I'd like to get a Colt Single Action Army, 1873 model gun.
What to do? Doesn't Colt still make these; if they do are they well made guns? What about Uberti? I have heard the Italian replicas are good guns.
Hmmm...Blondie...Manco...neither of us really have a name, do we?
Anyway, here are a few heuristics that may help:
If you want a real Colt SAA of the current design generation/version and can spare the cash, then get a Colt. For some there can be no substitute.
If you want an SAA of equal quality that is slightly more authentic to the first-generation Colt SAAs of 1873 and costs a bit less, then get a USFA SAA.
If you want a rather authentic SAA in form and function just to shoot a lot and don't care much about the finish, saving hundreds of dollars, then get a USFA Rodeo.
If you want a gun strongly resembling the SAA but has a transfer bar safety and costs several hundred dollars less, then get a Ruger Vaquero.
If you want the biggest, strongest single-action revolver that somewhat resembles the SAA, then get a Ruger Blackhawk.
If you want a fairly authentic SAA that costs several hundred dollars less and can accept a somewhat mediocre but still authentic-looking finish, then buy a Uberti or Pietta SAA (some resellers such as Cimarron Firearms offer additional options, such as better finishes for additional cost and The Man With No Name inlaid silver rattlesnake grips if you're into that sort of thing). Heritage Manufacturing is another option to look into (if you don't mind the transfer bar).
If you want an SAA that is the most authentic in every way to the 1873 SAA with the exception of a slightly (
very slightly) larger cylinder, and you can afford to pay a bit more than you would for a current-generation Colt, then get a USFA US Pre-War model.
If you want the closest 1873 SAA clone/reincarnation available and are willing to drop a couple grand on it, then get a USFA Old Armory Original--1st Generation Specifications model. Otherwise, you could try to get an actual first-generation Colt SAA, but it would be an antique.