SAA Revolver

[dfletcher]

I've bought a Colt SAA in 45 Colt and like it quite a bit, I'd like to shoot SA more often and carry it in a holster in the field but really, the darn thing looks so nice I don't want to get the holster wear, dings and scratches that usually result. So I'd like to buy another SAA to use & not have much of a care as to the wear. I think the USFA revolvers are just as nice (maybe better) as the Colt, I'd probably not buy one of them - so of the SAA revolvers out there which one's are of very good quality and have the old fashioned "4 click" action?

[1JimMarch]

USFA. Period. If you want the 4 clicks that is.

Consider one modified by Longhunter with mostly coil springs inside:

http://www.longhunt.com/usfa/index.htm

Ruger's New Vaquero is a very good gun, similar in size/heft to the post-WW2 Colt SAA but of course with a transfer bar safety, loading/unloading with the hammer down and fewer clicks.

[X-NewYawker]

The Cimmarons have four clicks.



I tested every barrel length extensively for GUNS OF THE OLD WEST magazine.



They start as Uberti's and the Cimmaron Turnbull finished ones are every bit as attractive as a USFA, cost less, and are usually timed properly and shoot to POA out of the box. Check them out.

[dfletcher]

Thanks - am I correct thinking that when Uberti makes a gun the difference in quality, fit & finish is determined by the seller whose name is stamped on the gun?

[1JimMarch]

To a large degree, yeah. Uberti builds to varying quality levels, these days mainly finish-related.

Their core metallurgy and machining however are pretty uniform, and while better than pre-2000 Italian guns they're not up to the standards of Ruger, USFA or Colt.

I lurk over on SASSNET a lot, looking for technical discussions. They look down on people who aren't actual SASS members so I almost never post.

One question that comes up a lot is "Beretta v. Ruger?". Beretta owns Uberti now, and specifies Uberti's best QC levels for the variants made under the Beretta actual brand name. Beretta also specifies a transfer-bar safety for six-up carry, much like a Ruger. The Berettas tend to look better than a Ruger - but the preference for Ruger's toughness given the round counts the SASS guys do is more or less universal. Every newbie coming in is told "buy Rugers". Only USFA's Rodeo is similarly regarded at a similar price point, and even then Longhunter's conversions to mostly modern springs inside is considered a good idea.

Now that said, I own a Cimarron myself: the "Plinkerton" 22LR sized like a regular SAA. NOT anything I'd call "heirloom quality", not for $200. I wouldn't ever bet my life on it. But it does shoot pretty well, I've upgraded the sights and grips to match what I've done to my Ruger New Vaquero in 357, and it's purely a practice gun to get a lot of cheap round counts out.

I would never carry that Italian piece in any circumstance where I might "need a gun". If I'm going long-haul into the woods and might need to hunt small game, that's what 38spl shotshells in my Ruger is for.

[Army]

Have a Uberti Sheriff's model, 3 1/2" barrel with full ejector rod. Like it a lot, but not so much it doesn't get a LOT of carry time.

Yeah, 4 clicks too.

[JAGGUY]

I have a nickle plated Uberti in 45 lc and love it. And being plated I don't worry about it as much as the blued versions.

[tEN wOLVES fIVE sHOOTER]

I have Great Western ll's, they are the closest thing to a second generation Colt on the market today, they are made by Pietta on new machinery, to exact spec. they have the four clicks your talking about, and the rival my old Colts, only my Great Westerns were much smoother out of the box than the Colts, they're ready to go, after the first cleaning.

Here is a picture of one of a pair

Regards

tEN wOLVES