Several Questions RE: Colt SAA's
Hello GB Readers and Posters,
First off I would like to thank you in advance for any information or advice you post. I appreciate your time and effort.
Anyway, I just graduated high-school and my Dad and I have been mulling over a suitable celebration type gift. My friends have all been recieving cell-phones, hand-me-down cars or computers; but I don't really think I want any of those things. For a while now my Dad and I have been considering getting a Colt SAA to shoot for fun and maybe even get into a little Cowboy Action Shooting on the side.
However, I have several questions before I will actually start seriously looking to buy:
First, I would like to have your opinion on barrel lengths. Is there some sort of practical reason that a 4 3/4 inch barrel and a 5 1/2 inch barrel would be different enough to warrant a serious decision between the two? Or is it completely a matter of asthetic taste? 7 1/2 inch barrels just look weird to me; I'm leaning towards the more "medium" 5 1/2 inch barrel. To me it has a more of a balanced look.
Secondly, where can I buy custom parts? I can use GB as a pretty reliable source of grips and other parts but I'm looking for custom cylinders. I am wondering where I can an unfluted cylinder to replace the fluted one on most standard SAA's.
Finally, my Dad suggested and offered to have the gun engraved to a certain degree. I don't expect nor want a lavish 75% or 100% coverage gun, a small amount will be fine. But I'm having trouble locating engravers on the internet. I have found a few on Google searches but I can't seem to find the correct search terms or any indexes of engravers. Could someone please point me to some sort of listing or index of reputable engravers. Another thing to ad to that, how do you know if an engraver is reputable? Is there some sort of national certification?
Those are my only questions right now, but I have a feeling I'll have some more later. Once again thanks for answering in advance!
-Robert
First off I would like to thank you in advance for any information or advice you post. I appreciate your time and effort.
Anyway, I just graduated high-school and my Dad and I have been mulling over a suitable celebration type gift. My friends have all been recieving cell-phones, hand-me-down cars or computers; but I don't really think I want any of those things. For a while now my Dad and I have been considering getting a Colt SAA to shoot for fun and maybe even get into a little Cowboy Action Shooting on the side.
However, I have several questions before I will actually start seriously looking to buy:
First, I would like to have your opinion on barrel lengths. Is there some sort of practical reason that a 4 3/4 inch barrel and a 5 1/2 inch barrel would be different enough to warrant a serious decision between the two? Or is it completely a matter of asthetic taste? 7 1/2 inch barrels just look weird to me; I'm leaning towards the more "medium" 5 1/2 inch barrel. To me it has a more of a balanced look.
Secondly, where can I buy custom parts? I can use GB as a pretty reliable source of grips and other parts but I'm looking for custom cylinders. I am wondering where I can an unfluted cylinder to replace the fluted one on most standard SAA's.
Finally, my Dad suggested and offered to have the gun engraved to a certain degree. I don't expect nor want a lavish 75% or 100% coverage gun, a small amount will be fine. But I'm having trouble locating engravers on the internet. I have found a few on Google searches but I can't seem to find the correct search terms or any indexes of engravers. Could someone please point me to some sort of listing or index of reputable engravers. Another thing to ad to that, how do you know if an engraver is reputable? Is there some sort of national certification?
Those are my only questions right now, but I have a feeling I'll have some more later. Once again thanks for answering in advance!
-Robert
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Purely a matter of taste on barrel lenght .If you go for a ist or 2nd generation colt price is higher for short barrel guns but beware only works on factory barrels not ones that have been cut off. Have you thought about buying a COMMEMORATIVE MODEL? I have a 2nd gen one with unfluted cyl.small amount of engraveing and it would be price of plain jane model and in a fitted case? If you live anywhere near VA. I can give you some names of engravers. Let me know and I can send pic to your email address I don't know how to post here. Karl 0 -
I believe the US Army eventually found the 7 1/2" barrels impractical and started cutting them down to 6-6 1/2".
Contact US Firearms in Connecticut on a cylinder if you can't get a Colt. Also plan on having a little gunsmithing work done on the hammer cam, trigger spring and cylinder locking bolt to reduce breakage of the trigger/locking bolt spring and locking bolt. With the amount of shooting you'll be doing in Cowboy Action Shooting you need better reliability than these factory parts give you.
The Ruger Vaquero has a great record for reliability and while it looks like an SAA Colt, it's larger and heavier and doesn't feel like a Colt.0 -
While I was waiting at the counter to pay for my Vaquero I happened to pick up a Colt Cowboy...WHAT a mistake, cost me more money (wound up with the Colt 5 1/2 of course)While reliable the Ruger just dosent have that colt feel. This guy engraved my Colt Cowboy and I was VERY satisfied, Backstrap from top with a masonic logo (I supplied) my full name straight down and lodge name on the bottom, here's his sight. http://www.powleyengraving.com/ Hope this helps.
PJ
quote:Originally posted by v35
I believe the US Army eventually found the 7 1/2" barrels impractical and started cutting them down to 6-6 1/2".
Contact US Firearms in Connecticut on a cylinder if you can't get a Colt. Also plan on having a little gunsmithing work done on the hammer cam, trigger spring and cylinder locking bolt to reduce breakage of the trigger/locking bolt spring and locking bolt. With the amount of shooting you'll be doing in Cowboy Action Shooting you need better reliability than these factory parts give you.
The Ruger Vaquero has a great record for reliability and while it looks like an SAA Colt, it's larger and heavier and doesn't feel like a Colt.
If nobody seen you do it, how could you have done it. NRA Life Member, AF&AM0
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