot of possibilities:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13628

There was never anything really wrong with the Ubertis the new Beretta is based on, just a lack of "attention to fine detail". If Beretta can step in and fix that AND provides a transfer bar that doesn't hose the trigger feel, we'll have a real contender for "best SAA clone".

Assuming the new holster biz pans out OK, in a few months I'll finally be shopping for a gun.

If the Ubertis pan out, I'll strongly consider one, otherwise it'll be a bird's-head Vaquero.