Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Cowboy Action Shooting Entry level SAA

I am trying to decide on an entry level SAA clone.
I want a blued gun with case coloring and 5.5 inch barrel in .357.
I have been considering:

Beretta Stampede
Taurus Gaucho
EMF
Ruger Vaquero

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks
Emmitt

Taurus doesn't make any junk, and it will cost less than a Ruger. Either will give better service than an Italian Uberti/Beretta, and will provide better customer service if anything does break. I would buy the Taurus if cost (long and short term) is a major consideration.

I have to confess I prefer Modern category, because I can see the sights. I use Ruger Blackhawks, 4 5/8� barrel, for CAS. My wife now has a pair of 50th anniversary Flattop Blackhawks in .357. They are a little smaller than the NMBH. Either is as close to indestructible as you can get, and relatively inexpensive.

I bought the Taurus in .45 Colt, blued 5 1/2 inch. Very satisfied.
Nathan

Hard to go wrong with the Vaquero.

Kevin +1

muddy

+2 They are just tough quality guns.

Had a pair of these Ruger Single Six's for CAS

But just traded them for a pair of stainless Taurus Gaucho's in .357. They are slick as glass right out of the box.

When I decided I wanted to get into SAS (about a year ago) I bought two Gaucho's and man were those actions sweet!
Had a 4 click hammer and at half-cock, you could spin those cylinders and it made me drool! Only got to put a few rounds through them until I figured out I really wasn't going to shoot SA as much as I had originally planned...or at all.
I'm still sad I had to get rid of them to pay bills...but they were just sitting there...not being used.
I will buy a pair again at some point I like them so much. Just don't know when I will have the time in the foreseeable future...sad!

Hope you have better luck with Taurus than I have. I have two buy backs on revolvers from them in the Ti frames. Kinda soured me on the brand but those pistolos look mighty nice.

We sell Taurus 3-1 over ANYTHING in the store and we have pretty near everything worth while made. Very few comebacks for repairs or trade back in.

The New Vaqueros are not clones of the SAA; the mechanisms are just too different. But different is not bad, and especially for someone unfamiliar with the manual of arms for traditional SAA sixguns, the NV is good. The NV is also made in the USA. I do know how to run a traditional SAA, love the tradition part, and own Colts and USFA, but a big part of me wants a stainless NV.

BTW, the Ti's SUCK, we always try to sell blue steel or stainless.

Good to know. Guess I will quit looking for one. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

If your going ti then get the Smith & Wesson. The small 38 +P S&W was trouble free and only 15 ounces with crimson trace laser grips. Recoil is brutal.

Disclaimer: I am not and never have been affiliated with or had any financial interest in this company.

I just received a set of holsters and a gunbelt from Western & Wildlife Wonders, man was I surprised by the quality. This set of "slimjim" holsters and "lawman" belt is first quality and the fit was perfect out of the box. The full rig was only $140.00, compair that to most rigs at over three hundred! They make many styles in addition to this one and almost all of their two gun rigs are under $200.00. Next for me is a set of simulated ivory grips and a belt slide for shotgun shells. I am impressed and highly recommend these folks for authentic looking western gear & clothes.


http://www.westernandwildlifewonders.com/wwlw/

I have a Vaquero 45colt in stainless, in a matte finish, very solid peice. I wish I'd gone with something with adjustable sights though, as I don't shoot at cowboy events.

The EMF Hartford Model is a Colt clone complete with the firing pin on the hammer as it should be. It's the next best thing. I need to get mine tuned, but I lost track of Bob James. Anybody have a phone number for him?


The Baretta SAA has the firing pin on the hammer also.

here's my $.02
I've got a cimmaron (uberti) in 45 LC & have had zero problems with it-although I did send it to Bob Munden in Butte. for work before I fired the first round through it. 100% happy with it & considering it was 1/3 the cost of a colt..a definate plus (I have heard that cimmaron was the one that actually manufactured the original SAA's for colt before cold produced them themselves)

Hell, Bob cost you almost as much as the gun! He does do the finest of work though.

my "new" Vaquero hasn't missed a lick.accurate and a sweet trigger right out of the box.might cost a few bucks more but to me worth it.
pete

I have a friend in Kali that has a pair of Berretta Stampedes, lightly used for sale. Here is a picture. BTW, I have know Glenn for some time and will vouch for him and stand behind him on this.


By the way, I took these pics outside. Clouds are being reflected in the mirrorlike blueing.

[quote]

Cimarron has never made a single gun. They are an import company. They import Ubertis. Uberti may or may not have made the 3rd Generation single actions as there were always rumors that either they or Armi-San Marcos made the actual pieces and then shipped them to Colt's Hartford plant for final assembly and finish.

The perfect beginner or budget guns are the Cabela's models. I had one but alas, it fell in the tank on the ranch and was never recoved.