I've looked over some Rodeos. Thoroughly unattractive finish. But, they have to have the tightest lockup I've ever come across.
Only FA beats 'em. Or maybe a Korth, which I've never handled but for $5K it BETTER lock up like a bank vault
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But the Rodeo is a damned good gun. What they do is, they only build to one set of blueprints for all guns. Rodeos get a crude finish in-house. The $1,200ish higher-end pieces go to Doug Turnbull for case hardening, high-gloss bluing, etc. But the thing is, since they expect the higher-end guns to fetch over $1k, they know it has to be as mechanically perfect as it is good looking.
So the Rodeos are basically "thousand dollar guns under a cheap paint job".
It's like finding a Python in perfect mechanical condition and a great shooter with a great trigger for $400 because it's got a ton of holster wear from some dude that barely shot it.
It *should* be possible to have a Rodeo refinished to a higher standard sometime down the road. Something like...
MASTER GRADE FINISH: Guns are mirror polished. Blue guns have a deep gloss similar to Colt Pythons of old. Plated and stainless guns shine like mirrors.
$315 (entire gun)
http://alphaprecisioninc.com/contact/prices.htm (Gunsmith Jim Stroh, very reputable)
Do that and some really good grips on a Rodeo, you'd have something quite decent...the hammer and trigger are color-case-hardened even on a Rodeo.
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SOMEWHERE I heard that the Colt Cowboy had some Italian "innards". But I could be either misinformed, or confused with the brief recent run of Colt open-top percussion guns that WERE largely Italian (the cap'n'balls I'm positive of, all parts were Italian and were fitted/finished stateside).