OK. You got a LOT of choices here.
A real Colt SAA feels great in the hand, but doesn't have a safety. Hence you load it "five up" and let the hammer down on the empty chamber for carry.
A lot of "true clones" of the Colt are out there, which also lack any real safety. Most of the Italian guns are of this sort, the entire USFA product line, many more.
There are three guns out there that are close to the SAA in feel, but have modern transfer bar safeties: the Beretta Stampede, Taurus Gaucho and Ruger "New Vaquero". Of these the Ruger is the least Colt-like of the lot: you do all loading with the hammer down, just open the loading gate to unlock the cylinder. All other Colt-variants need to be "half cocked" prior to loading. The Ruger system is less authentic, but it's faster. The New Vaq also has a lot of un-Colt-like "innards": coil springs instead of flat for example.
The original Ruger "Vaquero" (now being called the "Old Vaquero" unofficially by some) is built on the larger Ruger frame same as most post-1973 Blackhawks and all SuperBlackHawks. It can handle some real stomper loads. In 45LC these include up to 325gr at up to 1,300fps, which is deep into 44Mag horsepower territory. All of the smaller guns I've mentioned previously come in 45LC caliber (and usually others too) but these monster "45LC+P" loads must NOT be fired out of a Colt SAA-class gun (with or without transfer bar safety).
Colt also made a "New Frontier" which is the SAA but with adjustable sights. A number of SAA-types have been made with adjustable sights matching the looks of the New Frontier. The Ruger Blackhawk is best known of these. Ruger makes one oddball Blackhawk: the "50th Anniversary 357 Flattop" is built on the same smaller and handier frame as the New Vaquero. All other post-73 Blackhawks are built on the bigger 44Mag-class frame same as the "Old Vaquero".
I believe that somebody new to SA revolvers should start with something with a transfer bar safety. The transfer bar won't allow the gun to fire if dropped even if it's cocked first - the trigger must be pressed AND held back to allow firing. It's safe to carry a transfer bar gun fully loaded, hammer down, same as any post-WW2 DA revolver.
My gun is a New Vaq in 357 with modified sights - a dovetail front and a rear sight channel hogged out to match.
The Ruger mid-frame series (New Vaq and the 50th Anniversary 357 Blackhawk) are VERY well made guns, some of the best quality control Ruger has done in years. They're also parts-swappable with the rest of the Ruger product line: mine wears a SuperBlackHawk lowered hammer and I can swap grip frames to either a Bisley or Bird's Head pattern.
If you're into "modding" guns the Ruger is THE way to go!
