Charles Daly .45 colt

D

dcraig

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I have been holding out for a while for my first cowboy action gun. I have been on the look out for a Ruger Vanquero with a 4 3/4 or 5.5 inch barrel in the .45 Colt. Well I went to the gun range today and came across a Charles Daly NRA edition of the 1873 made by Pietta. They were asking $600 for it, but since I have never heard of Charles Daly I didn't buy, and because it wasn't a Ruger. Coming home I did some research and learned a little more about Mr. Daly. I am wondering if this is a good price for that gun, or should I just hold off for a Ruger, which I know is a safe and very reliable gun? Has anyone shot them, and if so how does it compare? I will shoot the thing like crazy and know that with the Rugers you can put 100,000 rounds in it and not have problems. Will this hold up the same?

Thanks

Derek
 
If you are going to shoot alot then go with the Ruger. My understanding is that Daly's are made in turkey and they are hard to get parts for and alot of gunsmiths wont touch them.

Ruger is tried and proven (not to mention American made). If you were just a casual shooter that put a box through it once a month then the daly would be fine, but seeing that you want to actually use it often, I recommend the Ruger.
 
Thank you. I got another question then. What about the difference with the Ruger compared to the other cowboy gun makers such as Uberti or one of the others?
 
The Charles Daly SAA clone was made by Pietta. You might be thinking of their shotguns, which were made in Turkey.

KBI, the company that bought Charles Daly in the late 1990s, closed about a year ago. Based on that, I'd buy the Ruger, especially if you're going to shoot the snot out of it!
 
The Charles Daly SAA clone was made by Pietta. You might be thinking of their shotguns, which were made in Turkey.
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Charles Daly is an old name (founded in 1875) in guns. Like the Phoenix, the business vanishes (first time in 1919) and then reappears. Charles Daly has never made any guns, they were importers. Their shotguns have come from all over, Turkey being the latest.

The CD revolver may be very nice SSA replica. Yet, considering future parts availability and factory service, if in your shoes, I'd go with the Ruger.
 
Roll over to the SASS (Single Action Shooting Society) forum for lots of info on single action revolvers: http://sassnet.com/forums/index.php?

The Ruger is probably the most popular revolver in the sport for a number of reasons. SASS rules mandate loading five rounds with an empty under the chamber anyway but the Ruger is safe with six rounds due to its transfer bar ignition. Unlike a Colt or a Colt replica, the Ruger has no "safety" notch or half cock loading notch on the hammer. On the Ruger, opening the loading gate frees the cylinder to rotate. It has all coil springs and is rugged as a tank.

Uberti offers a Colt clone that is imported by several companies. Pietta makes a similar gun which is imported by one or two brands. The Charles Daly was one, "Great Western II" is a common brand name for the Pietta guns. I would not buy a Daly unless I got it really cheap because there is probably no warranty support. The Italian clones are more similar to a Colt than the Ruger. Sort of cool in a way but some of the guns need some tuning out of the box. Of course in SASS a lot of the guns are slicked up to varying degrees.

My guess is that you would get more of your money back on resale with the Ruger if you ever got the hankering for something else.

I'd recommend you consider .38/.357 over .45 Colt; lots cheaper to feed. If you are dead set on .45 you can probably find some used guns for sale by shooters who are switching over to .38!
 
Yeah the only reason why I want a .45 colt is because I have a ruger blackhawk .357 so I wanted something different. I just like how the other companies seem to have more variety and historically correct guns, but I would rather have a gun that I can shoot a ton than one that I will have to fix in a year or two
 
dcraig
Parts on the CD shouldn't be a problem "IF" it is made by pietta. Most Pietta SAAs are tuned, and have wolf spring sets in them. My Great Western IIs are Piettas and they shoot just fine, and are lots of fun to shoot. I load all my SAAs with Blk Pwdr. I also have two Ruger NMV, That shoot excellent. My Great Westerns and Rugers are both .45Colt. I like them both. Rugers should also be able to be bought new for less than $600.00, That seems high to me.
My Great Westerns were only $425.00 ea new. Rugers will also keep there resale value better.

Rebel Dave
 
There are some good points to the Italian SAA's in my opinion. My Uberti cattleman .357 uses an updated coil hand spring that is like the rugers, but is held in place with a set screw rather than ready to pop off when you take it apart.

You get the leaf spring main spring which is cheaper, and easier to replace with lighter springs if you wish. One of the big things to me is the cylinder actually indexes correctly for loading and unloading. It clicks to the right spot, you don't have to roll things forward or back.

Mine probably has 5000 rounds or more through it, works great. I did break the bolt/trigger spring...totally my fault, during a dis-assembly. Upgraded to the wire type which just makes the action that much sweeter.

Although I do occasionally lust after a vaquero from time to time, but I hated the trigger on the blackhawk I had which keeps that flame kinda low.

Which reminds me, the trigger on the Uberti is awesome, no creep whatsoever. I actually had to file the trigger a tiny bit flatter on top because it was a bit scary light for my taste, just a pass or two, nothing to really dull it out, but enough so I could touch the trigger without fear of it going off before I actually mean to squeeze.
 
This maybe a stupid question, but I also really like the 1858 Rem conv. by uberti. Since I am new to reloading and have not tried black powder yet would I be able to run smokeless through those? I am answer my own question, but I think you can if you don't try to push it, but I want to make sure.
 
I can only speak on the Ruger - I have a New Vaquero - blued - 5 1/2" barrel in 357. I went with the 357 as I primarily shoot 38 spl due to the cheaper cost over the 45 Colts - ammunition cost. I'd love to have a 45, but since I don't reload yet - I like the cheaper ammo. If you already have a Blackhawk - then you know how good Rugers can be. I primarily have always shot black powder - front stuffers and revolvers. I got the New Vaquero based on some of the great things I've read about it and the other Rugers I have - a Super Bearcat and a SR9. All I can say is if I could only keep one of my pistols, it would be the New Vaquero - it's well built, rugged and I haven't had a stitch of trouble with it. Right out of the box it was perfect (at least for my standards - I don't shoot competition - just target and plinking) - easy to cock, great trigger pull and very accurate. In fact at some point, I want to add another one - only get the shorter barrel - 4 3/4". Good luck with whatever you choose and enjoy! :)
 
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