Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Cowboy Action Shooting Colt SAA Army

What kind of accuracy should i expect from a colt saa or ruger vaquero or similer saa army revolver without adjustable sights?
What range are they most accurate at "besides across a cowboy poker table range" and how/where do you look at the big front blade when sighting down the barrel?
Do you look for just the tip or do you use the very bottom of the blade to sight it just like a bead?
I "had" a ruger vaquero when they first came out years back in 44magnum..I had to shoot/aim it 12inchs. high to hit the bullseye at 15yards with factory ammo...is this normal kentucky aimimg for these old tyme type guns or can they be made to hit to the tip of the front blade pretty easy without fileing?What has been your experiance?
Thanks for any help or hints

All my USFA and Ruger fixed sight revolvers shoot fairly close to point of aim with my reloads if I put the top of the blade at the top of the rear sight. You might have to tinker with the loads a bit if you want pinpoint accuracy. I carry a .44 Mag SS Vaquero as my tractor revolver and have had no problems hitting my targets.

Thanks,Do any of you cowboy shooter folks actually shoot colt saa army revolvers?
I dont think i have ever seen one used or used & for sale,they are allways new in the box like you are suppose to buy one and just look at it..LOL

I don't have any but lots of people in my club do. I have not found any for sale at any of the stores I frequent. I suppose I could order one but have not so far.

I've got one for sale if your interested.

I am fairly well saturated with single action .45 LC revolvers at the moment but would like to find a nice pair of Colts in 32-20. I know where several SSA's are several hours from here, including two in 32-20, but they are all in very rugged shape.

What do you have for sale Lslite?

Certainly. I've shot lots of them. I have one made in 1882 and I've shot it lots of times. I don't shoot it anymore as I now believe the old ones should only be shot with black and I don't want to deal with the cleanup on a high-dollar antique. Personally, I wouldn't shoot a 1st Generation regularly, unless it was a real low-value gun. 2nd, 3rd and subsequent generations are a different story. Why not shoot an $1100 SAA when many 1911's will run you that much?

Is it OK to fan one like sundance,or is that a big safety No-No?

Not only a safety no no, but it will wreck the guts on Your Colt SAA, there cool enough without a fan,

Gunner

i've one stamped "U.S." made in 1883 that i used to shoot, but not any more. i'll get pics up one of these days.

It's probably not that safe but as was said, it will hurt the innards. The main thing it will do is shear off the notches on the hammer. I've done the very thing, so I am not speculating.

If you really want to fan one, have one modified for that very thing.

I bought this Colt new in '79. It's chambered in .357 magnum and shoots point of aim with 158 grain SP's. It's taken a deer,couple hogs and quite a few coyotes and fox and the action is still tight and smooth. It has never been "fanned" since I'm pretty sure I couldn't hit a damn thing that way.

sswweeettt,still looks brand new!

After looking at nib colt prices and no used ones for sale any cheeper,if i play...looks like iam destined to be plain 'ol ruger blackhawk trash..lol

There ain't a thing wrong with a Black Hawk! I've got a couple of the Ruger hand guns,A single-six,.41 mag Black Hawk and a .45 Bisley model Vaquero. There's no doubt in my mind that they can take the roughest treatment I can dish out and they will all outlive me by many years. I expect my grandson's will get a lifetime of service from them when I'm gone.

Probably the best right now is USFA. They are pricey. Uberti makes a good gun. The New Vaquero looks a lot like a Colt SAA. The latter is fairly reasonable.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=209096200

I'm guessing that is the cheapest.

Keep your eyes open, I got a very nice ColtSAA for $850. I'm shooting it and having fun with it.

10-4 257wby,
I bought a mint Colt SAA and premiun leather rig for 1000 cash.
The deals are out there.
Gunner

Thanks for the encouragement,I'am gonna save up and get a deal on a colt,you talked me into it...LOL Now what barrel size ,caliber and finish!
Here is a pic of a nice'N

I had Bob Munden work on my Ruger New Vaquero with one of the thing he did was sight it in by turning the barrel. Another was action and trigger work. He was able to put 6 rounds into one ragged hole at 15 yards with it and right in the bull too. So I would say the Ruger is very accurate in the hands of someone who can shoot. I'm still working on that part.

I shoot nothing but Colt's in CAS. I also shoot them extensively throughout the year for small game, especially rabbits. 4 of them are first generation guns. Anything made after 1900 is safe to shoot with Cowboy loads. Save the hot stuff for Rugers, if you do blow one up, it's only a Ruger...

Are the second & third generation guns the best or is the newer ones just as good or better?Kinda seems to be 4 generations to choose from...

Second generation Colts may be the very best. They made them after WWII when there was still a lot of care that went into manufacturing, before "Cheap" began to be a rule. 3rd generation guns are still good quality, a bit more affordable, just not quite the finishing touches of the second generation.

There is no real 4th generation, although Colt did produce some Custom Shop SAA's and they did start to re-introduce the base pin bushing in the cylinders again.

Either way, Colt SAA'a are still great guns, worthy of your hard earned $$. You will see that they haven't gotten much over $1300.00 retail, that has been the standard now for a few years.

+1---just like "Series 70 Commander"---there's no such thing.

There's no "real" 45 Long Colt either. Right?

At various times, Wyatt Earp, William Cody, Jesse James, Wild Bill, and John Wesley Hardin, used Smith's. The SAA didn't appear in large numbers on the frontier until the mid-1870's by which time the large-framed Smith and Wesson single actions had been available about five years.

Hannie used a Tranter.

I wonder how come S&W or someone else didn't try to copy the colt... seeing how populer the colt saa is...also someone like winchester could have made a colt copy to go with the rifle,,,seems like everything is copied now days but even after all these years..S&W still doesn't make a colt saa copy,,,i guess Ruger/uberti/freedom arms have gotten comfortably rich from the colt design by now..LOL..

Patents. The Colt SAA was patented. The patents run out after a certain time. I'm no lawyer, but I assume Uberti either started producing their clones after the patents ran out or Italy didn't recognize the US patent laws. I would guess the former. It could also be that the Uberti is just different enough to get around the laws. There were Spanish copies of the SAA back during the era. These were probably infringements as were the Spanish and Belgium copies of the Smith and Wesson. I had one of the latter at one time. A copy of the 2nd Russian model #3 Single Action.

Smith was successful on their own and competing with Colt. I don't have the production figures, but with military sales, especially to Russia, Smith's #3 single action may have outsold Colt's SAA. After Smith's hand ejectors came out, they concentrated mainly on double actions. I'm sure the model 10 alone has outsold the SAA many times over. The SAA was still selling until WWII, but wasn't a hot seller, to the best of my knowledge. After about 1900 and the advent of good double actions, the SAA was pretty much a western proposition whereas Smith was selling their guns worldwide.

Winchester and Colt had an informal agreement to not tread on each others turf. This is why Colt's Burgess gun was not manufactured long.

Freedom Arms has always been an elite type gun, not for the average gun person.

Ruger redesigned the Colt and brought the Blackhawk out when Colt was no longer producing a single action. This was in response to the demand for new guns brought about by the advent of "adult westerns" on Television and the subsequent fast draw craze. Colt responded by retooling for the moribund SAA. New Colts, unless I'm mistaken, are made by Uberti and assembled and finished here. USFA is the heir to the SAA making their guns fully in the USA and actually in Colt's old plant, unless I'm mistaken.

I like Colt SAA's very much, despite some of these posts. Just sayin'...

Thanks coleyounger,That's some great info right there!
So the usfa guns will prolly be more smoother and better guns you think?I don't know,i have just read somewhere that the newer colt saa are rough as a cob?
I had bought a nice little colt 22.lr one time and was so proud,i went to shoot it at the range and not knowing anything about them,all of a sudden had a very hard time cocking the little unit,I finished shooting the thing and was trying to figure what was wrong and reliezed the pin was coming out!
It scratched & buggered the hell out of the cyclinder from all that dragging!!!
Ever hear of this problem or experiance it?
I guess the pin was just to loose a fit,i dont know,i got so mad i traded it first time i got a chance...would really hate to score up a new colt saa like that ,especially one that cost 1500.00 ...that would be awful!

Yes, I've heard of it happening, but not to any large number of guns.

Colts are generally fine. I doubt the new ones are any better than Ubertis though and probably somewhat inferior to USFA. I've never owned one of the latter, whereas I've owned quite a few Colts and Ubertis.

When the ruger vaquero first came out i bought one in 44 magnum,i was at a pawn shop buying a holster for it and the owner wanted to see my new ruger bad,so i went out to my truck and brought it in for him to coon finger it..LOL..he pulled out a uberti 45lc saa and compared it to the ruger,he said they were both identicle in everyway and that the uberti was acoltsaa copy in everyway...he also said his uberti saa was his favorite personal gun at the store and he prefered it over all else..i asumed he was right,was he?
Are these 3 guns pretty identical?
I would have kept my ruger but it shot so low at 25yrds,i had to aim 12inches high to hit a bullseye and that was just to much kentucky windage for me....all my pistola shooter friends at work said i really need a lower recoil cartride in the saa vaquaro to hit better "something like a 38spl."and that the saa colts & clones were only accurate at across a poker table distance..hehehehe..oh the stuff you here from "shooter experts"
It cost alot of quid to find out all this stuff on your own,thats why iam asking so many questions...I got nobody that knows anything about cowboy guns,,,if the newer colts are really uberti guns,iguess i could go ahead and get a uberti and be the same or better off or the Ruger vaquro/blackhawk ?
What about the AWA peacekeeper guns?or beretta's/cimmiron's?
There is so much more to choose from now than 25yr.ago..
found this link http://www.uberti.com/

http://www.coltsmfg.com/Catalog/tabid/61/CatID/31/Default.aspx
http://www.usfirearms.com/

Nice!!!

No, the Vaquero in either of its incarnations is not a clone of the Colt SAA. The original Vaquero is easily distinguished as not being one. If you have the two, lay them side-by-side and you will see that the frame is longer and it is a bigger gun. The Colt SAA with normal gun steels, is not a robust enough design to handle the .44 Mag. cartridge. The internals are different too. If you cock it, you will see that the Colt has a hammer-mounted firing pin and the Ruger doesn't. Moving inside, the springs on the Vaquero are coil type. The Colt has flat spring steel springs. The New Vaquero has very similar internals to its predecessor, disqualifying it from clone status. Its exterior is much closer to the Colt as Ruger has trimmed it down considerably and shortened the frame. The Ruger is much closer in appearance to the Colts but is not a clone by virtue of its mechanism.

Uberti single actions of the Colt type are clones of the Colt SAA. The inner workings are identical save for some differences in the size of some parts. Generally the sizes are so close that they will interchange even if one is say, metric and the other is fractional. If you disregard the markings on the two guns they are very difficult to tell apart. Armi San Marcos used to make guns such as these too. The company is defunct now.

At one time the German firm of Sauer put out a lot of Colt copies. Whether they are close enough to call a true clone, I don't know.

Beretta's are Uberti's. Beretta bought that company. I haven't examined Beretta's single action that closely, but I believe they are the same basic gun as the Uberti Cattleman, which is a clone. AWA is to the best of my knowledge, one of the many importers of Uberti's to the United States. Cimmarron, Taylor's, Allen, and several others, are/were importers of same. Most of these guns are/were clones. The fly in the ointment is when you encounter certain single actions by these makers and importers. For instance, Uberti makes a "Callahan" model which is a .44 Mag. It isn't a clone and probably is the same they used to call the "Super Buckhorn".

Taurus makes a single action now, I presume in Brazil. I cannot recall whether it is a clone or not, but I am thinking it is.

So the Ruger is not "pretty identical" but the Colt and Uberti single actions are.

The Ruger's sight may have been regulated for higher-powered loads than you were shooting, especially if yours were Cowboy-action type loads, which are very low velocity. These are the type loads a person needs to be competitive. I'm not a Cowboy Action Shooter myself, but I have heard that many of the more competitive shooters have gotten away from the .45 and .44 calibers due to the recoil which makes them slower to shoot. I have heard the .38 Spec. is one of the top calibers for the "Gamer" faction. A more traditional approach to this problem is the 32-20 or 38-40, both of which are now available in new guns. The 38 Spec. came along after most of the old west was over.

I hope all this is less confusing to you than it is to me.

Thank You "BIGTIME"! I "think" i got it narrowed down to a colt or usfa now..LOL

FWIW, Colt SAA's are NOT made by Uberti. Uberti did make some of their reproduction cap and ball guns, but not the SAA. According to Bob Munden, who's as good a single action gunsmith as he is a shooter--nothing's as well made on the inside as a Colt. While I find that surprising considering how rough the last nib SAA I bought felt, I'm going to bow to his expertise. FWIW, once he does one of his "basic package" jobs on a Colt--there's NOTHING like it---cocking the gun is like rubbing a stick of butter over warm glass.

One last thought---the USFA gun is possibly smoother out of the box than the Colt and their "Rodeo" line is probably the finest value available. Down the road, should you ever want to sell these, the Colt will almost certainly hold its value better.

Kennesaw, here is an EMF Hartford I have. They are a copy of the 1st Generation SAA and supposedly made entirely of interchangeable parts.



The brick in back of it is from the town of Coffeyville, south of us a ways, where my Wife used to live. It's famous for the demise of the Dalton gang when they tried to rob two banks at once.

I guess that depends on when you are talking about and what your definition of "made" is. Lots of people said that Uberti manufactured Colt's SAA's as far back as the seventies. From what I understand, newly manufactured Colt SAA's are assembled and finished here from parts made in Italy. I do not know whether they currently buy the parts from Uberti or Pietta. I have always heard Uberti but am not privy to Colt's business records. Whatever they are doing, they have done a fine job of obfuscating for quite a number of years now or they are the object of some nasty rumors. I don't "know" any of this as I've never personally visited the factory and observed them either being assembled from parts I observed being uncrated from packages marked "Italy" nor seen them forged right there.

Again, not "some" but ALL of their second generation cap and ball Colts were built of parts made by Uberti. Uberti may have actually finished and did final assembly on them too. I don't know.

If your definition of "made by" excludes where the parts are made, then Colt's are made here.

SAA 101

colt=1400.00
uberti =350.00
colt=uberti= uberti is "best deal"

Cole,
At the SHOT show I asked the guy that was manning Colts Custom Guns display about retrofitting a factory birdshead grip to a SAA--he quoted pricing and times to manufacture. You'll be delighted to learn that the rumor about Uberti or anyone else manufacturing Colt SAA's is false. Colt SAA's are assessembled from parts manufactured at their US plant in Hartford. Of course you have no reason to believe me--I'd recommend that you call 800-962-COLT (2658) which is Colt's Customer Service and ask them directly. If you don't believe the factory then, well ...

BTW, where north of Coffeyville are you located?? Parsons, Independence??? I have a bunch of relatives in Edna and shoot sporting clays at Claythorne by Columbus.

I think I already adequately explained where I'm coming from on this. They very well may be made in Hartford. I do not know as I have not been there and seen them being made. Personally, you're right, I don't believe the Colt's guy. I have no desire to call Colt's customer service either. I don't consider them any more trustworthy than the salesman you talked to.

If they are making them here, good for them. I believe there would be more hoopla if Colt was actually making them here but YMMV. Again, I am not saying for certain because I don't know for certain. You talked to some dude at the SHOT show, so maybe you do.

I live up west of Fort Scott in between there and Iola.

Another thing is this, I have talked to a number of customer service reps that were absolutely clueless about things such as where items were made. Those on down the food chain, such as a guy at SHOT, generally know even less. That doesn't mean this guy is clueless or that he is wrong even if he is clueless. Just because I have read about them being made in Italy across a number of years in multiple gun magazines by different authors, doesn't mean I'm right either. I would not bet money on it either way.

The guy at the SHOT show was the manager of the custom shop Cole--hardly "down the food chain." One of the problems with the internet is that rumors spread faster than verification of truth. Just to double check, I called the # and talked with a customer service rep that is "down the food chain"--they acted kind of surprised by the question and said, "no the guns are assembled by parts that we make right here in CT."

This "rumor" existed before the internet. I can remember reading it in at least one article back in the seventies. Again, I can't tell you what I don't know, but were it me, I would not bank on them being completely made here. That doesn't mean they are not good guns. IMO they are and are probably better than older 3rd generation guns. Current thinking is that USFA makes just as good a single action, if not better. I can't comment on the USFA's directly, as I've never owned one, but by all accounts they are sweet pistols. I can comment directly on both Colts and Ubertis, having owned multiple examples of both.

That rumor was because they farmed out their cap & ball BP guns, but that was all they farmed out. Colt's are still made and assembled in the U.S.A.

Finally got my mitts on a new Taylor/Uberti SAA in 38-40.

Tuned version and probably worth the few extra bucks, for the sweet trigger pull? I'm happy. One could buy a new pair of tuned Ubertis, for about what one original Colt SAA fetches in fair condition in these parts.

Have had a Uberti Cattleman in 44 mag for many years, but I shoot 44 Spcl. level loads in it. The Colt SAA design ain't suitable for "whoop ass" 44 mag loads in my opinion and the middle finger on my right hand, agrees. ;O)

Had the chance to buy a fairly new 45 Colt SAA for a few hundred bucks, back in the late 70s. Coworker had bought it new, needed money. Still kicking myself all these years later, but the pair of Ubertis eases the pain.

Congrats on the Ubertis and let us know how they work out. SAA's were available new, wholesale, for around $300 in the mid-seventies. By the mid-eighties though, it was hard to find one for much less than $1000, new or used.

Isn't the Cattleman you're speaking of, built on a heavier frame than the SAA clones? I've owned one or two of them, but didn't shoot them extensively. I'm sure if I shot them at all (which I'm not sure I did) I shot them with .44 Mags and not Specials. Don't shoot it with the longer round on my sayso though-I'm truly asking whether they are beefier guns.

The 38 WCF is a great round.

Will get the dial caliper out sometime and see how much difference (if any) there is, between frame/cylinder specs on my old Cattleman in 44 Mag and the new Taylor/Uberti in 38 WCF. Just eyeballing doesn't give much of an impression.

Fired one or two of my 200gr XTP 44 Mag hunting loads (M629 use) in the Uberti years ago and quickly decided that sucker was gonna get nothing but reduced loads. Recoil is fierce enough, that the trigger "guard" loop literally crushes the middle finger on my hand.

No such issues when shooting loads closer to 44 Spcl. levels in the Uberti.

Have a mess of WW 180gr jacketed factory loads for the 38 WCF, so will be shooting them until I get around to developing a load for both the pistol and my Win. M92.

In my opinion, the Uberti handles differently from the Colt SAA. I was, for a short while, fond of the Uberti 4 3/4" with black powder 45 Colt loads. I think Uberti guns are putting more effort into the finish, and less where it matters-inside. Of course, this is my personal experience, and yours might differ. I would not ever suggest using more than factory standard pressure loads in any Uberti-ever.
USFA makes some great replicas, but their cylinder window and cylinder are larger than the SAA. For a stickler like myself, I find this makes USFA feel different from the Colt. It was USFA, not Colt, that began with the fitting of Uberti parts. Those who have these guns think they are fine, but again, cannot be subject to +P loads.
Today USFA makes it all in house, in the USA. There are many who think their SAA's are the best. I would say that they make very good guns, but I hesitate to elevate them to "the best".
The Colt will spoil you for anything else. I wish I had the 4 3/4 44 WCF I used to have fun with. Using handloads-and even Winchester jacketed offerings, that gun would consistently make bottles dance at 60 yards. Visually it was nothing out of the ordinary, colour case/blue with the poly grips, but the balance, feel and real world accuracy were outstanding.
Colt has always made their SAA right here in the USA. This hasn't changed, and by God, I hope it never does.

lol Not to flame anybody but some of y'all are gettin' kindly humorous. I have always went to extremes to buy stuff made here in the USA. For instance, today I looked at a bunch of new toilets at Lowe's. No joke. Seriously. They have a huge selection. None made here. I've got a Kohler that was and am thinking seriously about working it all over again, just because I can't get excited about buying even a product that looks superior and is obviously well-made, but made elsewhere. I will typically drive 80 miles just to buy a $20 tool that I could get here for the same price or less, just to buy USA. I have done this for years. Daddy said buy USA and I have.

All that said and done, many companies will shine you on about where their product is made. Colt has went through different managements and ownerships many times. If I journeyed to their plant and saw them being made there, I would be satisfied that they were. I have no plans to arrange that trip. If the new Colt's say, "Made in USA" and that is good enough for y'all, that's good enough for me too. But bear in mind that if you really hunt for stuff that is made here, as I have for the approximate thirty years of my adulthood and even prior to that, you will be let down and astounded many times. If something says "Made in USA" I take it at face-value unless I have other info. I feel that this is doing my duty as an American. If I have that "other info" then my duty maybe changes. This is where I am coming from and I mean no offense to Colt, its employees or its supporters.

I OWN Colts. Have since I was a kid. That includes a number of SAA's in all generations. They are a great gun. If USFA makes a better gun, then the margin is slim. The margin is slim on an Uberti too, for that matter. As much as I like American-made stuff, I have a definite soft spot for this Italian company. They have produced replicas that American companies flat refused to and have almost single-handedly brought the sport of CAS to where it is today. I will continue to support them, where I can.

As to USFA vs. Colt, great points and great info. IMO, the problem with your post is that the jumping off point seems to be in your definition of "the best". If you define the best as how closely it trues up with the original, in this case, the Colt SAA, then there will never be anything "better" than the original. If OTOH, your definition of quality includes smoothness, wood-to-metal fit, trigger pull, accuracy, etc., then it becomes something else entirely. To my lights, the latter is what we were discussing here. You simply can't make something more realistic than what it is attempting to copy. lol

I haven't shot or even handled a current Colt. I'm sure they are great. There are NONE of them as a rule, that I wouldn't be interested in buying. The only way they'd be ruled out would be condition or if one was blatantly bad from the factory and I've never seen that on a SAA. I'd love to have a new USFA too though. A new Uberti would be fine as well.

Hell, Hawes used to make interesting guns. So did Great Western. Can't we all just get along? hehehhe

No offense to anybody either.

The "best" SAA is in my book is not merely the one with the crispest fit and finish, it is the internal quality of craftsmanship, the balance and feel of the weapon, and its ability to execute decisive marksmanship.
Those who look primarily for "game" guns may have different qualifications.
Urbertis have A+ fit and finish, but in my experience they are rough on the inside, and their parts are of lower quality than American manufacturers.
Uberti makes good guns for the money, and they fill an important niche, but they always will be a step behind the Colt and the USFA.
For that matter, Ruger single actions are competitive price wise with Uberti, and are stronger. Finally, the New Vaquero will line up the chamber with the ejector, something that has been a real weak point with the Ruger design since 1973, and also finally, the New Vaquero is a close approximation to the Colt, with all six chambers safe to fill.
In my opinion, and from my experience, the Colt will always be the Gold standard. USFA now has largely eclipsed Colt in price, and this should mean that they do something better than Colt does. Honestly, I'm not sure they do.
USFA's new offering-the Double Eagle looks very interesting. They are starting to move into their own interpretation of the single action, through playing with options and features like the enlarged trigger guard.
I think that there is room in this world for many versions on the Colt theme. Regarding the Uberti, it looks a lot like the Colt, works a lot like the Colt, and this alone will keep 'em moving off the shelves.
Not looking to flame either, just thought I might have a little something to contribute here.

Well said, Mak

I've owned quite a few of both brands, Uberti and Colt. I both agree some and disagree some. I think the lower-end Ubertis are indeed grittier than most Colts. Colts vary as to the era in which they were made too though. It was pretty much accepted that 70's and 80's SAA's weren't quite as smooth as some. All moot to me, as I think most Colts are acceptable, as are most Ubertis. Ubertis will never fetch the prices Colts will, so one shouldn't expect quite as much, but they are pretty close.

Ruger makes a fine gun and in the looks department, the New Vaquero is head and shoulders above the old model. One has to look closely to tell the difference. It was at the sacrifice of strength though. I would not shoot anything in a New Vaquero that I wouldn't shoot in a SAA. That isn't true about the previous version, which was as strong as a Blackhawk.

Yep, the old Vaquero was on Ruger's 44 mag. frame, which is pretty darn beefy. Of course, few of us, if we are honest, really need a gun capable of launching 300 grain bullets at 1200 fps.
I've been around long enough to know that few people can hit anything but sky with loads like these.
So, while it is true that the New Vaquero sacrificed strength, it can still handle loads that will most certainly take care of any threat short of a tank. From a reputable source, I've heard the N.V. can safely launch a 270 SAA cast out of a 4 3/4" barrel at 900+ feet per second.
Rugers have always been sturdy, and this new Ruger is cut from the same mold.
Like I said, if I were a greenhorn, looking to get into Single Actions, and I couldn't trim enough out of the budget to afford the Colt, I would get a New Vaquero.
I should mention, just to make it clear that I am not down on Ubertis, that I really like the Cimarron Lightning. I don't have any fat to trim in my current budget, but if I did, the hard part would be to choose between the 38 and the 41 calibers.

I shoot Colts. Have owned and shot Rugers and USFA's. Colts have a unique feel that is hard to explain. Colt is just Colt. They're expensive, but are the best investment of them all. USFA is a very well made American pistol and handles great. They're almost as costly as Colt and won't hold their value nearly as well. Rugers are like bank vaults, tough as nails, but not quite as refined. I have a pair of New Vaqueros that were highly modified to "run like a Colt", and they do.

These are my current match guns in .38 Spec. They're Gen 3, bought new by a CAS pard in TX. He had them engraved by a retired Weatherby master engraver now living in South Texas. After getting them from the Texas pard, I sent them to Nutmeg Sports to be fitted with dead elephant grips and deep dish medallions. I sent along another Colt with one piece rosewood grips I had custom shaped, and they duplicated those grips in ivory. These pistols already had nice action jobs when I got them. All I've done is shoot them.

DF

Sweet lookin shootin irons there Dirtfarmer.

Gunner

Dirtfarmer,
Spectacular. Can you pass along the name of the engraver?? Thanks.

Larry Hopewell
Harper, TX 78631
830 864 5966

He's retired, but from what I heard, stays busy without advertising. All info is hearsay, never met the man.

DF

Super, thanks for the info DF.
Greg

Here are some more CAS pistols. The top is the set of New Vaqueros set up to run like Colts. They're short stroked and fast. The middle set is Colt Gen 3 in .357 with rosewood one piece grips. The botton set is Ruger Special Edition 38-40's tricked out to the max by the Ron Power company. I traded for them. No way I would have shelled out what it cost to buy that set and than have all that custom work done. Probably why you don't see many like tham. Someone had more scratch than sense, but at least I got them right.

BTW, one of the rosewood Colt grips was sent to Nutmeg as a template for the ivory grips shown earlier. I made the top two sets, obtained and installed the medallions and sent them to Errol Case at Case Custom Guns in Missouri for his carving/checkering. Errol does great work and is amazingly reasonable. Some guys spend as much for gaudy laser work, which is not period, or IMHO, not even attractive...

On the Rugers, notice how far back the trigger is set compared to a factory New Vaquero. In the second photo, observe how much shorter the Ruger hammer throw is compared to the Colt. Transfer bar is gone, the hammer notch is welded up. Now, they're no safer than a Colt...

DF

Nice pistolas.

I run a stable full of Colt SAA's: 4 first generation, 1 second generation and 2 3rd generation, in 38-40, 44-40 and 45 Colt. All with little regulation will easily shoot "MOR" better know as "Minute of Rabbit"...

Those older Colts just have character that the new ones can't hope to match. Seems you like the 7.5" bbls. I'm more into the shorter tubes, but like what I see in your post.

DF

I used to be that way until I started shooting these quite a bit. I shoot a lot of cowboy action and small game. You will find the 7 1/2 inch guns are more suited to shooting, the shorter barrels just look good...

Here are some views of the checkering/carving that Errol Case does. Check his web site. Note deep dish medallions on the Colt. The ponies face forward, both left and right. They are mirror images, unlike current production.

Ruger medallions can be purchased from Ruger and fitted with a Forstner bit.

Kind of a mongrel, but I like it. .44 Special
parts gun. Early frame.

The old .44 Special is a great caliber. It's super accurate and throws an impressive chunk of lead. Elmer Keith preferred it to the .45 LC and his work along those lines gave birth to the .44 Mag.

Your gun looks like a real shooter, and I'll bet it's accurate.

DF

Whoever did it, did a nice job on the trigger. I have had a couple of S&W revolvers and a Ruger, this Colt fits my hand the best of them all. It does shoot Ultramax 200 grn nicely, for me.

Gary

Here's my second gen 45 and a little brother; a Frontier Scout.

1882 44-40 Frontier Six Shooter

I'm amazed at the prices of 1st gen and 2nd gen Colts. Those have been better investments than gold over the past 20 years. And you can't shoot a Krugerrand...

DF