I grew up shooting and hunting, and I've always been a real history buff. When I was 17 years old my girl friend bought me a brass-framed 1851 Navy revolver for $36 as a Christmas present...and I've been hooked ever since.
Yeah. It is a fairly common problem. I just got the gun back from Tom Sargis. I had him do one of his world famous action jobs and cut an 11 degree forcing cone. While he was at it he turned the barrel, so now it shoots where it should left to right, but about three inches high. The only fix for that is a new, higher front sight, which would have meant re-blueing the barrel...lowering the gun's value. I can live with a little Kentucky hold-under.
Yes they were only made for 5 years 1999 to 2003 to cater to the cowboy action sport enthusiast and were more affordable to buy since they were made of stamped steel rather than the forged steel like the SAA was made of and it also has the transfer safety bar mechanism as well !!!! I own of each in the 5.5 in. barrel and the Colt Cowboy .45 Colt as it was named is as every bit as accurate as the good ole Colt SAA .45colt is !!! And it also is very highly collectable and going up in value as well due to the 5 year only production run !!!!
@bayoulongbowman I'm the black powder editor for Guns of the Old West magazine. We are published by Harris Publications quarterly. We only cover guns of the american west. You should be able to ind a copy at Barnes & Noble, if they have any stores near you.
Hi Archerdude. I'm not sure what catalog you're looking at. Colt dropped the Cowboy somewhere around 2004. I just checked the 2012 catalog to make sure they haven't brought it back, and they haven't. The offer the SAA and the New Frontier. The Colt Cowboy was introduced in 1998 to cash in on the then red-hot cowboy action shooting market. It is basically a copy of the German EAA Big Bore Bounty Hunter, but with a Colt SAA sized frame and cylinder.
I have 3 colt singles and and all shoot to the left ,i asked a colt collector he told me 9 out of 10 will do that you can fix it by moving the barrel to the same direction just a little until your on target but to do that you need to take all your tools you'll need to the range, there are some people that can do it for you.
Fantastic and thorough video. I'm wanting one of these now. Just bought a Mosin then a Nagant revolver. Now I'm inspired to find one of these classics too.
I'm picking my eleventh Colt Single Action Army tomorrow. I've loved those revolvers since I was little guy. I have three with the Black Powder frame. I also take that Bullseye ejector head off and replace it with the half moon ejector head. It's still historically correct. and it fits in a holster a lot better
I think Cimarron is calling the black powder frame the "old Model". 1st Generation SAAs were made from 1873 until 1941. Then production stopped until the mid-1950s, which are called 2nd Generation. Of the 1st gen guns, the black powder frame was used until 1896 when the cross-bolt frame came into use. So the black powder frame was only used for the first half of the 1st generation production period.
It is a Colt. It was made in the mid-1960s and it was used hard. I had to have the cylinder replaced when I got it a few years ago. I'd say the colors have faded a bit.
Yes. They used the DA .38 Colt in the Spanish American War, but returned the SA .45 Colt to service during the Philippine insurrection because the .38s weren't stopping the Moros. That's why they specified .45 caliber for their autopistol trials. And that's why current Special Forces have gone back to the .45, even though the 9mm M92 Beretta is the official service pistol.
Like the Bounty Hunter, the Colt Cowboy had Colt style lockwork with the addition of a transfer bar safety, licensed from Ruger. The Cowboys were actually manufactured, I believe, in the Czech Republic, but I've also heard the source was in the Philippine Islands. The quality wasn't that good. The Price in 1999 was $600, which was half the cost of an actual Colt SAA. Unfortunately you could get a Bounty Hunter then for under $250. They were basically charging $400 for the Colt name.
Thank you for that informative & entertaining review. I'm the on the other side of the pond here in the UK. Since our comprehensive handgun ban in 1997 we can no longer own cartridge handguns which is a bummer! I'm stuck with 1873 Uberti Colt clone blank firers, not ideal but better than nothing!
For safety. On Colt single action revolvers there is no safety or hammer block. If you load six rounds, the firing pin will be resting on a live primer. If you dropped the gun it would go off.
@blakng My experience is just the opposite...shooting about 6 inches high. Low shooting is easily fixed by filing down the front sight. High shooting requires a new, higher front sight.
precioso revolver , soy un apasionado del las armas del salvaje oeste y concretamente del peacemaker. aunque como coleccionista y tirador disfruto con todos. lastima que no hablo ingles. saludos desde españa
HELLO! excellent video! love the flame and smoke. i reloaded .45 colt with black powder and a lead 250 grain swaged bullet w/ a gas check. i fired them in a ruger 7.5 inch barreled single action blued. very powerful round and little leading in the bore. would like to the .44 mag get the black powder treatment!
An authentic Colt SAA has always been my dream gun. I have vowed that as soon as the mortgage is paid off on my house, I'm going to reward myself with one.
ok thanks. A little odd, considering the fact. But Colt has manufactured a lot of new models since 1873 so at the present the specific sidearms with cylinders would not have the firing pin rested on the primer correct?
Im a college student about 19 and I love single actions revolvers they just really fascinate me and I would love to get into sass someday. Luck for me my uncle is loaning me his black hawk that he never shoots and I have to say the recoil is super light and it is accurate can about the only thing i hate about it is the muzzle blast.. Do you have any tips to shooting a 30 carbine bcackhawk ?
Starting to fall in love with the saa pistols (and coming from a Glock guy). When you make references to the 1st Gen saa, is that also what the manufacturers call the "Old Model"?
@duelist1954 I'm not a sick person, but if your revolver went off at 4:14 when you were dropping the hammer on the empty chamber...I would have been crying in laughter. Would have been a classic blooper, assuming nobody was in front of the muzzle
So the whole point of having the sprung loaded base pin retainer (no tools required), is lost if you require a base pin removal tool to get the "fouled" base pin out of the frame ! Also,the "black powder frame" base pin retaining screw,does not have to be taken right the way out (and dropped in the grass) to be able to remove the base pin !
When you showed the 2nd generation colt, was it a colt or uberti, because the case hardening looks alot different then your newer black powder frame one.?
mr. duelist i am thinking of making my alchimista look like a colt single action by adding the nickle plated hammer by colt and adding a colt base pin and maybe a set of ivory grips to make it a piece of resistance is there anything else that you would do just to make look like a colt?
sorry to bother you again Mike but was it true that although the 38 double action colt 1892 revolver replaced the Peacemaker, the US Army briefly went back to it because of the lack of stopping power the 38 double action colt offered?
I love your channel. I have a Cimarron model p and a Remington new model army. The next gun I want is a Remington 1875. My question is, if you could only have one would you take a colt or Remington? both of them clones. I love my colt clone but it shoots itself loose. I think the 1875 is a stronger gun. Your opinion means a lot to me.
My experience is quite limited compared to yourself, but I’ve put dozens of American Pioneer, Cleanshot and Pyrodex (never again) through my new Vaquero .45 Colt and have never had any trouble taking the cylinder pin out with anything but my two fingers to clean. Is real Black Powder different or is it the gun? (i noticed your tool had a ruger side)
ClassicGunsToday ClassicGunsToday Real B-P is quite different from ascorbic acid based substitutes. Their fouling is mostly water vapor while B-P fouling is heavy carbon. But Pyrodex fouls heavily as well.
Do you any idea how I can purchase this gun? My older brother would love to have this and I was thinking getting it for his birthday. By the way I live in Canada.
Hey! I make guns and I’m simply in love with the SAA and other western guns. Would you check out the SAA replica I built? I’m also working on a 1860 Army cap & ball
Nice video... i recently picked up a revolver like this .22 caliber, but stamped on the barrel is " lawman series wild bill hickok" with pearl grips... Are you familiar with this revolver? If so, are you familiar with the value of this firearm? Im trying to sell it
I grew up shooting and hunting, and I've always been a real history buff. When I was 17 years old my girl friend bought me a brass-framed 1851 Navy revolver for $36 as a Christmas present...and I've been hooked ever since.
Yeah. It is a fairly common problem. I just got the gun back from Tom Sargis. I had him do one of his world famous action jobs and cut an 11 degree forcing cone. While he was at it he turned the barrel, so now it shoots where it should left to right, but about three inches high. The only fix for that is a new, higher front sight, which would have meant re-blueing the barrel...lowering the gun's value. I can live with a little Kentucky hold-under.
The Colt Cowboys didn't sell, and around 2003 or 2004 Colt quietly dropped them.
Yes they were only made for 5 years 1999 to 2003 to cater to the cowboy action sport enthusiast and were more affordable to buy since they were made of stamped steel rather than the forged steel like the SAA was made of and it also has the transfer safety bar mechanism as well !!!! I own of each in the 5.5 in. barrel and the Colt Cowboy .45 Colt as it was named is as every bit as accurate as the good ole Colt SAA .45colt is !!! And it also is very highly collectable and going up in value as well due to the 5 year only production run !!!!
Awesome video, thanks. I learn a lot from your UA-cam channel and when the weather is bad and I can't get out to shoot, I watch your videos.
No. But I've shot three or four tripods...usually low in the legs from bullet fragments
@bayoulongbowman I'm the black powder editor for Guns of the Old West magazine. We are published by Harris Publications quarterly. We only cover guns of the american west. You should be able to ind a copy at Barnes & Noble, if they have any stores near you.
Thanks for the recommendation on the base pin puller. Mine just came in and it makes pulling the cylinder pin soooo much easier!
Hi Archerdude. I'm not sure what catalog you're looking at. Colt dropped the Cowboy somewhere around 2004. I just checked the 2012 catalog to make sure they haven't brought it back, and they haven't. The offer the SAA and the New Frontier. The Colt Cowboy was introduced in 1998 to cash in on the then red-hot cowboy action shooting market. It is basically a copy of the German EAA Big Bore Bounty Hunter, but with a Colt SAA sized frame and cylinder.
Great video, Mike. I'm looking forward to parts 2 and 3 (especially the Trapdoor video)!
I have 3 colt singles and and all shoot to the left ,i asked a colt collector he told me 9 out of 10 will do that you can fix it by moving the barrel to the same direction just a little until your on target but to do that you need to take all your tools you'll need to the range, there are some people that can do it for you.
Joe Guzman Tom Sargis of Bozeman Trail Arms did it for me
Fantastic and thorough video. I'm wanting one of these now. Just bought a Mosin then a Nagant revolver. Now I'm inspired to find one of these classics too.
I'm picking my eleventh Colt Single Action Army tomorrow. I've loved those revolvers since I was little guy. I have three with the Black Powder frame. I also take that Bullseye ejector head off and replace it with the half moon ejector head. It's still historically correct. and it fits in a holster a lot better
I think Cimarron is calling the black powder frame the "old Model". 1st Generation SAAs were made from 1873 until 1941. Then production stopped until the mid-1950s, which are called 2nd Generation. Of the 1st gen guns, the black powder frame was used until 1896 when the cross-bolt frame came into use. So the black powder frame was only used for the first half of the 1st generation production period.
Great video!
I really like the black rubber grips on the gun better than the "fancier" grips you often see.
It is a Colt. It was made in the mid-1960s and it was used hard. I had to have the cylinder replaced when I got it a few years ago. I'd say the colors have faded a bit.
Yes. They used the DA .38 Colt in the Spanish American War, but returned the SA .45 Colt to service during the Philippine insurrection because the .38s weren't stopping the Moros. That's why they specified .45 caliber for their autopistol trials. And that's why current Special Forces have gone back to the .45, even though the 9mm M92 Beretta is the official service pistol.
Like the Bounty Hunter, the Colt Cowboy had Colt style lockwork with the addition of a transfer bar safety, licensed from Ruger. The Cowboys were actually manufactured, I believe, in the Czech Republic, but I've also heard the source was in the Philippine Islands. The quality wasn't that good. The Price in 1999 was $600, which was half the cost of an actual Colt SAA. Unfortunately you could get a Bounty Hunter then for under $250. They were basically charging $400 for the Colt name.
Thank you for that informative & entertaining review. I'm the on the other side of the pond here in the UK. Since our comprehensive handgun ban in 1997 we can no longer own cartridge handguns which is a bummer! I'm stuck with 1873 Uberti Colt clone blank firers, not ideal but better than nothing!
Hollywood movies usually use NAVY. The Saa is often in italian spaghetti western (Sergio Leone's movies, Trinity series...)
For safety. On Colt single action revolvers there is no safety or hammer block. If you load six rounds, the firing pin will be resting on a live primer. If you dropped the gun it would go off.
@blakng My experience is just the opposite...shooting about 6 inches high. Low shooting is easily fixed by filing down the front sight. High shooting requires a new, higher front sight.
This is the greatest hand gun ever made.
Absolutely.
precioso revolver , soy un apasionado del las armas del salvaje oeste y concretamente del peacemaker. aunque como coleccionista y tirador disfruto con todos. lastima que no hablo ingles. saludos desde españa
Yes it is.
Sure. Pietts and Uberti both make good, low-cost replicas.
Wow that is very interesting. I too told myself that I would one day own a ROLEX watch and a genuine COLT SAA. One day!
@italianrelic I'd say around $1,200. I got a writer's discount on mine, so I can't be certain of the retail price.
HELLO! excellent video! love the flame and smoke. i reloaded .45 colt with black powder and a lead 250 grain swaged bullet w/ a gas check. i fired them in a ruger 7.5 inch barreled single action blued. very powerful round and little leading in the bore. would like to the .44 mag get the black powder treatment!
No. I actually prefer the 7 i2 inch barrel with 4 3/4 inches being my second choice.
Let's try to keep the language clean shall we. Lots of young people come here to learn about guns.
@blakng THat's the way they should be set up. Does yours shoot high? That is an issue I've noticed with quite a few Colt SAAs.
@Alexn1067 Alex, you can clearly see the empty chamber under the hammer. If it wasn't visually clear I wouldn't have dropped it.
@DKAkuYaenko You would have to have a gun dealer place an order with Colt's Custom Shop
An authentic Colt SAA has always been my dream gun. I have vowed that as soon as the mortgage is paid off on my house, I'm going to reward myself with one.
Arizona's official state gun, Colt's SAA 45LC 7 1/2" bbl enjoyed the show.
No a hair trigger would have a release weight of only a couple of ounces.
No. I shoot black powder in all my Colt SAAs regardless of frame type.
As much as I like Remingtons I'd take the Colt. I prefer its balance and handling
Should have scramed at the guy nailin the plate
"IM TRYING TO SHOOT A VIDEO OVER HERE!"
Ha! Cheers Nice revolver!
@bikelt Amen brother. I love mine too.
ok thanks. A little odd, considering the fact. But Colt has manufactured a lot of new models since 1873 so at the present the specific sidearms with cylinders would not have the firing pin rested on the primer correct?
Colt has better steel, better build quality and better finishing. Plus, it is a Colt, so it will go up in value.
Love your videos.
Im a college student about 19 and I love single actions revolvers they just really fascinate me and I would love to get into sass someday. Luck for me my uncle is loaning me his black hawk that he never shoots and I have to say the recoil is super light and it is accurate can about the only thing i hate about it is the muzzle blast.. Do you have any tips to shooting a 30 carbine bcackhawk ?
Starting to fall in love with the saa pistols (and coming from a Glock guy). When you make references to the 1st Gen saa, is that also what the manufacturers call the "Old Model"?
@duelist1954 I'm not a sick person, but if your revolver went off at 4:14 when you were dropping the hammer on the empty chamber...I would have been crying in laughter. Would have been a classic blooper, assuming nobody was in front of the muzzle
Another great video, thanks!
Have you ever shot a Merwin-Hulbert? And are you ever planning on doing a video on one?
Are you going to keep using the Alchemista grip assembly?
So the whole point of having the sprung loaded base pin retainer (no tools required), is lost if you require a base pin removal tool to get the "fouled" base pin out of the frame !
Also,the "black powder frame" base pin retaining screw,does not have to be taken right the way out (and dropped in the grass) to be able to remove the base pin !
@duelist1954 oh I know. I wasn't accusing you of being unsafe or not knowing what you're doing, It was just a thought that ran through my head lol
When you showed the 2nd generation colt, was it a colt or uberti, because the case hardening looks alot different then your newer black powder frame one.?
are modern production Colt SAA's chambered for .45Colt capable of firing "+P" ammunition safely and without harming the firearm?
Thanks Mike!
mr. duelist i am thinking of making my alchimista look like a colt single action by adding the nickle plated hammer by colt and adding a colt base pin and maybe a set of ivory grips to make it a piece of resistance is there anything else that you would do just to make look like a colt?
do the brand new colts have hammer mounted firing pins or do they have the transfer bar set up?
I feel your pain. I had mine on layaway for a long time.
mr duelist as well do you know where to get a steel trigger guard that would work would the regular 73 trigger guard work
sorry to bother you again Mike but was it true that although the 38 double action colt 1892 revolver replaced the Peacemaker, the US Army briefly went back to it because of the lack of stopping power the 38 double action colt offered?
cussing is ignorant. Bravo Mike!
i think i might but im still thinkin a bout that anything else you might recommend to do
How did you get introduced to cap and ball revolvers?
I love your channel. I have a Cimarron model p and a Remington new model army. The next gun I want is a Remington 1875. My question is, if you could only have one would you take a colt or Remington? both of them clones. I love my colt clone but it shoots itself loose. I think the 1875 is a stronger gun. Your opinion means a lot to me.
You need to go through an FFL
Nice video, Thanks!
My experience is quite limited compared to yourself, but I’ve put dozens of American Pioneer, Cleanshot and Pyrodex (never again) through my new Vaquero .45 Colt and have never had any trouble taking the cylinder pin out with anything but my two fingers to clean.
Is real Black Powder different or is it the gun? (i noticed your tool had a ruger side)
ClassicGunsToday ClassicGunsToday Real B-P is quite different from ascorbic acid based substitutes. Their fouling is mostly water vapor while B-P fouling is heavy carbon. But Pyrodex fouls heavily as well.
Terry Dean Channel since my original post, I have made the conversion to “Holy Black” powder as well. Swiss. And there is no going back.
Maybe I'm not being clear. I just blocked one person for profanity, and I'll continue to block people who don't get it. Keep it clean!
oh ok, thanks for the reply.
I'm looking to get a single action revolver, is there anything out there that has the feel of a colt single action army, but not the price tag?
VTI Gun Parts
revolver ocelot brought me here XD
They are worth about $500
Do you any idea how I can purchase this gun? My older brother would love to have this and I was thinking getting it for his birthday. By the way I live in Canada.
Do you have to have a black powder frame to shoot black powder?
about how much does the colt kick with the long barrel
When it has black powder frame,can you shoot smokeless in it?
Hey! I make guns and I’m simply in love with the SAA and other western guns. Would you check out the SAA replica I built? I’m also working on a 1860 Army cap & ball
Love your videos, but here is a silly question...have you ever shot one of the cameras? lol
how much does a new custom shop saa cost these days?
I know right? I just go to the gunshop and stand there looking at those price tags hoping they'll go down. Then I buy some ammunition and leave.
So, would you say it's worth the extra money?
It isn't bad
Nice vid, thx for sharing :)
I totally understand. I bought mine before I got married. I could never get away with it now.
why do you load 5 bullets into the cylinder instead of 6?
The sights are non-adjustable!
have you had any problems with that in any revolver before?
I agree.
Sorry im an australian so forgive this question, is that a hair trigger??
The ending reminded me of Goodfellas =]
Nice video... i recently picked up a revolver like this .22 caliber, but stamped on the barrel is " lawman series wild bill hickok" with pearl grips... Are you familiar with this revolver? If so, are you familiar with the value of this firearm? Im trying to sell it
lovely video thnx
how much does this gun cost, and can they be send to colombia??
+Julian nieto bermudez Move to the U.S.A. and you can get pretty much any gun you can afford. :)
I live in Britain, and knowing I may never have a real Colt really irritates me.
Heeeee's the one who shot the crack in the Liberty Bell.
I use to have one of these guns and wow. The trigger can be stiff.
How do these compare to the Uberti made ones? I'm asking because the colts cost nearly twice as much.
God I want one, but would have to emigrate as I live in UK. But I could always buy a uberti blank fire. : (
Thanks
billy the kid had a colt single action army revolver 1873....