I have three Uberti’s that get shot quite a bit. Two are .45 Colt’s and one is a .357. They have held up very well for me and still look new. Two are beautifully fit and finished. The other is well fit, but was bought new with an “antiqued” finish. I am very happy with all three so far. Would rather be able to have a Colt/USFA/Standard gun, but at the price they get, I would end having safe queens rather than shooters.

 

Yes the Colt and USFA are beautifully finished , but if ya spend $1500-5000 on a Colt or USFA , it's most likely gonna stay in the safe and be treated with kid gloves.

Ya want an SAA to carry in a holster , shoot a lot and play cowboy games with , a $400-500 Italian clone from Uberti or Pietta is the way to go. The quality of Uberti guns has increased immeasurably over the last 20yrs , and more so since being taken over by Beretta. And Pietta has stayed competitive with it's Italian rival.

 

I have a Taylor & Co. Smokewagon in .45 Colt and its a gem. I believe Taylor & Co. is an upgraded Uberti. The action and trigger were polished and it’s very slick. The color-case hardening isn’t perfect but it’s nice. Think I paid $550 about 10 years ago. I love everything about it except paying $1.20 per round for ammo.

 

Strange thing that USFA was so short lived. Anyone know the story on that? I thought about getting a couple of their guns and then boom they were gone. I wish that I had gotten a few of them as they bring serious money on the second hand market.

 

Probably couldn't make any money. SAA's made the Colt and USFA way still need a significant amount of skilled hand labor. Not easy to find the people with those skills these days , and those folks don't work cheap. Heard it said they lost money on every gun they made/sold.

 

They stopped making the SAA and started making little Zip guns that were crap basically and went out of business. It's to bad as their SAA's are second to none.

 

I love them all. I have them all. Without the Italians saving the SAA by entering the manufacturing of every single model of western revolvers, Colt wouldn't be what they are today.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

Standard Manufacturing is only a few miles from where USFA was...and when USFA went under, Standard bought most of their machinery...and hired a couple of their employees.

I have two Colt, two USFA and two Uberti SAAs and enjoy shooting all of them.

Bob

 

The tale of USFA's self-immolation is pretty pathetic, to say the least:

 

They all do what they are suppose to do "go bang", they all look a like, feel very similar and will last a long time if taken care of, BUT ! there is only one "Colt"
Here is a picture of a real Colt and a Italian copy, you need to take them apart to see why one cost $500 and the other one $1,800.

 

I have a number of both Colt and USFA single actions, including one of the last ten guns made by USFA, a 20th (and last) anniversary model. On the rare occasion, that I shoot something other than a 1911, it will be a Uberti Hombre, that I antiqued and put lighter springs in. It is a very slick SA. The others are pretty much safe queens. On the other hand, I don't care how expensive a 1911 is, I'm gonna shoot it. A Colt and a Uberti offer about the same shooting experience but you can appreciate the difference between shooting a milspec 1911 and shooting an Ed Brown or Nighthawk.

 

Thank goodness for Uberti otherwise us poor people wouldn’t get to enjoy a SAA.
I have several of them in many configuration and enjoy them often.
sure I could buy one colt for the price of 3 or 4 of the clones but would I shoot it?
I surly would-not let others shoot it like I do my Uberti clones.

I would buy a new colt SAA if I could find one at retail price.
maybe someday...

 

Doug Donnelly was the owner of USFA and basically treated the company like it was just a personal hobby of his. It was his decision to invest nearly all the company's assets in his Zip-22 idea, which for reasons Ian mentioned in the video above ultimately sank the company faster than the Titanic. Calling the Zip-22 a piece of s--- would've been an insult to excrement everywhere. In fact you couldn't even give me ten of those things in exchange for my Jennings .22, because at least the crap $50 Jennings actually works half the time. It was really unfortunate that Mr. Donnelly did what he did, and I'm sure the employees of USFA must've felt mortified when they learned they were going to go from making quality SAA replicas to that thing instead.

Anyway, it's a good thing that at least we still have Uberti, especially when real Colts are next to impossible to find and are rarely ever offered with a choice of finish or calibers. The early Ubertis were rough, but in the last ten years or so they've really upped the quality to where there's very little visible difference between my Cimarron and my 2nd generation Colt SAA. Both shoot equally well, and I'm a lot less afraid to handle and shoot the $500 spaghetti gun than I am my highly collectible Colt.

 

The way I understand it , Cimarron , Navy Arms , Dixie Gun Works , Taylors , EMF , etc , all have fit/finish/price standard agreements with Uberti , so the guns fit a certain price range. Cimarron even does the finishing on some of their exclusive models at their facilities in Texas.

 

Gentlemen, the Colt Saa is a very good everyday six-gun. They were made to be shot & shoot very well. They are easy to pack, offer reasonable power, & are a shootable piece of history. Aside from obviously collectors Colts they should be shot. Just never lower the hammer from half cock, always bring the hammer to full cock then carefully lower it.

 

Gentlemen, the Colt Saa is a very good everyday six-gun. They were made to be shot & shoot very well. They are easy to pack, offer reasonable power, & are a shootable piece of history.

Don't think anyone ever said they ain't high quality. It's the relatively high initial purchase price , and potentially serious devaluation of their ''investment'' if it even gets a slight turn line on the cylinder or normal handling/shooting wear. Some folks only see dollar signs , and I knew many people who had serious buyers remorse about spending that much money. Not to forget the spousal remorse at having that much money sitting in a pistol. Gun dealers can smell when someone ''needs to sell now'' like sharks smell blood in water. And high dollar guns are often the first things some folks look to sell when they need quick cash. The slightest blemish can knock up to 50% off what they paid. Most dealer will only give 50% of retail if in top condition. I know as I've been on both sides of the counter.

50% of an $1800 Colt , or 50% of a $500 Uberti , which can you afford to lose?

 

In CAS my right side gun is a Colt, left side is a Cimarron ASM.
Hard rubber grips and a squared sight notch make the ASM a near match in appearance and shooting. Only external differences are case color hammer and tapered front sight blade.
Ejector rod housing screwed directly to barrel seems a weak point.

Reference to "forged" barrels is not clear. Are they all hammer rifled?

 

Reference to "forged" barrels is not clear. Are they all hammer rifled?

I'm only going off info I dug up online. "Forged" can mean many things, but at least they're not machined from castings. I do know the barrel in my Uberti Schofield was pretty tough to withstand the two rounds that followed behind a squib a couple years ago. The barrel was only slightly ringed.

 

I can see forging the barrel blank for a Schofield, but a SAA barrel is just a pipe, readily turned and drilled from bar stock.
Everybody's heart goes pitty-pat over forged parts but if you look at a raw forging for a receiver, it is what you might call a 15% part.

Yes, mkk41, ASM has been out of business for years, but I have been shooting for years, I had a 4-digit SASS badge. The SAA is not bad but their idea of a Schofield was dreadful.

 

Had a brace of EMF Pietta SAA's when I shot SASS in the early 1990's. Not top shelf, but they never failed.

Had a USFA Rodeo, a $500 SAA that was awesome provided you were OK with the working mans matte blue finish. When worn, the matte finish looked amazing. Sold it long ago to pay for medical bills foolishly thinking there was no way USFA would go out of business and I'd get one later. USFA really screwed up. They could have owned this market. You're at an easy $1000 and more for a 2nd hand Rodeo these days.

USFA is a mixed story. While they were "Made in the USA", a high percentage of parts were Uberti. Later, their Premier Guns, Rodeo II's, and Gunslingers were all US parts, or were claimed to be but you can go onto the SASS boards and find later examples still using Italian bits and pieces. The USFA owner had a history of interesting claims that were gray area at best. Their 1911 and zip guns follow that model.

All that said, Colt sourced out a decent percent of their SAA parts and you can look at Springfield 1911's and the Brazil connection. Take it all with a grain of salt.

 

I have a fair number of Uberti made SA revolvers, a few Colts and a USFA Bisley SA revolver. My experience is only mine, others may vary ..

Depending on who stamps their name on them and to what level of finish, Uberti is the McDonalds of SA revolvers. They seem to always hit the mark, no issues and you know what you're going to get. They pretty much always seem to work well. A recent disappointment though is their "almost traditional" SA action with 3 clicks rather than 4. Yes, easy to modify with a new hammer or even just a new firing pin, but I'd prefer they kept it traditional.

I recently picked up a 2nd gen Colt SAA in 357 Magnum. ANIB, it had the worst action I've ever laid hands on. Fortunately some work with graphite paper and buying new action screws (the originals were flat and roughly blued) and it's a terrific piece. Based on serial number seems this one was made during the fairly well known Colt union troubles.

USFA had two permutations. The first, Italian parts brought into the US and finished, to include case hardening by Turnbull. And US made entirely. The Italian-US are pretty good but generally sell for less than the US made. The Colt Forum has a tutorial on how to tell who made what and even then there can be some mysteries. The Bisley I bought had been sitting unattended in a "tacticool" gun store and I gout it for under $1K. Needed a little TLC but was beautifully finished.

One version not mentioned was the American Western Arms version. I used to have one in 32.20 but traded her away. IIRC these were made by the previously mentioned ASM and had some QC issues. But they did get the frame and cylinder dimensions correct and when well done were really nice. Unfortunately their QC was right up there with Springfield Armory - or "down there" depending on how you look at it.

I'd like to pick up a Standard Manufacturing SAA type. Not to draw too much of a comparison to USFA "Zip Gun" debacle, but Standard did just come out with a very odd double barreled 22 magnum plastic pistol. I hope Standard isn't the reincarnation of USFA in that endeavor.

 

I have a Colt .44 Special SAA gen 3 and a USFA Rodeo II .45 Colt. Both needed an action job, I replaced the grips on both. I found an unfitted black factory set for the Colt. The USFA wears elk stag from Sack Peterson. I shoot both of these revolvers, no safe queens. The USFA is superior in fit and finish, although a leg on the bolt broke and I had to fit an oversize bolt. The lock up was worth the time it took to get it right. I would not hesitate to buy another USFA, they are excellent. Colt SAA's can be a mixed bag, some great others not so much. Most are great though. The Standard SAA is on my list, and when I do get one I will shoot it. As far as the Italian copies I will pass.

 

ASM made really good replica to Colt's. I will continue to enjoy this one until I can find a Colt SAA.

 

ASM made really good replica to Colt's. I will continue to enjoy this one until I can find a Colt SAA.

I had one of those, they were called "Peacekeepers". They were such a good copy, that Colt sued them and forced them out of production. Not only did the pony on the grip too closely resemble the one on the Colt, turns out some years before, Colt had made a double action revolver named the Peacekeeper and still held right to use of the name.

 

I can say with confidence my 2018 SAA is built 100% right. Fit and finish are outstanding, sights regulate perfectly, no end play on the cylinder, cylinder mouths right at .005 over bore...And it is wicked accurate!! It will shoot groups just as tight as my Python.

 

As several have mentioned above.........If it doesn't say COLT... it's not a Single Action Army. There are some other Single Action Revolvers, and some are quite serviceable, but I'll repeat myself. If it doesn't say COLT.....etc.
I have a pair of mid 2000 Gen 3 Colts, and shot alot of S.A.S.S. matches ( and I have a four digits number as well) with them. Never had an issue with them and they're still the best SAA out there.

TR aka RICO S.A.S.S. #9760

 

As several have mentioned above.........If it doesn't say COLT... it's not a Single Action Army. There are some other Single Action Revolvers, and some are quite serviceable, but I'll repeat myself. If it doesn't say COLT.....etc.

I have no problem buying Uberti Single-Actions, but that is largely due to the fact that I get a serviceable SAA clone for nearly a quarter of what a Colt costs nowadays. But no way in Helsinki would I pay Colt prices for a USFA or a Standard, no matter how nice they are. To me they are still just copies of the original, meant to be shooters rather than collector's pieces. A grand for a USFA or Standard? Sure. Two grand? Hell no!

(then again I think two grand for a Colt is a bit ridiculous as well)

 

Before transitioning from SAA's to 1911's, I accumulated several Ubertis, about 10-12 Colts and as many USFA's. The last ten USFA's made were "Twentieth Anniversary" models. They should have been named "Twentieth and Last Anniversary" models. They were planning on making 20 of them but by that time, only had enough frames left to do 10. I have one and my brother has two. Always wonder, what they are worth to a USFA collector. I have a rule with 1911's, that no matter how nice or expensive they are, they all get shot. Not so with my Colts and USFA's. Many of them are unfired. If I feel the need to go cowboy, I'll pack a Uberti.I have a nice Uberti Hombre. I bought it at Cabelas on sale for $299. I blackened the brass backstrap and trigger, then antiqued the rest of it. Looks just like an old Colt. It is very accurate and after a spring kit, has a very smooth action. It shoots just like a Colt or USFA and preserves the unfired value of the real deals.

 

growing up as a kid watching westerns, i always wanted a .45 ssa. at a gun show i found a .44 spl. sa 120x. paid $400 for it. this is probably due to skeeter skelton. it shot really well, and still does. mine shot to point of aim, which they did not always. the spring for the bolt broke, so had to get a replacement. numrich had real colt parts at the time. put leather washer, under it and it still works. i don't have a trigger gauge, but it has to be in ounces. i usually dry fire a few times to get used to it. the pawn shops and bars used to have a few lying around that had been traded or pawned. prices? about $50-$100! that was in the 50's early 60's. but i sure wish i was old enough to work to have gotten a few of them. most had little finish. an old gunsmith told me you needed 3 saa's. one to use, one for a back up, and one at the gunsmiths! hard to imagine how many rounds some of those guns had run through them. then too, fast draw was popular. they 'fanned' the hammer and held the trigger down. i think the er's saw a few of those boys. i never abused mine, but it does have a lot of finish wear. i will never ever sell it. i may be buried with it. its a best....44! james

 

interesting, old doc.

 

OK, one of you Uberta or Cimarron experts tell me which model would be the best one to look for. I have decided, I need one and I prefer 45 L.C. Thanks in advance