What makes this gun worth the money?

B

Blackhorse

New member
Several days ago I started a thread wondering if the colt I was thinking about buying was worth what the guy was asking, after a few posts from you folks, I bought it. Having never owned a Colt saa revolver before I started researching it. its a 3rd generation (current production) revolver, I don't think its near the firearm my rugers are, its purty, but I think my smiths look better, but I have been offered 1200.00 + for it. What makes these guns so special?:confused:
 

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It's probably worth considerably more than $1200.

It's the rarity, the hand-fitting (that's supposed to be there, anyways), and most of all the "name".
 
I was about to say that relative rarity and "pride of ownership" as a more intangible reason would justify the price tag for someone like me one of these days...

But no idea whether costs / materials / low volume and such factors actually warrant the price from an accounting angle.
 
It is a real Colt SAA, which has appeal.

And most of all, they wants it more than you wants to sell it.

The same truism goes for Lugers, red label Rugers and Merkel shotguns. They are a limited quantity and (Lord knows why) they are "desireable".

I wish I could figure out the next "desireable".
 
A large part of it is sheer quality of workmanship.
Compare a Colt to an Italian copy. Look down the barrel of the Colt. It has perfectly smooth metal work. The copy will have wavey, lumps and bumps in the finish.

The Colt has an even, deep blue finish. The copy may be nice and shiney, but look under the blue and you find scratches and a poor polish job.

The Colt has a perfect mating of the backstrap and trigger guard to the frame. The copy will have obvious gaps and misalignment, with the straps usually slightly oversized, and not being level with the frame.

NOBODY does color casehardening like Colt. Compare a Colt to a copy, and the difference is obvious.

For many years we knew the hardening of copy parts was poor. I replaced a number of copy's action screws after they bent. Colt's are properly hardened and the screws don't bend when you cock the gun.

Look at a Colt's hammer checkering. Until recently the copy's had crudely hand cut checkering, and looked like it.

The internal parts of the Colt are smooth and look "finished". The copy's look rough.

All this finishing work costs money. The kind of people who have the skill and experience to do this level of hand work don't come cheap. The real difference between a Purdy and a Remington is quality of workmanship.
 
I think that the reason the Colt is worth so much money has to do with the " mental illness " suffered by Colt Collectors and not all that fit and finish mentioned earlier.

Show a Colt Collector a shiny Colt that he doesn't have in his collection and he will forgo paying the rent and buying food, drinks and cigarettes until he pays whatever it takes to get that Colt.

The disease is called " Collectus Coltitis" :D :D :D and its symptoms are financial hardship until after the Colt in question is aquired.

Some people, like Stanley, suffer similar symptoms regarding
an obsession to own every Glock model ever offered for sale in the USA. To date this totals some 66 or more glocks.
This is known as "Obsessionus Collectus Glockus" or
simply "Glocks on the Brain."

Obsessionus Collectus Glockus is an extreemly disabilating
disease forcing sufferers to live in a small trailer with no electricity,
phone , computer, cable tv or running water in order to allow them to buy 8 to 10 glocks a year until all 66 models have been
purchased.

Glock knows this and constantly makes more new models so that the "obsessionus collectus glockus suffer can never qiute catch up no matter how hard he works and saves or at what prodigitious rate he buys more new glocks.

Some here may have meet Stanley at the Glock Collectors booth at the 2001 NRA convention in Charlotte N. Carolina last year.

He didn't attend the 2002 NRA convention in Nevada this year because it was too troublesome and expensive to transport 60 glocks by commercial airlines to the NRA convention. He is waiting to attend the next NRA convention on the east coast. :p
 
dfaris, I beg to differ. My EMF Hartford Premier Model is a true sight to behold. I have compared it to a Colt SAA and the EMF is of much better quality. All parts are hand fitted, the action is tuned and the Case hardening is done by Doug Turnbull (sp) and is the most beautiful case hardening I have ever seen way better than the NIB Colt I compared it to. It shoots right to the point of aim at 25 yards and groups 2 1/2" at that distance free hand. Fit and finish is perfect. I will admit that the Premier is the top of the line EMF and some of the lower priced ones may be as you say. The Premier cost me just under $600 plus it came with an extra hand fitted 45acp cylinder, but that is a far cry from what Colts are going for. Just my 2 cent.

Mike.
 
Colt Quality is

an oxymoron.

Start searching google.

There is a guy (a chiropractor, I think) with an entire website devoted to Colt horror stories.

His was that his boxed consecutive ser# SAA gen 3s were peeling nickel after 50 rounds.

Colt's attempts at making things right, like from my python experiences, made things worse.

Might try looking for an earlier model if you want a nice one.
 
Ruger makes a good single action for the money. I much perfer Colts for various reasons.
The one problem that I have with Ruger, and other firearm makers, is the warning stamped on the barrel. It goes something like this if I remember correctly "....do not point muzzle at head when pulling the trigger...". I just can't stand it! :barf:
 
It's the mystique. People pay extra for the name. Collectors drive up the value on older guns as "investments." The Rugers are stronger, but I must confess that I hat the new models. Now, if they made a three-screw Vaquero, that would be cool. I have a couple of the EMF guns and they are OK. The quality on the Colts went to Hell starting in the late 1970s and I am not sure if it ever got any better. I saw a new Gold Cup for sale in a gun shop about 15 years ago and the face of the slide had been milled or maybe polished at a 30 degree angle so that about 1/4 inch on barrel bushing was visible on top. Something like that should never have happened and it certainly should not have goten past final inspection and been allowed to leave the factory.

I question the story about the man with a consecuatively numbered pair of SAAs because Colt won't sell guns with sequential numbers. I tried for years to buy a set of 1911s and a pair of SAAs but they refused to sell them.

If those are genuine ivory grips on that nickeled SAA it would likely bring $1,500-$1,800 at auction.
 
Colts hold their value. Uberti's don't. Hand fitting costs money. And look at it.. its purty!

What's the matter? You some kinda unamuricancommanist? JOHN WAYNE had one. TEDDY ROOSEVELT had one, Hell even CLINT EASTWOOD had one.

Unfortunately I KAINT AFFORD ONE. :(

But I'm always looking for a real SAA, until then I'm content to play cowboy with a Ruger Vaquero.
 
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