Thinking about a NIB Colt SAA

P

Poindexter

New member
I don't think you can talk me out of buying one, but I do want to go in with both eyes open.

My heart's desire is the model P1840, case/blue, .45 Colt, 4.75" barrel. MSRP is 1325, regularly available on auction sites around 1250-1275.

On the minus side, this is a slightly scaled down Ruger New Vaquero that can only be carried with 5 instead of a full 6 rounds, but it costs almost twice as much.

On the plus side I like Colt's case/blue better than Ruger's; and there is something organically "just right" about the SAA that is missing from the Vaquero.

Commentary invited.
 
Yeah, a genuine Colt costs way more. But the Ruger isn't a copy of the Colt, it's a different gun completely.

You only pay the price once, but you enjoy the gun everyday.
 
Mostly because of the extreme price differential (you could buy two Rugers for the price of one Colt), my choice is the new Vaquero. I also like the extreme ruggedness and six-shot carry advantage the Ruger offers and its size and general configuration when compared to the Colt is close enough for me. However, the finish of the Colt, along with its historical significance and general appeal to traditionalists, are certainly factors to consider when choosing between the two.
 
colt vs. vaquero

I have and use both -- "like a rock" is how I would describe the Ruger: in an "emergency" that would be my choice. For enjoyment, a sense of history, I reach for the Colts.
 
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Apples/oranges - You generally get what you pay for: the Colt SAA'a CCH is real, the Ruger's is faux (chemical/paint).


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Life is too short to wake up one day and say . . . . "I wish I would have . . "

If you want the Colt and have the $ - then go with it and don't look back . . . enjoy it, shoot it and someday, pass it on to someone who'll apprecite it.

I have a 5 1/2 Ruger NV - but in 357 - I love it - it's a great shooter. It's not a Colt but it's not the price of one either - I'm happy with it and it's close enough as I really couldn't justify the price of one (for me).

I owned a Colt 1911A1 in pristine condition - given to me by a family friend when I was a kid. I never could shoot it well and just preferred wheel guns. I ended up selling it as I would rather someone have it who likes it and wants it. Having never owned a Colt revolver, I bought a 1910 Colt Army Special. I like shooting it very much and have much more fun with it than I did the 1911.

I have shot SA most of my life - mainly '51 Colt Navies. There's something about a "historical" revolver like the Colt SAA - if it's what you really want, if it feels good - treat yourself to something special and put a smile on your face. :)
 
If you intend to cowboy shoot buy a pair of New Vaquero's however if you want one SAA by all means get and shoot the Colt. I shoot Colts of every generation because that is what they were made for, wear comes with use and adds that special mystique when it is from your shooting experiences. Tell your grandkids about the Colt and pass it on when the time comes.
 
Several years ago I had the itch for a traditional SAA. I was living in Colorado, and as the years past, I always yearned to hike or ride in the mountains with an SAA on my hip. Ruger had recently introduced the New Vaquero, Colt was cranking out nice, but expensive SAA's, and then there was USFA. USFA had been making a reputation for quality SAA's to rival Colts for less money. I opted for a 4 5/8 barrel USFA Rodeo in .45 Colt. It has turned out to be a great pistol, and one I don't feel bad about carrying. Sadly USFA is no longer making SAA's, and the used ones have become crazy expensive.

That being said, I STILL want a Colt.
 
Oddly enough, the folks who bought Colts for $1200-1300 as investments have been disappointed, while the USFA guns have taken on something of a cult following and increased in value. Go figure.

(I bought six USFA guns, including a .36 percussion, so maybe I will come out ahead for once.)

Jim
 
You should buy what you want....and you'll enjoy it every time you touch it vs compromising on something less expensive that you didn't really want !

Save the money if you have to wait ...and buy what you want !
 
I'll echo BigJimP,,,

If it's a Colt you want,,,
A Colt is what you should buy.

Too many times I have "cheaped out" and bought my second choice,,,
People thought I was crazy for spending $699.00 on a new Beretta Model 87 Cheetah.

But a Cheetah 87 was what I wanted,,,
Even though it's lower capacity than most 22's,,,
And cost 2 to 3 times what a similar pistol would have,,,
Each and every time I take it to the range I say "It was worth it."

Why?

Because it was what I wanted.

Get what will make your smile the biggest.

Aarond

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I'm with the "get what you want" crew. I own and enjoy several Rugers - all Vaqueros or New Vaqueros. All excellent, but as others have said there's nothing like the feel and aura of a Colt. Now, I will say the USFAs when they were around represented equal or better quality for about $200-250 less--for the apples-to-apples variant when they were around (their last five or so years). My Rodeo with its same stellar internals as premium models is testimony to that...but regarding the gent's comment that a USFA is a better investment (compared to the newer $1250 Colts) is only because of USFA's demise as a viable manufacturer and cessation of the SA line. Other than some odd sales here and there, Colt SAAs seldom sell for much less than what was paid for them and almost never less than $1000. Before USFA's effective demise, USFA's also held their value well, but almost never sold for more thanm paid for. In either's case, why would they when you could continue to get new guns for the same. What's inexplicable is folks trying (and in some cases succeeding) to sell their older (pre bushing) 3rd Gen Colts for tghe same or mor (!) tnan newer and IMHO better ones. In any event, the other gent is correct that used USFA's are going for insane prices. Like 1st *nd 2nd) Gen Colts, they''re no longer being made and that happens withg almost any quality but discontinued item that was sought after by a small but enthusiastic following when they were around.

All I really know is that I too decided I had to have at least one "genuine" Colt in my stable and so bit the bullet on a new 2008 5-1/2" non-catalogued .44 Special bought for no more than their "regular" chamberings, and have never regretted. Stellar piece. I can't speak for others' "4th" (late 3rd) Colts, but mine is the equal of any of my friend's dozen or so 1956-1976 guns, the justifiably vaunted 2nd gens. It seems that re-insertion of the removeable ctlinder bushing also represented finally a renewed commitment to quality by Colt. I'm sure someone(s) will chime in with a different story, but this is also what I've heard much more than not about the newer Colts.

If wanting a premium "Colt-like" SA, the actual Colt makes more sense than ever especially since USFA went away as a less pricey option. IF USFA was still around (as a quality SA maker and at their former more reasonable prices), since I've got my Coit my next "premium" ourchase would likely be another USFA, they're that good. With the lesser finished Rodeos going (advertised) over $1000, the only choice now is Colt.
 
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