Which S.A. Army to buy.....

[Sky Dog]

I'm looking to add to my collection. Looks like Ruger has cornered the market on that one. Problem is, I've never been a big Ruger fan. I come from the Colt and SW camp. I know that the Vaquero is a good pistol, and I'll probably go with it. But I would like get more options. Your thought?

 

[Jim Watson]

Colt.

Foreign copies from Uberti and Pietta, sold here by a number of importers.

Second hand USFA.

 

[Rio Laxas]

I'm really happy with my Cimarron (Uberti) Model P in .45 Colt with a 7.5" barrel. It is my first SAA clone and I really like it. I think I need a 4 3/4" now maybe in .44 Special if I can find one.

 

[ACP]

Once a Colt, always a Colt. They only hold their value or go up, not down.

 

[CraigC]

The New Vaquero is a good gun and looks similar to a SAA but the action is completely different.

The various replicas by Uberti and Pietta are also good guns and a very good value. I've thought highly enough of them to have one engraved and bought another stocked in ivory. I have at least two custom guns in the planing stages using Uberti base guns.




Some 3rd generation Colt's are good, some not so good. The later guns of the last several years, including current production, are the best they've been in a long time. Here's one from the early `90's.


USFA's, especially the later domestic guns, are the cream of the crop. Even better than Colt. As close as you can get to old world hand fitting in a modern gun. Unfortunately, they're also out of production and their prices reflect that. Although the speculatin' has calmed to a dull roar.

 

[CraigC]

Once a Colt, always a Colt. They only hold their value or go up, not down.

Oft repeated, hardly ever true. I paid the same $1200 for the USFA and Colt above, about a year apart. Which do you think is worth more today? The 3rd generation guns have always been a poor financial investment. They hold their value if you don't shoot them, like every other gun. Or they depreciate when shot/used, like every other gun. Fact is, new Colt SAA's have been around $1200 for as long as I can remember, except for the couple years their MSRP jumped to $1950. You can bet your tail feathers those guns depreciated as soon as they dropped the retail price back down to sane levels.

 

[horsemen61]

Well boys I buy guns to shoot not sale later. although I have sold lots of them and to me while gorgeous the usfa guns and real colts are outta my league. I'd like to have a good clone thought that represents the same size frame as the original.Plus I want a matched pair of ruger new vaquero's that have been slicked up by a great smith.

 

[rcmodel]

Buy a real Colt SAA.

Buy once, cry once.

You will never be sorry you didn't buy the real thing years down the road.

Because anything else isn't a real Colt SAA.

rc

 

[bannockburn]

Have been very happy with my Beretta Stampede.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

What's your dream?

As far back as my early childhood, it was the Colt SAA, 5.5" barrel, color case hardened, in .45 Colt caliber.

Not a Ruger. Not a Cimmaron. A Colt.

I finally realized that dream a couple years ago, 200 years after the birth of Samuel Colt. Exactly what I wanted, unfired, NIB condition.

And yes...I've shot the bejeebers out of it! "Collectors" gun or not, I didn't buy it to sit around and gather dust. I bought it to fulfill a life long childhood dream.

NOW, having realized my childhood dream, I'm also open to one of the clones. Maybe a Uberti Cattleman 1873. In .357 Magnum.


Remember...it doesn't have to be about buying ONE...

 

[ACP]

Craig C, both of my Colts -- a 3rd Gen. SAA nickel plated in .45 Colt, and a 1911 WWI reproduction in carbonia blue, are now selling online new for 150-200% of what I paid for them 5-10 years ago.

If the OP is looking for a shooter, there are plenty of fine choices out there, as the photos reflect. And I've had Rugers and a USFA, both fine guns. But the ones I see the highest price tags on at my LGS, new or used, are Colts. So I think there is a benefit to buying the original, if you can swing the original purchase price.

 

[45 Dragoon]

ACP,
Perception is everything. He (op) may not care about worth as much as function. Until he chimes in again, it's all speculation.
Personally, I would rather have "perfect function" regardless of worth. A new Colt needs "fixing" as much as any S.A. does for performance/longevity.

There's been more than a few threads about "my Colt is better than your imitation". It may be or it may not be. Depends on what is ment by " better". Worth - sure! Performance - hmmm . . . . till you get your Colt fixed, my under $600.00 El Patron will run rings around it!! (Maybe even after you get it "fixed"! Lol)

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Which S.A. Army to buy.....

Howdy

Just so you know, Single Action Army is a registered trademark of the Colt company. Nobody else makes a SAA, only Colt, and Colt will sue the pants off of anybody who tries to use the name.



The others are either Rugers, or replicas. Rugers look a lot like a SAA on the outside, but the mechanism is completely different. Rugers are fine guns, The mechanism has not only been updated, but the parts have heavier cross sections and are far less prone to breakage than a Colt or replica. In addition, any modern Ruger has a transfer bar and is completely safe to carry fully loaded with six rounds.

The Italians make some pretty good replicas, but their quality is just not as good as Colt's. But then again, you don't pay as much for an Italian replica.

You pays your money, you takes your choice.

 

[CraigC]

a 3rd Gen. SAA nickel plated in .45 Colt, and a 1911 WWI reproduction in carbonia blue, are now selling online new for 150-200% of what I paid for them 5-10 years ago.

Why would someone pay double for a 5-10yr old Colt when they could order a brand new one for whatever you paid?

And USFA's that were originally ~$1000 are now selling for over $5000.

1911's aren't part of this discussion but "carbonia" was a proprietary S&W process.

Fact is, most of what we hear about Colt and resale value is people just repeating what they heard. Perpetuated myth. If what you say were so, I wouldn't have been able to get the above Colt for $1200, but I did. If I had waited another six months, that USFA would've been $2500 (without the ivory). Not to mention that domestic USFA's are better made guns, inside and out, without any of the pitfalls present in many contemporary Colt's. With the added bonus that the guns are so precisely machined, you can actually swap grips between guns and have them fit.

 

[rodinal220]

The USFA guns are the best,even the early ones made with Uberti parts, were better fitted than the Colt,and I like Colt. CraigC has pointed out that USFA guns command insane prices now.

USFA built a way better gun than Colt did,and the base models were cheaper than the pony.Sadly, the owner of USFA stopped production and moved on to another project, ZiP-gunbarf:),hes a bit of a strange cat.

I have two older 90s vintage Uberti Cattlemen in 45 Colt that outshoot both my USFA and Colt SAAs.They are not as well fitted action wise and do not spell out C-O-L-T when you cock them,but I have slicked them up a little and they are nice shooters.

The basic Colt SAA for 1200 is a nice gun, but I think Colt did not pay attention to what USFA gave you.

 

[Sky Dog]

Lots of interesting perspectives here. Granted, a Colt is a Colt. I can justify buying a Gold Cup over a Kimber....because it's a Colt. 1911's are in my blood. Being new to the SA Army, it's still a toss up. I like the looks of the Uberti, but I can't ignor the popularity of the Ruger. I'll probably go with the Uberti Cattleman's Cody......I think. Thanks guys!!!

 

[Panzerschwein]

Colt still makes the SAA.

I highly recommend one. All others are just imitations.

 

[red rick]

If you have the cash and the patience I would get a Colt . I didn't have the patience , so I got a Uberti Smoke Wagon Deluxe from Taylor's . I am happy with my choice , at half the cost .

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Lots of interesting perspectives here. Granted, a Colt is a Colt. I can justify buying a Gold Cup over a Kimber....because it's a Colt. 1911's are in my blood. Being new to the SA Army, it's still a toss up. I like the looks of the Uberti, but I can't ignor the popularity of the Ruger. I'll probably go with the Uberti Cattleman's Cody......I think. Thanks guys!!!

I think you will be happy with the Uberti. I would look at the others too like from Cimarrron, Taylor, Traditions and especially Dixie Gun Works. No matter who you buy from most of the replicas are made by Uberti or Pietta in Italy.

 

[BobWright]

Y'all ever notice how CraigC takes every opportunity to post those mouth waterin' photos?

Bob Wright

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

I have been happy with my Uberti. It is more accurate than I am and a more fun than should be allowed!

I ran it in a USPSA style match the other day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHHJfD14JvM

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Y'all ever notice how CraigC takes every opportunity to post those mouth waterin' photos?

Bob Wright

Heck Yeah!

I would too!

 

[Dudemeister]

I think you will be happy with the Uberti. I would look at the others too like from Cimarrron, Taylor, Traditions and especially Dixie Gun Works. No matter who you buy from most of the replicas are made by Uberti or Pietta in Italy.

Just to toss my 2 cents into this. I have a variety of peacemakers in my collection, Uberti Cattleman (sold by Stoeger), a Uberti engraved Cattleman from Taylor's, A Cimarron Thunderball 8 made by Pietta, an Armi San Marco (no longer made) and of course a 90's Ruger Vaquero.

All the Uberti's are nice, but will probably need some work to get them nice and smooth. If you get a Cimarron one, it will probably come already slicked up, but Stoeger and Taylor's don't seem to have any work done on the action. The Stoger in particular needed quite a bit of work on the hand channel to remove the burring, the Taylor just had a pretty crappy trigger pull. Replacing the springs with Wolff springs did the trick.

The Cimarron came with a wonderful action, and the Rugger, I bought used from someone who had it tuned, so I never had to fool with it.

A word on finish. The Uberti case hardening colors are not as nice and vivid as some of the Colts, or USFA. In fact, the Cimarron Thunderball, which is made by Pietta, has beautiful case coloring, superior to the Uberti. The ASM does too. However, the bluing on the Pietta, while beautiful and rich, is very thin, and will get scratched by simply looking at it. The bluing on the Uberti's is very sturdy.

 

[Steve S.]

I own three USFA .45 Colt (set of 3 sequential serial #'s) handguns - I traded Colts for them years back. At the time, the Colt quality just was not there - the USFA quality was superb (whenever I handle them these days, I am still impressed with the quality). I am now reading/ hearing that Colt quality has returned - I will have to take a look-see.

 

[horsemen61]

Steve pics please