Colts cost more than Italian clones or Rugers, but they're worth the money in durability and investment value,IMHO.
I shoot a pair of First Gen SAA's with BP cartridges (45 Colt) and I wouldn't go back to the others. Rugers are big and heavy, Uberti's are OK but the guts can be soft and may need work after a while. Colts just plain work and they're a joy to shoot.
I mostly shoot cap-and-ball pistols whenever I can: I have a pair of Pietta .36 cal Navy's, a pair of Uberti .44 cal 1860 Army Colts, and a pair of Uberti 1858 Remingtons. I far prefer shooting the 1860 Army's to the others. I'm considering buying a pair of real Colt 1860's, though, for the same reasons as above. If the times between strings at a match are close, I will shoot cartridge guns. It takes quite a bit of time to reload C&B guns.
In my book, shooting SASS with anything other than black powder guns & cartridges would be no fun. Unlike the hi-speed "gamers", who typically shoot big Rugers with mouse-fart 38 Special loads with no more recoil and blast than an air pistol, I shoot full-power loads in my pistols and long arms, just like the Earp Bros., Doolin-Dalton gang, Pat Garrett, and the Kid did. The blast, fire, and smoke, are a hoot for me, the other BP competitors, and the spectators too. I shoot my BP pistolas with one gun in each fist, Gunfighter style, when permitted by local club rules; where not permitted, I shoot my pistols in series, 5 shots right-handed then 5 shots left-handed. Just like the old boys did it.
I use the same BP or BP substitute load in 45 Colt in both my pistols and my rifles, 35 gr of American Pioneer or 33 gr of Goex FFFg with a 250 gr bullet. American Pioneer is nice for faster loading, as it will meter through a powder measure without risking an explosion.
I use a Uberti 1873 replica for my main rifle, but have a Rossi 1892 for a backup. My primary shotgun is a Hopkins & Allen mule ear coach gun with 20-inch barrels. I load my shotshells with 1-1/8 oz. of birdshot over 65 gr of FFg Goex, and I sometimes mix some red chalkline chalk dust in with the shot so as to paint pretty pictures of red smoke to go with the yard-long flames that shoot outta my muzzles.
Most Darksiders (BP shooters) don't even try to compete with the mouse-fart-Speedy-Gonzalez crowd. We shoot loud and slow, but we aim to shoot a "clean" stage each time we come up to the firing line. Since we can't shoot fast, we strive for accuracy.
Of course, you may prefer to shoot mouse-fart 38 Special loads and ultra-light shotshell loads, and that's just fine. Not all men are called to shoot the Holy Black.
