Tell me about Single Action clones

[Grayfox]

I'm a DA revolver guy. Very little experiance with Single Actions. But, I've kinda got a hankering to try a SA revolver again.
Over the years I've owned 5 different Rugers and none of them ever worked out for me. They're big, heavy and just never felt comfortable in my hand. They're all gone. So no Rugers.
As much as I would like to own a real Colt SAA, I just don't want to spend that kind of money without knowing for sure that it would work out for me.
Many years ago when they first came out, I got a chance to fire one of the Schofield clones. I recall I rather liked it. But its been several years since I've seen one for sale around here.
The local Bass Pro has several of the Remington copies, but I've never handled much less fired one.
So I guess we're basicly looking at Colt clones, but thoughts on other options are welcome. Preferably in .45 Colt or .44 Special with a 5 to 6" barrel. I want good quality at a reasonable price. Say $500-600 or in that general area.
So tell me about your experiences. What you have or had. Which ones you liked and more importantly, which ones you didn't like. The good shooters and the bad. The ones to buy and the ones to avoid.
Any and all opinions are welcome.

 

[Faulkner]

I don't have a lot of experiance with SAA clones, but I have been real pleased with my Uberti.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Umberti clones seem to be of good quality. I have a pair of #3 Russians that are fantastic. The older Armi San Marcos seem to be a all round lower grade. I have 2 sitting on the shelf waiting for repairs. Brand names are the people sell them, the manufacturer is often marked on the barrel. Brands often use multiple manufactures, so check carefully! Ivan

 

[charlie sherrill]

My Beretta Stampede in .45 Colt is every bit as nice as the Colt SAA I used to own and much less expensive. The Uberti's are also nice.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Stop by a shop that has in stock the new mid frame Ruger flat top in .44 Special. They are just about identical to the size and heft of the Colt SAA. There is a limited run of these in .45 Colt as well from Lipsey's and can be found now and again used at the Ruger forums. They are all steel now, no aluminum grip frames! These new mid frames are real shooters! If the traditional non adjustable sight is your cup of tea check out the Ruger Vaquero, its been downsized from the original Vaquero as well and is very Coltish. Its hard to go wrong with the Uberti's as well, I shot the snot out of two Thunderer's with full power (no wimp loads here) .45 Colt loads in CASS with no problems at all. Good luck in your search!

 

[feralmerril]

I have a few colts, a uberti general george patton commemorative, a EMF dakota and a lipsey special ruger flattop in .44 special. You should find deals on the italian repo`s for $300 or so used like new. Probley the best for the money would be the ruger flattop lipsey special, mine is 5 1/2" and I would rather have the 4 5/8".

DAKOTA

UBERTI THUNDERER

 

[Bat Guano]

The NM Vaqueros are indistinguishable from Colts either by feel in the hand or from a couple of feet away. Yes, they have the NM action and no half cock, but you get used to it. I have an old nickelled 1882 vintage Colt and a new stainless gloss NM Vaquero, and I like the Ruger just fine.

I'm off the Italian imports except for very light use or wall hangers. IMHO they're just not built or fitted for the long term.

 

[raljr1]

I have an Uberti Cattleman. For the price it is hard to beat. We have even fanned several cylinders full thru this gun with no problems, (except for my gunsmith telling me that only an idiot would do that)...

 

[Grayfox]

Look guys, I know you mean well. But over the last 35 years or so I have owned 5 Ruger single actions. The last of which was a .44 Flat Top. Not even a trip back to the factory could make that thing right. I was glad to get rid of it at a loss.
While I am a big fan of the old Security Six line, there will be no more Ruger SAs for me. So please, let's just drop that subject.

I will most likely end up with a Colt copy, but I'm also interested in the Schofield and Remington clones. Anybody got one of these?

 

[fat tom]

I highly recommend these.

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[URL="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/fattom/my%20guns/pix358137500.jpg"] [/URL]

[URL="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/fattom/my%20guns/pix358137016.jpg"] [/URL]

They are exact copies,have SWEET factory tuned actions and charcoal case coloring by Hamilton Bowen. I also like the USFA line,but you can damned near buy a 3rd generation Colt SAA for what you'll shell out for one.
f.t.

 

[cmort666]

I'm a DA revolver guy. Very little experiance with Single Actions. But, I've kinda got a hankering to try a SA revolver again.

It depends upon what sort of experience you're after.

1. Do you want an "authentic" SAA experience? If yes, you can skip the Rugers and any of the other "improved" guns. They work differently.
2. Do you want to actually carry the gun, especially with six in the cylinder? If yes, skip the "authentic" type clones like the Cimarron. Real SAA type guns don't have any sort of dropped gun protection. Drop one on a loaded chamber and it's got a good chance of going off.

A while ago, I was thinking about an SAA clone since I'd never owned an SA revolver. After looking at a bunch of guns I settled on the Cimarron (never did buy one for want of money) for the following reasons:

1. The gun was just going to be a toy. I never intended to carry it, much less with one under the hammer. It was only ever going to be fired on an indoor range.
2. I wanted an "authentic" SAA experience without spending the price of a custom M1911 on it. I wasn't willing to give up the original features and operation in exchange for a "safety" feature that was of no benefit to me.
3. Cimarron has a BIG selection, especially in calibers. I was thinking about either a .357 magnum or a .44 Special, since I already had dies for both and didn't want to have to add .45 Colt or (worse) .44-40.

If you want an SA revolver because you saw "Tombstone", pass on the Rugers, etc.

If you want to go hunting, want adjustable sights, or want maximum safety, go Ruger.

 

[jack the toad]

Although I'm somewhat of a single action fan, I currently only own one centerfire model. It's the Uberti Cattleman, I think their cheapest model as it has no frills whatsoever. I put a spring kit in it and it helped immensely. It's certainly worth the $250 I paid for it but someday I hope to find a deal on a Ruger Montado. That will be about the extent of my SAA venture unless the SASS bug bites me at some point in time or I find a Colt or USFA at an affordable price.

 

[kamloops67]

ruger new vaquero . most guys that compete in CAS use a ruger, must say something for them

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Uberti has developed a good reputation and probably provides about the best bang you'll get for your buck.

American Western Arms (AWA) "Peacekeeper" and "Longhorn" series is a very near perfect copy of the second generation Colt SAA. So close, in fact, that Colt sued them a few years ago and forced some changes in marking and marketing. I have one in .357 that is a great shooter.

Ruger New Model Vaquero is excellent, and also provides an improved level of safety (especially for those less well trained or experienced with the Single Action Army).

Still, there is nothing quite as nice as the real thing. I own Colt SAA's from the first, second, and third generations and enjoy them very much. Excellent investments as well; while all the others will depreciate over time the Colts will always be in demand and going up in value.

 

[Grayfox]

It'll just be a range gun and yeah, I am looking for the authentic single action experience. Like I said before, the Rugers haven't worked out very well for me. So now its time to give the traditional SAs a shot.
Just sorta looking to get my feet wet here. I'm not even sure if I'll like single actions. Just want to give 'em a try. I don't need anything real fancy or expensive. The Cattleman sounds like the best choice for me so far.
Although being a S&W kinda guy, I sure would like to get a close look at one of the Schofield copies.

 

[raljr1]

It'll just be a range gun and yeah, I am looking for the authentic single action experience. Like I said before, the Rugers haven't worked out very well for me. So now its time to give the traditional SAs a shot.
Just sorta looking to get my feet wet here. I'm not even sure if I'll like single actions. Just want to give 'em a try. I don't need anything real fancy or expensive. The Cattleman sounds like the best choice for me so far.
Although being a S&W kinda guy, I sure would like to get a close look at one of the Schofield copies.

The Schofield copies are sure tempting....I came real close to buying a 3rd model, the reintroduction...even had the wife telling me go ahead and pony up the $1500.....walked away and have regretted it since....

 

[perrazi]

I used to own 6 of the Cimarron copies built by uberti. shot one of them over 10,000 rds with no issues. just got smoother with use. beretta bought uberti a while back,so things are a little different in the quality area. uberti used to have different levels of quality also. don't know about these days. I was quite pleased with my Cimarron guns and kept the tombstone gun just because it was a long bbl. single action.

 

[DeadAye]

Check out Dixie Gun Works!
They're not only just up 51 from you, but a really nice place to visit....

 

[bpeddicord]

The EMF Great Westerns are the closest thing to a real Colt SAA. I had two that I used in SASS and many a cowboy asked about my Colt revolvers.

 

[Nightowl]

I am a Smith double action shooter as well and I bought Ruger Bisleys for SASS because I thought the grip would be more like a DA gun. But, lately, I have been desiring to try the New Model Number 3s because of the grip style. Trouble is, I have too much money tied up in the Rugers and do not have, or want to spend, the money to convert to the NM 3.