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Post by Frank V on Jul 12, 2011 17:05:05 GMT -5
I think the bottom line is, the new Colts are good guns & the USFAs are good guns. Each of us has to decide how we are going to spend our money. Frank
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Post by justahunter on Jul 13, 2011 0:25:38 GMT -5
I don't shoot Cowboy Action. Mainly I carry my Single Actions when I am rifle hunting or wandering in the mtns. Sometimes switching to a Mod 29 S&W. Per my wifes instructions I also have to carry when bowhunting due to close bear encounters I have told her about.
She is a little put out with me now because I am going to Alaska to hunt with a friend near Nome, but am only planning on taking my rifle. She wants me to have a handgun too.
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Post by peacemaker on Jul 13, 2011 1:48:21 GMT -5
She is a little put out with me now because I am going to Alaska to hunt with a friend near Nome, but am only planning on taking my rifle. She wants me to have a handgun too. ! If this is the reason for your inquiry, may I respectfully recommend you seek something more adequate for BIG bears than a Colt SAA type revolver! You'd be better served with a .44 Magnum Ruger, a Freedom Arms .454 Cusull, or one of the newer big bore super-magnums in the up-to-50-caliber category. JMO
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Post by whitworth on Jul 13, 2011 8:26:23 GMT -5
She is a little put out with me now because I am going to Alaska to hunt with a friend near Nome, but am only planning on taking my rifle. She wants me to have a handgun too. ! If this is the reason for your inquiry, may I respectfully recommend you seek something more adequate for BIG bears than a Colt SAA type revolver! You'd be better served with a .44 Magnum Ruger, a Freedom Arms .454 Cusull, or one of the newer big bore super-magnums in the up-to-50-caliber category. JMO I'd personally rather have a .45 Colt than a .44 mag, but to load it the way I want, the Colt isn't up to the task! As a back-up, there are better choices IMO.
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Post by Lee Martin on Jul 13, 2011 8:42:23 GMT -5
For the money, a 4 5/8" 45 Colt Blackhawk is a good choice for bear back-up. 300+ grain hardcasts @ 1,300 fps provide good stopping power. Plus you can still shoot reduced SAA loads and the gun will run you under 5 bills. As for current Colt vs USFA, flip a coin. Both are very well built. -Lee www.singleactions.com
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Post by justahunter on Jul 13, 2011 20:20:02 GMT -5
We just have black bear around here although the grizzlies keep getting closer. Lions are the other minor concern and now we have wolves too.
I already have several Rugers in the mentioned calibers. I have always wanted a SAA, but have avoided the Colt because of Colt's reputation for a while of producing guns of lesser quality, but charging a lot for them. When USFA came about I thought that would be an option, but marriage and kids slowed down the purchase.
Now it is looking like I'll be able to swing one or the other so was wondering which was the better quality. For what the USFA costs now I think I will go for the Colt if the quality is there. The reason I asked the question. It seems from your answers it is.
Thank you for your help.
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Post by Frank V on Jul 13, 2011 20:40:41 GMT -5
I'd get the Colt. If you get a chance to look it over first that'd be great, but Colt is turning out some nice six-guns now. Frank
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Post by justahunter on Jul 13, 2011 20:54:40 GMT -5
Thanks Frank
As far as "Bar' Killin" goes the 45 Colt in standard loads has accounted for grizzlies and blackies over the years. I recall a story of a fella in MT some 70-100 years ago killing 3 with 3 shot from his Colt SAA in 45 Colt. He was packing in and encountered the sow and cubs in his path. From what I can recall I think he was on his horse at the time. Good horse!
However, if I was going looking for a bear I would like somthing a little more substantial.
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Post by peacemaker on Jul 13, 2011 21:47:26 GMT -5
I have always wanted a SAA, but have avoided the Colt because of Colt's reputation for a while of producing guns of lesser quality, but charging a lot for them. When USFA came about I thought that would be an option, but marriage and kids slowed down the purchase. Now it is looking like I'll be able to swing one or the other so was wondering which was the better quality. Yeah, the quality problem is becoming old news. Things have been turned around for a few years now. Count your blessings and take advantage of this opportunity. I had wanted a Colt SAA since the 1970s but was never able to afford one due to priorities getting in the way. I bought a nice Hammerli Virginian to fill the void, but it wasn't a Colt. Anyhow, when I was finally able to purchase a real Colt SAA I found out that the timing was a blessing in disguise and that I may have been better off not being able to buy one earlier during the period of spotty quality of which I was unaware at the time. My 2009 SAA is beautifully made, and I'm thoroughly happy to have finally come to be the original owner of a real Colt SAA made during one of the best periods of production quality.
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Post by CraigC on Jul 13, 2011 22:08:50 GMT -5
A standard USFA single action is still $200 less than a Colt and a better sixgun to boot. For Colt money, you can have the Pre War model that makes the Colt SAA look like the Cowboy model. But some folks have a 'thing' for the name. Do you want an authentic sixgun or an authentic name??? Yeah, the quality problem is becoming old news. Not really. Lots of brainwashed folks still out there thinking that nothing was ever wrong with Colt's quality who bought standard 3rd generation guns thinking they would eventually be worth more than they paid. Let's face it, some folks could not tell the difference between your quintessential over-polished 3rd generation sixgun and the new ones.
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Post by peacemaker on Jul 14, 2011 1:35:24 GMT -5
Lots of brainwashed folks still out there thinking that nothing was ever wrong with Colt's quality who bought standard 3rd generation guns thinking they would eventually be worth more than they paid. Let's face it, some folks could not tell the difference between your quintessential over-polished 3rd generation sixgun and the new ones. I'm not sure what that has to do with what I said. For those who cannot "tell the difference" the argument is moot anyway. What I was trying to say (ineffectively, apparently) was that the quality was known to be substandard for some time, but in the past few years Colt's has been making some of the best SAAs ever. Of course there will always be those who prefer to live in the past as long as it supports their inane arguments even today when everyone else has objectively acknowledged the improvements and moved on.
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shadow
.30 Stingray
Posts: 135
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Post by shadow on Jul 14, 2011 3:22:25 GMT -5
USFA is in its infancy when compared to Colt. The only Colt SAA's with significant appreciation value are the 1st & 2nd Gen models, while I strongly believe that USFA's premium model will definitely hold its own against any 3rd Gen Colt. Any product built with USFA and FA's flawless integrity, will most definitely have collector value down the road.
Cadillo ........ you must have been comparing USFA's Rodeo Model to your Colt, based on your post statements. Comparing a matte finished USFA revolver with a heavier trigger (built primarily for Cowboy action shooting) to Colts SAA, is not exactly apples with apples. You're right, in this case it's not as pretty as the Colt, however the mechanism is built with the same precision and close tolerances as their premium models, making the Rodeo a good value for the money. I think if you take the time to compare a premium model USFA with your Colt, you might just change your opinion.
I might sound a bit impartial to USFA, so don't get me wrong, I also have a strong appreciation and love for Colt's like my 1st and 2nd Gen Colt SAA's, Pythons, D'backs and a new nicely fit & finished 1911 Gov't Model XSE, but then again, facts are facts!
Shadow
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Post by Lee Martin on Jul 14, 2011 8:02:06 GMT -5
I've handled current Colts and USFAs and can't tell a difference in quality. Occasionally you see a Colt with the backstrap being "off", but that's rare (edges not mated properly, over-polish etc). In fact, the 38-40 thread in this section illustrates it. If you look at what you're buying first though, you'll be fine. And if it comes down to price and I can get a USFA for a couple hundred less, I'm going that route. Just my simple opinion, but we're starting to split hairs with this comparison. Buy what you can afford and shoot the hell out of it. Definitely let us know what you land on and how you like it. -Lee www.singleactions.com
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Post by Lee Martin on Jul 14, 2011 8:07:57 GMT -5
. I had wanted a Colt SAA since the 1970s but was never able to afford one due to priorities getting in the way. I bought a nice Hammerli Virginian to fill the void, but it wasn't a Colt. Next to USFA, those old Hammerili Virginians were one of the best Colt clones out there. Exceptionally fit, beautiful finish, and accented well with the chrome backstrap. Unfortunately, Interarms didn't import many before switching to the Dragoon in '76. -Lee www.singleactions.com
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Post by jamesjames on Jul 14, 2011 11:34:00 GMT -5
This thread has really fired my imagination and got me thinking hard about Colt vs. USFA. In my admittedly small circle (my buddy and me) we favor these traditional SAAs and we own or have owned both 3rd gen Colts and USFAs. And we trade them back and forth. The 3rd gen Colts were hand picked for fit and finish. The USFAs were ordered from the factory. We enjoy both "makes" for what they are.
Owning a Colt connects you directly to 138 years of making the Colt 1873 SAA. Its a Colt. Its not about pony envy... for me its about a roll mark on the barrel that says Colt.
Some guys say its crazy to spend a couple hundred dollars extra just for a Colt. Other guys buy guns and don't bat an eyelash about spending another one or two thousand dollars to customize the gun to their personal aesthetic.
Right now, the Hamilton Bowen website has this...
January, 2004 | Colt Bulletin: (which reads in part) ...."While we admire the pre-war Colt revolvers, for our purposes, the late-model United States Firearms guns are far superior. In terms of fit and finish, they have no equal and are the best vehicle for fine custom single-actions. In view of developments at USFA, it is entirely possible that, in the near future, we will no longer offer services and modifications for Colt revolvers of any stripe."
Owning a USFA (especially one that has gone through Long Hunter Shooting Supply's tune-up) is owning something that may have a Turnbull CCH, a bluing thats different (and some say better) that a Colt, and the perfection of manufacture that comes from state-of-the art CNC manufacturing processes. It is slick, shoots to point of aim, and the action is as smooth as glass.
I've shot 'em both and the Colts and USFAs that I've owned either shoot to point of aim or come damn close after some regulation.
I've fondled them in the evening sitting in a leather chair with a glass of whiskey and an open gun book nearby. I've worked their actions, admired their aesthetics, cocked and dry-fired them with snap caps just for the shear enjoyment of it. Both makes pass the test for aesthetics--- USFA is superior for beauty, and Colt is superior for connection to history.
Both makes are worthy guns.
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