vanfunk
Member
Hi All:
So I was looking for a Colt SAA recently and couldn’t find any locally. I scoured Gunbroker but was unable to find a good example that was in the price range I considered reasonable, but I put what I thought was a longshot bid on a no-reserve auction for a good-looking 3rd Gen Colt. The auction was lengthy and to tell the truth, I kind of forgot about it. Meanwhile, I found a Standard Manufacturing SAA (posted about previously) at a LGS and decided to make it mine.
The Standard is finished to a very high “standard” of course. My example has few if any flaws; if I really nitpick I could say that the front sight could have been better blended into the barrel. The case colors are fantastic although I am not sure how much I like the lacquered finish; I may still decide to take that off with some xylene or some other carcinogenic solvent. The grips are beautiful, figured walnut and those fire-blued, qualified screws… they’re, well, really nice.
Anyway, now to the subject at hand; I won the auction for the Colt! In breaking one of my cardinal rules - never buy a gun I haven’t handled in person - I was a little apprehensive. Fortunately when I arrived at my FFL and unboxed it, I realized my fears were for naught. Initial inspection revealed a couple of extremely light, superficial scratches at the end of the barrel, the kind of thing that could easily be picked up with a couple of incidental rubs against another gun in a case or a safe. All pet peeves were absent - no overpolished backstrap radius (the dreaded “rabbit ears”), no gap between the frame and trigger guard, no dished screw holes. Great start! All paperwork was in the blue box. SN is in the S88XXXA range which I think makes it only a year or two old? Not sure. Edited to add: mine was made in 2020.
How does it compare to the Standard? Extremely well. The bluing is as good if not identical to the Standard. The quality of the case colors is the same, with the exception that the Standard’s appear more vibrant due to the clearcoat lacquer. The fit of the loading gate is almost seamless on the Standard. On the Colt, the seam is more prominent but the fit is still excellent. The Standard has nicer grips by far; the Colt plastic Eagle grips can’t hold a candle to the beauty of the Standard’s figured walnut. The Colt’s fit the frame perfectly, however, with no over-or under-hang anywhere. The action springs are lighter on the Standard but both have crisp triggers in the 2.5-3lb range with no creep and very minimal overtravel.
How does the Colt shoot? Very well. Teeny SAA sights and my left-eye-dominant, right-handed shooting had me printing a little left of center with Fiocchi 255 grain ammo (rated at 750 fps). Nevertheless I was able to shoot this approx. 1.5” group at my typical .20 yard range. Those loads are very light and feel like .38s in the hogleg. We’ll see soon how it handles my usual handload of a 250 RNFP at ~930 fos.
Summary: what’s not to LOVE about this Colt? Unless you don’t like SAA revolvers, this new Colt is really spectacularly made. The Standard is a better gun in an absolute sense - no cast parts, the superb fit of all metal parts, the gorgeous walnut stocks, the fire blue screws - yes, it’s “better.” But that’s not damning of the Colt in the least. I am uproariously happy with this example. If mine is indicative of current production, I’d encourage anyone interested in an SAA to get one without any reservations. It is rumored that Colt will now be picking up production now that CZ owns the company though I have no idea as to the veracity of the claim. They are pumping out a lot of Pythons, Anacondas and King Cobras, though. Anyway, hope you enjoy the review and the pics!
So I was looking for a Colt SAA recently and couldn’t find any locally. I scoured Gunbroker but was unable to find a good example that was in the price range I considered reasonable, but I put what I thought was a longshot bid on a no-reserve auction for a good-looking 3rd Gen Colt. The auction was lengthy and to tell the truth, I kind of forgot about it. Meanwhile, I found a Standard Manufacturing SAA (posted about previously) at a LGS and decided to make it mine.
The Standard is finished to a very high “standard” of course. My example has few if any flaws; if I really nitpick I could say that the front sight could have been better blended into the barrel. The case colors are fantastic although I am not sure how much I like the lacquered finish; I may still decide to take that off with some xylene or some other carcinogenic solvent. The grips are beautiful, figured walnut and those fire-blued, qualified screws… they’re, well, really nice.
Anyway, now to the subject at hand; I won the auction for the Colt! In breaking one of my cardinal rules - never buy a gun I haven’t handled in person - I was a little apprehensive. Fortunately when I arrived at my FFL and unboxed it, I realized my fears were for naught. Initial inspection revealed a couple of extremely light, superficial scratches at the end of the barrel, the kind of thing that could easily be picked up with a couple of incidental rubs against another gun in a case or a safe. All pet peeves were absent - no overpolished backstrap radius (the dreaded “rabbit ears”), no gap between the frame and trigger guard, no dished screw holes. Great start! All paperwork was in the blue box. SN is in the S88XXXA range which I think makes it only a year or two old? Not sure. Edited to add: mine was made in 2020.
How does it compare to the Standard? Extremely well. The bluing is as good if not identical to the Standard. The quality of the case colors is the same, with the exception that the Standard’s appear more vibrant due to the clearcoat lacquer. The fit of the loading gate is almost seamless on the Standard. On the Colt, the seam is more prominent but the fit is still excellent. The Standard has nicer grips by far; the Colt plastic Eagle grips can’t hold a candle to the beauty of the Standard’s figured walnut. The Colt’s fit the frame perfectly, however, with no over-or under-hang anywhere. The action springs are lighter on the Standard but both have crisp triggers in the 2.5-3lb range with no creep and very minimal overtravel.
How does the Colt shoot? Very well. Teeny SAA sights and my left-eye-dominant, right-handed shooting had me printing a little left of center with Fiocchi 255 grain ammo (rated at 750 fps). Nevertheless I was able to shoot this approx. 1.5” group at my typical .20 yard range. Those loads are very light and feel like .38s in the hogleg. We’ll see soon how it handles my usual handload of a 250 RNFP at ~930 fos.
Summary: what’s not to LOVE about this Colt? Unless you don’t like SAA revolvers, this new Colt is really spectacularly made. The Standard is a better gun in an absolute sense - no cast parts, the superb fit of all metal parts, the gorgeous walnut stocks, the fire blue screws - yes, it’s “better.” But that’s not damning of the Colt in the least. I am uproariously happy with this example. If mine is indicative of current production, I’d encourage anyone interested in an SAA to get one without any reservations. It is rumored that Colt will now be picking up production now that CZ owns the company though I have no idea as to the veracity of the claim. They are pumping out a lot of Pythons, Anacondas and King Cobras, though. Anyway, hope you enjoy the review and the pics!
Last edited:
