I recently came into a NIB Springfield Mil Spec 1911. I have plenty of 1911s, so I am thinking about trading it for a single action army. I am not up to speed on single actions.

What do I want to look for? What do I want to avoid? Which guns would be in the ballpark trade wise?  I think I want a blued .38/.357, since I have a pile of .38 on hand. Which brands have the best track record? Is it worth paying for extras like action jobs or pre sighted guns? I don't intend to compete in cowboy action, but I do appreciate "good" guns.

Thanks for the help.

If it doesn't have to be a clone of a 1873 SAA.....

I'd go with the Ruger new Vaquero.  IMHO....it's close enough to have that look of a SAA and it's tough.

Available in blue or (like mine) in SS.

If....that doesn't suit you.  Well, there is the original COLT.  

Yes, with usage....the CCH does fade and they get the cylinder turn marks.  They've been fired....duh.  If you don't shoot them....what's the point?  OK, Ok, ok....collectors. Whatever.  BTW, these are 2nd Gen COLT SAAs.


As for the Italians....well, I've have had bad experiences with parts breakage.  Mine were old and did not have a warrantee.  But, who wants to send a firearm back to a manufacturer?  So, getting the correct parts wasn't easy.   It's not like the Italians want to stamp them with the "Bible" like Ruger does or with their own names. Afterall, they are into the clone fantasy game.  

But, there are plenty of folks shooting SASS that have been happy with their Italian SAAs.  So, whatever floats your boat.

Aloha, Mark

Thanks for the info. How much bigger are the Rugers? I guess they use a transfer bar also? I don't particularly want a Colt since there is no doubt I'll drop it while trying to emulate the scene from Tombstone.

I looked at the vaqueros but I wasn't enthused
I ended up with a Pietta 1873 clone so far it's been fantastic and very smooth
Pietta has come a long way and most people say they are finished better now than the ubertis

They are 100 percent made in Italy with parts sourced from within 50 miles from the plant is what my book said

Mine is 45 long colt and I am going to order another and I want a pair of 357's  also I will go Pietta for all of them probably

A bit unconventional but a birdshead vaquero in .45acp scratched my itch and I didn't have to buy an additional caliber of ammo.

I am in the opposite situation.
I have some .45 ACP, but I have more .38 than I could pick up and carry!

Say it this way.....my (new model) Ruger Vaqueros will also fit in the holsters made for my COLTs.

YES.....the Ruger uses a transfer bar safety.  It will allow you to carry 6 rounds.  My COLT should be loaded with only 5 and the hammer resting on the empty chamber for safety.

The Ruger does NOT have the four clicks, C-O-L-T, as you're cocking it.

The Ruger's reloading sequence is alittle different from a COLT.  You simply open the loading gate with the Ruger.  Whereas with the COLT you need to have the hammer in half cock before reloading.

The Ruger uses a coil spring for it's main spring.  IMHO....that's a good thing for long lasting reliability.  Yes, I've had a leaf spring break on the hand of one of my COLTs.  I'm not sure if the Ruger has a leaf spring (probably not) on their hand (they call it a pawl).

Aloha, Mark

I'm pretty thrilled with a Cimarron Model P pre-war that I bought last year. A SAA clone is probably the most fun way to shoot .357 that I've found.

Rugers have no leaf springs. Coil springs all around.

I picked up a pietta/traditions 45 colt with the transfer bar. I like the idea of having 6 rounds in it. The thing shoots nicely. I run 250g cowboy bullets with Unique. Has a bit of a kick and hits the steel plate every time if I do my job. Thinking I'll pickup a 38/357 model next. I only have one other revolver a S&W M15 4" that is like new so another revolver in 38/357 would be cool.

Anyone know where I can get some fake ivory grips that won't require a buttload of fitting for that pietta?

The idea that a Colt is unsafe loaded 6 is a very modern conceit.  The 1873 was designed to be carried on the "first click".  That prevents the fireing pin from resting on the primer.

I've been pretty deep into SA's for the last 6 or 7 years. The Uberti's and Cimarron's, especially the recent production models are of really good quality and are amazingly accurate. I currently own seven of them in .357 and .44 Special.

  A few years ago I wanted a tough, accurate SA 45 Colt so I bought a New Vaquero. I put lots of time and effort into that revolver ironing out the little ideosycrasies associated with that particular Ruger and finally sold it out of frustration. Bought a Cimarron in the same caliber and straight out of the box it out-shot the Ruger and was 3 oz. lighter.

Damn right. If they were meant to be only loaded with 5, the have only made them with 5 chambers. Granted, the old 1st Generation Colts were made of softer metal and the "safety" notch on the hammer could be broken fairly easily. But with modern metals you'll have a hard time defeating the first click. I carry one of my Uberti SA's almost every day while wirking around my place and always keep all chambers loaded. No harm, no foul.

Well, I wouldn't.  But if you choose to....that's your call.

Aloha, Mark

Interesting observation:

  The general consensus is to never have a loaded cartridge under the hammer of a single action revolver, even if the safety click or notch is used. Yet for over 125 years, folks think nothing of chambering a round in a lever action, lowering the hammer to the safety notch and either heading out into the woods or sliding the rifle into a saddle scabbard.
 So what's the difference?

Firing pin on a lever gun tends to be floating like in an ar where the single action is a fixed pin on the hammer. If a lever gun fails the safety notch there is not enough inertia in theory to cause the gun to fire. With the fixed hammer mounted pin of the Colt coupled with its heavy mainspring of the notch fails things go boom. I would strongly urge those with traditional single actions to only
Load 5 hammer down on empty.
Even the king of cocked and locked Jeff Cooper in his book art of the rifle advocated leaving a lever gun chamber empty and racking one in as you mount the rifle

Ummm....no.

First of all, this subject has nothing to do with whether the firing pin is fixed or floating as that makes no difference whatsoever because:

Second the safety notch is to retract the firing pin/hammer away from a cartridge and keep the firearm from discharging in the event that it is dropped on the hammer or something strikes the rear of the hammer. Last year I traded for a 1902 production Colt SA. It's safety notch had been broken. Pulling the hammer back to the (missing) safety notch and pulling the trigger hardly made a perceptible dent in the primer and came nowhere near discharging the firearm.

I can't argue whether or not Cooper actually said what say he did, but in 45 years of reading everything under the sun about hunting by authors such as O'Connor, Keith, Whelen, Waters, et al, I've never once read any of them state that lever action rifles should be carried with the chamber empty while hunting.

Love my "Old " Vaquero! It's a .45 Colt and it can handle everything from mild Cowboy loads to .44 magnum equivalent  "Bear" loads.

It has a smooth action yet is as sturdy as they come.



The gun on top is a Chiappa .22 for comparison of size.

I have handled a bunch of the clones over the years and most were quite nice guns, then I handled a Colt. I stopped looking at the clones altogether. The 1st and 2nd gen pistols are very expensive but you can still find 3rd gen deals id you are patient and keep looking. Late last year I found a .357 3rd gen in 98% condition that I got for $1287 shipped and transferred. Smooth, slick, sweet and a 2 3/4 lb trigger. It shoots 158gr .357's to POA at 15yd.

That's a nice 3rd Gen, hope it is a good one.

See this?:





Beautiful isn't it? It's an unfired 3rd Generation 45 Colt I recently bought for a mere $1250. Problem was its cylinder throats all ran anywhere from .003" - .004" too large, it was grossly over-sprung and its action felt as though it was assembled during a sand storm in the Mojave desert. Horrible, gritty action. But, being a thing of beauty I was able to sell it and make a very handsome profit.

 Another:

 

 

Likewise a beautiful 3rd Generation, this one in .44 Special, brand new in the box, still in the bag with all the documentation. I wanted to keep it SO bad. But it suffered from exactly the same maladies as the one above, although I didn't bother measuring the cylinder throats. It too was sold for a fair profit. Conversely, all of my Uberti's/Cimarron's, especially the recent production models, have been near perfect straight out of the box requiring only a modicum of trigger work to lighten the pull. They're all very accurate easily shooting fist size groups at 50 yds.

Right now, I own three 1st Generation Colts; SA's and Bisley's, and five Uberti's/Cimarron's. You could blindfold me, lay all the aforementioned revolvers on a table and ask me to pick them up and identify the make just by feel, and I don't think I could do it. They're virtually identical EXCEPT the old Colt's have very, very heavy mainsprings. If you can tell the difference in Colt's and repro's just by handling them, my hat's off to you.

In my experience, the absolute pinnacle of western style SA's were the all-American produced USFA's. I've owned and sold a few of them and not only are they stunning in finish, the fit is incredible. Notice the example below and how carefully and closely the backstrap and grip frame have been mated to the frame. For my use, which is hunting and carrying while out and about on the place here, I finally found a Rodeo model in 45 Colt and couldn't be more pleased:

I had seen all of the horror stories about 3rd gen Colts and figured for the price I was getting this one, why not. Since I bought mine used I do not know if it is all factory or if it had work done. The fit is very good with a very light trigger which breaks like a glass rod and a light easy cocking stroke. I would say it does not have a heavy mainspring. I have not tried it at 50yd yet but I can keep 6 rounds on a 3in shoot-n-see at 15yd with a casual one hand grip. All my shooting with it has been with Monarch 158gr magnum rounds. Everyone I have talked to about the USFA SAA's has agreed with you about them, and if I ever see one that does not have a unobtainium price I will buy one. The clones are definitely the best bang for the buck when it comes to SAA's but every time I pick up my Colt I don't want to put it down. I just want to grab a couple boxes of ammo and shoot. I never have had that feeling with any other SAA. Sure, it is probably all in my head(shrugs). What can I say?