What SAA do I need?

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Dr.Mall Ninja

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This might sound kinda funny, but as a kid I read everything I could about Jesse James and I'm tossing around the idea of a SAA.

What model SAA would be the closest to what he would of carried near the end of his life( assuming he died in 1882 :scrutiny: ) I also want to keep it under $500

I know most of his days he would have shot BP guns but I really dont want to go down that route...

( Am I getting inspired to post this because im watching Unforgiven?)
 
James got his start using a Colt 1860 and a documented James 1860 recently went up for auction. When his career ended, he was using S&W revolvers.

Lots of guns have been declared to belong to James because they were purchased from his mother with the pitch owned and carried by her son. She bought a lot of guns and sold them to make money for herself, smart women working a gullible public.

If you want a SAA get one, if you want a Jesse James revolver, do a bit more research and see what you like.

His brother Frank was known to favor the Remington 1875.
 
Dr.Mall Ninja said:
This might sound kinda funny, but as a kid I read everything I could about Jesse James and I'm tossing around the idea of a SAA.

What model SAA would be the closest to what he would of carried near the end of his life( assuming he died in 1882 :scrutiny: ) I also want to keep it under $500

I know most of his days he would have shot BP guns but I really dont want to go down that route...

( Am I getting inspired to post this because im watching Unforgiven?)
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Doc, if you're on Facebook, look up either Bob Boze Bell or Drew Gomber. They are top notch old west historians and will gladly accept your friend request and answer questions through posts or PM's.;)

LD
 
I don't know how accurate this would have been to Jesse James, but if you want a "gun that won the west," the least expensive SAA I found is the Uberti Hombre. There's a fellow named Tanner who's selling them on GB for $250. It's a 4-click clone of the 1873 Colt, .45 Colt (from Tanner), but a .38/.357 is also available at Academy for about the same price.

For $250, it lets you get into the SAA field without a massive investment.

There have been a few threads on SAAs recently. Five minutes of looking back through a few pages of revolver forum should find them.

Q
 
I have a SAA .357 made by in Texas. How many clicks is an SAA supposed to have? Does click count matter?
 
what quoheleth said,hombre at acadaemy in sundays paper 259.00,heck of a deal,i think its the matt finish not blued,who cares.
 
I have a SAA .357 made by in Texas. How many clicks is an SAA supposed to have? Does click count matter?
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Howdy

A SAA has four clicks. The first one is when the hammer goes to the 'safety cock' position, the second is at half cock, the third is when the bolt pops up and contacts the cylinder, the fourth is full cock. Sometimes there is a fifth click if the gun is slightly out of time, the hammer may go to full cock just before the bolt pops up into the locking slot on the hammer. If the gun is perfectly timed, full cock and the bolt locking the cylinder should be indistinguishable, but in reality, many guns go to battery a hair after the hammer goes to full cock. Not really an issue usually because most of the time the hammer is cocked forcefully enough and there is enough over travel in the hammer to allow the gun to go safely to battery when the hammer is cocked.

Whether or not it is important is a matter of some debate. Some shooters are adamant that they only want a single action revolver with four clicks. Modern Rugers only have one click, when the hammer goes to full cock and the cylinder locks up, and they are fine guns too. I guarantee you that if you are shooting the gun the way it was designed to be shot, you will not hear the separate clicks.

P.S. Reading between the lines, I think you probably have a SAA clone made by Uberti in Italy and imported by Cimarron in Fredericksburg, Texas. As far as I know, nobody is manufacturing single action revolvers in Texas.
 
Jessie was back-shot by Bob Ford while his S&W Schofield revolver remained holstered. Depending on who's telling the story, he was either wearing it or it hung nearby on a wall peg. And yes, it's rumored his brother Frank favored the top-framed Remington 1875. Both, along with the Colt SSA, are available in variants from trash to treasure. Best bet? Go to a SASS gathering (they're a VERY hospitable bunch) and they'll wear you out with opinions & guns to try.
 
Hey Strawhat, Nice to hear from ya'! Wouldn't presume to doubt you Brother. It's just a habit to hedge my sometimes authoritative tone around here. I've made a casual hobby of reading Western history (just finished "They call me Doc") and there's sooo many conflicting, supposedly first-hand accounts of events that I'm overly cautious about being "right". Thanks for the affirmation. ;)
 
On the day he was shot in the back by Bob Ford, Jesse had two revolvers. One was a Schofield Smith & Wesson, and the other a Colt .45 Single Action Army with a 7 1/2" barrel. Both were U.S. marked, and it's believed that Jesse got them when he and several others held up an Army payroll master.

It was a warm day, and Jesse had taken off his coat. He them became worried that someone might look through the window and notice he was armed - something that didn't fit his reputation as "Mr. Howard."

Consquencely he removed his gunbelt and holstered revolvers and laid them on a nearby bed. In doing this he gave the Ford brothers the opportunity they were looking for.

At this time the Schofield is missing, although there are photographs of it. The Colt is (or at least was) in a museum in Liberty, MO.

Uberti makes an accurate reproduction of the 1873 SSA as it was purchased by the Army. It is sold by Cimarron Arms in Texas (www.cimmarron-firearms.com

They also sell a replica Smith & Wesson Schofield.
 
The Ford's didn't either...
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And much to the surprise of John Wilkes Booth, he wasn't buried with honors next to Robert E. Lee. Heros are seldom pre-intended, unless you're John Kerry. (Whoops, sorry! Pardon the political eye-poke. How very "LowRoad" of me.)
 
And yes, it's rumored his brother Frank favored the top-framed Remington 1875.
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Frank's 1875 Remington, along with cartridge belt and "scabbard." is now in the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in L.A. The rig isn't exactly what you'll find on most well-dressed SASS shooters. :D

Don't remember too much about the Booth business, cuz I was pretty young back then. :scrutiny: :uhoh:
 
Like this one?
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Not exactly. This link shows the exact one, complete with military markings.

http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/ModelP/CA514-7thCavalry.htm#

It runs about $607.00 retail. The same revolver, less the specific military stamps is about $50.00 less.

It depends on just how exact you want to be, but basically you want a reproduction of Colt's model 1873 Single Action Army, chambered in .45 Colt. with one-piece walnut stocks and a 7 1/2" barrel. Any number of importers/distributors/dealers offer these for various prices and discounts.
 
These are cheaper to feed.
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Here is an Uberti Old West finish 45...........Have ya checked the cost of 45colt ammo lately?
guns058.jpg
 
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...........Have ya checked the cost of 45colt ammo lately?
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That's why the smart folk reload their own .45Colt. It's not hard to set up a simple non-progressive reloading rig for around $250 give or take. And at the price of factory .45Colt the investment will quickly pay for itself.

The other historically accurate round used in the early days is .44-40. But it's even worse than .45Colt for current factory availability and pricing.

There were some other fairly popular handgun calibers but they don't have the same luster to most folks since the names for them don't start with a "4"... :D

I was under the impression from some reading around that Jesse James' handgun of choice was the S&W Schofield. Given that from this thread it would appear accurate you're going to have to bump your budget up to around double to get the Uberti version. And I've heard personally from a couple of owners of them that they are not that tolerant of stout recoiling rounds of modern smokeless. Stick with cowboy pressure rated loads if you want a long life from a Schofield clone.
 
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I know that you mentioned no interest in a Cap & Ball revolver, but a Ruger Old Army is considerably cheaper to feed than a .45 Colt & almost as much fun. And, IMHO, there's no better handling SA revolver than the 1851 Navy Colt (just ask Bill Hickok).
 
Handloading the .45Colt is a lot cheaper than feeding a cap & ball pistol!

I say forget what Jesse James used, or allegedly used. Handle them all, study them, shoot them if you can and find the one YOU like best.
 
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