I want another 45 besides my Ruger 3 screw but I get cold feet with the price of a new FA. I found one that I love but every time I am about to say yes I wonder if it is worth the 2500+ pricetag.
I have owned a few pythons in my life but would never consider paying what they go for now. For some reason I am close to justifying the FA.
What's your take on them (FA)?
I bought a 97 and it was a very fine revolver. But there is something about them that I don't like. It's almost indescribable but I'll try.
The frame and overall size is awesome. And in .44 Special (mine was) I encountered no COAL problems with the cylinder. But if it's in a longer case, you'll find you have to seat over the driving band with certain, longish type bullets. So, the size is great, but there are drawbacks to it.
The tolerances are almost too good. When things dirty up you may have to really press on the cartridge to get them in the chamber enough to rotate the cylinder. When you thumb the hammer, they don't have the lightning fast feel of a Ruger or Colt. I can't explain it really but they're almost too good.
Also, if I stand on my hind legs and shoot with both my Flattop and FA, there is no difference. I hit everything or miss everything equally. So you sorta find yourself asking WTF you paid that much for something that your 29 or Colt or Vaquero will already do.
If you lay out prone or off a bench, you'll find they group tighter than anything. But as I said, it can't be seen when you start busting clays, cans, or critters. I have rolled a few 200 meter chickens with my old 97, but I've also done that with my 29 and Flattop.
One last thing, FA used a front sight height needed to achieve zero with 180 or 200gr bullets. Name one fugking person you know that spends $2K on a .44 Special, to shoot 200gr XTP's. I've never met one. When I called them and told them I wanted a different sight, they charged me like $40 or some schit.
And if you want a custom like trigger, go ahead and factor in the cost of having it "tuned" because the "untuned" version isn't anything to write home about.
I sold it after determining I'd rather put the money toward an old Colt, custom Ruger, classic Smith, etc.
Travis
