Colt SAA pic thread-Let's see 'em!

[SmokeEater2]

Gotta' be some Colt fans here. This one was made in '78, .357 magnum with 5.5 inch barrel. It absolutely loves 158 gr. SWC's.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa179/SmokeEater_photos/Colt3.jpg

[Retired Bum]

Buried somewhere in my gunsafe is a 1961 2nd gen .45 Colt caliber SAA with the 7.5 inch barrel. But I don't think that posting a photo of it would be a good idea.

You see, it is one of the 125th Anniversary Models. It has a highly polished blue frame, cylinder, and barrel. The grip straps, hammer and trigger, cylinder pin, and ejector rod knob are GOLD PLATED. I traded an Anschutz Model 54 .22lr rifle for this gaudy hogleg about nineteen years ago. I must have been drunk at the time. So it sits buried on the bottom of the safe out of sight and maybe one day it will just up and disappear.

I actually tried to sell this thing as a shooter to a CAS type for only $500 about five years ago. He took one look at it and just laughed in my face.

And so it goes.


The Retired One

[SmokeEater2]

Well heck RB,Whattya' want in trade for it? :?

[Steelcore_7.62]

SmokeEater,

I have one exactly like yours, except it is .38 and made in the late 1950's IIRC. I inhereted it from my Grandfather. I believe it was his camp/hunting sidearm so it has some minor holster wear and cylinder groove but is really great for it's age. I have never shot it. But that is going to change when I get back to the States. The action on these pistols is superb!

Sorry, I don't have a pic to share. Congrats on yours its a beauty.

Cheers,
Darrell

[Survey Punk]

Don't make me go out and get my 44-40 1902 Bisley! :wink:

JB

[SmokeEater2]

Originally posted by Survey Punk
Don't make me go out and get my 44-40 1902 Bisley! :wink:

JB





Post that thang! :biggrin:

[DJ]

A couple of SAA pics......First is my Cimmaron. 7 1/2 inch barrel, .45 Colt. Yeah, I know the hammer is back. It's to show the fixed firing pin as opposed to a transfer bar. The gun is unloaded.

[DJ]

Cimmaron on top, Colt on the bottom. Another .45 Colt.

[dirtyrice]

I have a few photos you guys might be interested in. While they're not mine they're from the new firearms museum at the whittington center which is where we just held the annual FALFest.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/whitearican/falfest09/102_1175-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/whitearican/falfest09/102_1176.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/whitearican/falfest09/102_1182-1.jpg
Commemorative

I think I have some more. I'll have to review my photos after work.

[MAINER]

Thanks Dirtyrice! That first pic looks close enough to my Colt to pass for it. Got a Cimmeron 7 1/2" that shoots about 6" too high at 25yds. Haven't gotten around to bending the barrel so it shoots straight yet.

A favorite is my Great Western, 7 1/2" .357 with absolutely no finish left. No camera, but do have a pretty pic to show.

[dirtyrice]

Yep had two more in my photos.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/whitearican/falfest09/102_1172.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/whitearican/falfest09/102_1187.jpg
On the left

Only other thing I had even remotely related were these. Colt percussion pistols from the 1850's
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/whitearican/falfest09/102_1169.jpg

I have full res versions if anyone wants them. You can read the cards in almost all of them when zoomed in who states where the firearm came from or who is lending it to the museum. These are all original pieces. They had some modern stuff in there but I don't believe any of them are in these photos.

[ThePitbullofLove]

NOT a Commemorative....

http://images24.fotki.com/v801/photos/2/28682/4844435/IMG_5473-vi.jpg
http://images24.fotki.com/v799/photos/2/28682/4844435/IMG_5476-vi.jpg
http://images23.fotki.com/v808/photos/2/28682/4844435/IMG_5477-vi.jpg
http://images23.fotki.com/v805/photos/2/28682/4844435/IMG_5478-vi.jpg
http://images23.fotki.com/v803/photos/2/28682/4844435/IMG_5479-vi.jpg
http://images23.fotki.com/v804/photos/2/28682/4844435/IMG_5480-vi.jpg
http://images23.fotki.com/v808/photos/2/28682/4844435/IMG_5481-vi.jpg
http://images24.fotki.com/v799/photos/2/28682/4844435/IMG_5482-vi.jpg
http://images46.fotki.com/v1518/photos/2/28682/4844435/IMG_5483-vi.jpg

[bykerhd]

Is that the real deal ThePitbullofLove ?
George Patton's .45 Colt ?
Also, is that at West Point ?

[ThePitbullofLove]

Originally posted by bykerhd
Is that the real deal ThePitbullofLove ?
George Patton's .45 Colt ?
Also, is that at West Point ?

That is Patton's SAA.

It's a the Patton Museum at Fort Knox.

[dirtyrice]

This thread is making me want to shoot a saa. I've always had an affection for lever actions. Mainly just old winchester 94's as I don't know much about lever actions or who made em back in the 1800's.

The cost of .45 long colt compared to other things didn't help my enthusiasm. I figure you guys reload?

[bykerhd]

I like single actions. I've owned several Rugers and shot others. Never a Colt.
But, unless it's an 1860 Army, a Ruger Super Blackhawk or a Ruger Bisley, the grip is too short by at least half a pinkie finger. This isn't an issue with lighter loads, but gets to be more of a concern when heavy loads are in play.
And, can get very painful if one is careless about carefully locating the grip in one's hand before touching a round off. :uhoh:

[Blue Monster]

.45 lc one of the easiest rounds to reload!
I haven't bought ammo for it in years.

I am still leaning how to shoot it left handed


AWA Clone (the one they were sued for and no longer make).
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r61/bluemonster2003/guns/Picture_0280.jpg

[Retired Bum]

No such cartridge as the .45 "Long" Colt.

There is the .32 Short and Long Colt. The .38 Short and Long Colt. The .41 Short and Long Colt. But there isn't any such animal as the .45 Long Colt. It is simply the .45 Colt, period.

I've owned four Colt revolvers, three S&W revolvers, two Ruger revolvers, and a Winchester Model 94 Angle Eject and everyone of them were stamped .45 Colt.

This is a pet peeve of mine. Along with calling a magazine a "clip". A charger a "stripper clip". Cartridges called "bullets". And so on....

And so it goes.


The Retired One

[DJ]

Dirtyrice, yeah, I do reload .45 Colts. R-P cases, 8.5 grains of Unique and a 255 gr cast semiwad. The Cimmaron puts those loads into 3 inches at 75 feet.
the Colt likes that load too, but it's been so long since I've fired it, I can't remember the particulars.
I'm dying to find a Winchester 92 in .45 Colt but alas, the SASS guys have them all scarfed up.

[dirtyrice]

Cool. Thanks for the info on the caliber designation. Like I said this is an area ive never delved in.

So one quick question. Is holding down the trigger and running the hammer with your other hand just a thing of hollywood or did people actually shoot like this? Or am I just mistaken and they were just cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger each time really fast?

lol at the bullet comment. I'm always correcting people and explaining that it is a round and that a bullet is only a component of a round.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yyAMfqo3y4

Youtube videos are making me think this might be a new addiction!! . Damn I just discovered hi-powers :sad: :rofl:

Oldest thing I have is a police positive .32 from the 20's that was passed down to me. Still shoots to standards too. And so I do understand the whole small grip deal. I always wondered did they make these things with grips like this to be shot with one hand?? With the negligible recoil i thought MAYBE.

[USMC 0341]

Originally posted by dirtyrice
I always wondered did they make these things with grips like this to be shot with one hand??

The grips on the SAA came from the 1851 Navy - the whole assembly will interchange between the two. So it was designed for a relatively large gun in a .36 caliber precussion chamber. Truly negligible recoil.

Many people believed (and still do) that it was/is an ideal shape for a revolver grip. In the SAA's original black powder chambering I doubt many people had much problem with the recoil.

[dirtyrice]

Yeah. I knew black powder burns slower so the recoil is different. Not so sharp and bad on muzzle rise. Colt used small grips in the 20-30's .32's and .38's . I think after that they got the idea they needed bigger grips for upcoming calibers. I'm assuming the .38's they used back then were alot lighter loads than today.

Are you guys loading the catridges with black or modern gun powder. Like I said i'm new to this.

[SmokeEater2]

Originally posted by Survey Punk
Don't make me go out and get my 44-40 1902 Bisley! :wink:

JB



Here's the pics of that Bisley. Good Lord am I jealous!


http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa179/SmokeEater_photos/IMG_0430.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa179/SmokeEater_photos/IMG_0431.jpg

[bykerhd]

dirtyrice, "fanning" a Colt, as in holding the trigger down and pulling the hammer back and releasing it rapidly with the palm, or whatever, of the other hand, is very hard on the mechanism.
Hollywood doesn't worry about how long the guns hold up. It's all about effects.
Rugers are generally tougher, Colts can be modified by experts to use coil springs for the locking bolt to make them more reliable, but hard use will eventually do bad things to either of them.

I would imagine Colt grips and grip frames were of a size that worked well for the size of Joe Average's hand back in the mid 1800s.
People are generally bigger these days and probably also have larger hands.
Although I'm not sure of that.

[dirtyrice]

My hands are far from large. I'm a small guy. but because of differences in our diets that is a valid point.

[USMC 0341]

A buddy of mine had a Ruger Blackhawk which he had traded out the trigger guard with one from a '51 Colt Navy with the squareback guard. I always thought that looked slick and have thought to do the same with one of the Cimarron Arms clones I have - but I have not yet found a source for a reasonably priced squareback triggerguard.

[bykerhd]

USMC 0341, Dixie gun works use to list all the parts for replica black powder revolvers. I'm not sure who else does.
Like anything else, you'll pay twice, at least, what parts are worth when you buy them individually.

[USMC 0341]

bykerhd, My Dixie Guns Works catalog shows the round trigger guard for the '51 Navy but not the squareback.

I did once find a squareback for sale on some semi-obscure site but they were asking $75 or so. I figured for that price I'll look for a worn out brass-framed Navy replica at a gun show and get the whole deal for much less than that.

[SmokeEater2]

Originally posted by Retired Bum
No such cartridge as the .45 "Long" Colt.

There is the .32 Short and Long Colt. The .38 Short and Long Colt. The .41 Short and Long Colt. But there isn't any such animal as the .45 Long Colt. It is simply the .45 Colt, period.

I've owned four Colt revolvers, three S&W revolvers, two Ruger revolvers, and a Winchester Model 94 Angle Eject and everyone of them were stamped .45 Colt.

This is a pet peeve of mine. Along with calling a magazine a "clip". A charger a "stripper clip". Cartridges called "bullets". And so on....

And so it goes.


The Retired One


You are correct BUT... Check out Colt's listing of calibers for the SAA, They have cataloged it as the .45 Long Colt for a while now.

http://www.coltsmfg.com/products-c1-q43-Colt_Revolvers.aspx

[DJ]

Dirtyrice, I'm loading modern smokeless powder. I've been tempted to load some rounds with black powder, but I've been told that you need bullets lubed with a different lube otherwise you'll have a nasty time cleaning your gun. One of these days I'm gonna try a few rounds loaded with BP.

[SmokeEater2]

Originally posted by DJ
Dirtyrice, I'm loading modern smokeless powder. I've been tempted to load some rounds with black powder, but I've been told that you need bullets lubed with a different lube otherwise you'll have a nasty time cleaning your gun. One of these days I'm gonna try a few rounds loaded with BP.




DJ, SPG is a good lube to use when loading BP. You're right there is a difference between lubes for Black and smokeless. I load BP cartridges for my Sharps and the SPG lube does a good job,I also use a over powder wad with a little SPG on them too.

[Muggzy]

A Berreta .45 Colt pump gun and Rossi .45 Colt lever gun. The pump gun is a bunch of fun...

[elbo]

Originally posted by Retired Bum
No such cartridge as the .45 "Long" Colt.

There is the .32 Short and Long Colt. The .38 Short and Long Colt. The .41 Short and Long Colt. But there isn't any such animal as the .45 Long Colt. It is simply the .45 Colt, period.

I've owned four Colt revolvers, three S&W revolvers, two Ruger revolvers, and a Winchester Model 94 Angle Eject and everyone of them were stamped .45 Colt.

Ease up and get out more.
I have several revolvers in .45 Colt, .45, .45 LC, Colt .45, and even COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY .45. All chamber the same round.

I removed "Along with calling a magazine a "clip". A charger a "stripper clip". Cartridges called "bullets". And so on...." from my quote. It wasn't germane.

[Retired Bum]

Ease up and get out more?

Always good advice if warranted. But I like to be accurate with firearms terminology. I realize that a lot of the gun culture doesn't. So be it.

To me it is the .45 Colt and will never be anything else. Ditto with magazines, chargers, and cartridges.

Have a nice day.

And so it goes.


The Retired One

[Blue Monster]

My SAA has .45 lc stamped on it, my reloading manual has tables for .45 long colt and none for .45 colt, my carbide .45 long colt dies say: .45 long colt on them and my empty brass is stamped .45 lc.
I think .45 long colt is now considered a legitimate round and a legit name.


What I want to know is why people insist on calling Smith & Wesson S&W, this is technically incorrect and makes me hungry for a killer steak ;)




stir, stir, stir :p

[DJ]

Originally posted by SmokeEater2





DJ, SPG is a good lube to use when loading BP. You're right there is a difference between lubes for Black and smokeless. I load BP cartridges for my Sharps and the SPG lube does a good job,I also use a over powder wad with a little SPG on them too.


Thanks for the info SmokeEater. I'm dyin to try some BP loads.

[elbo]

.:)
6 Guns
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/SAA_45.jpg
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/SAA_45_two.jpg
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Colt_SAA_45.jpg
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/45LC_two.jpg
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/45LC_three.jpg
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/45LC.jpg

[patrick kelly]

The nickel plated pistol is a Colt, manufactured in 1977.
http://www.pbase.com/image/87930602/large.jpg

[Chipmunk]

:whiskey:
http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u164/WhiteBuffaloChip/SAcircleB-1.jpg

[elbo]

Originally posted by USMC 0341
A buddy of mine had a Ruger Blackhawk which he had traded out the trigger guard with one from a '51 Colt Navy with the squareback guard. I always thought that looked slick and have thought to do the same with one of the Cimarron Arms clones I have - but I have not yet found a source for a reasonably priced squareback triggerguard.

If you buy a trigger guard it will be a miracle if it fits your frame.
The frame, both grip straps and the grips are all smoothed and polished as an assembly then disassembled for bluing, color hardening and varnish. No two are the same.
With a little careful work a new triggerguard can be fitted. You'll probably need grip work too.

Taylor's (http://www.taylorsfirearms.com/products/detail-parts.tpl?manufacturer=Uberti&subcategory=1851%20Navy&startat=31)

Taylor's may not have it in stock, call them to order and ask.

Cimarron (http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/Parts/1851-navy.htm)

Cimarron's price looks out of line. Generally they are the best to deal with as they have most parts in stock.

VTI (http://www.vtigunparts.com/store/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=16&cat=Uberti+1851+Navy)

VTI doesn't list it. Call them and ask, and if you give them the dimensions of your frame they will look through their stock and find one that will be big enough to fit to your frame.


Chipmunk;
Love those open tops, the most accurate .45 I own.
You ever shoot at Caviler?

[Chipmunk]

Howdy elbo , I haven't shot at Cavalier yet, nor BlkCreek either. All four OT's are .44spl to match my Uberti '73. The two shorter ones are still virgins. I was thinking about .45's but the cylinder wall thinness scared me off. SASS alias is White Buffalo Chip #64713. You take care now and have fun 'n be safe.
Chipmunk :D

[DaisyCutter]

This thread is better than porn.

[N8Gunnr]

November 1882 , 45 Colt shipped to J.P. Lower , Denver Colorado

http://i32.tinypic.com/beikx3.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/wvbdax.jpg

[USMC 0341]

Originally posted by elbo

If you buy a trigger guard it will be a miracle if it fits your frame.


Thank's for the info Elbo! It looks like Taylor's has them in brass which would be the ticket for me.

I was hoping for brass since it is easier to work than steel. As I would probably fit this to a Cimarron Arms Thunderer (with the Thunderer style bird's head grip) I expect that it will be more work than usual.

[bykerhd]

Red Star Arms has a new wrinkle for Ruger owners that want a more "Colt like" feel.
The grip frame conversion allows ONE-piece grips on a Ruger !!!
Too bad it will set you back nearly the cost of a used Blackhawk or Vaquero to set up.
I would post a link, but it keeps coming back to the Red Star Arms home page with Miss RSA in her bikini.
That might make the mods unhappy ?:uhoh: