I want a single action in 45 colt 1873. what to stay away from?

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I haven't heard about transfer bar breakage on the EAA Bounty Hunter, but I have heard the factory bolt stop spring should be upgraded with the Wolff spring if heavy use is expected and the mainspring replaced with the Widener's "mid-range" spring from Brownells to lighten the trigger. On the other hand, the cylinder of the Bounty Hunter is both longer and larger in diameter than the Uberti or Pietta clones and can handle the .45 Colt loaded to ACP levels (21kpsi) with no problems.
http://www.gunbroker.com/All/BI.aspx?Keywords=EAA+Bounty+Hunter+.45+Colt
John Taffin and Paco Kelly have them so that says something.
 
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This is my favorite Cimarron/Uberti. I bought it second hand a few years ago with the intent of having the barrel cut down to 2.5"

Thus far, I haven't been able to bring myself around to doing that. I do have the extractor rod & housing...just feels better balanced without them.

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I bought the 2016 gun over the counter from Jay's in Michigan.
I was very hard to turn down a nickel plated gun in 45 Colt.
 
Uberti and Pietta make a matte finished version with a brass grip frame called at various times the Hombre or the Millennium. They can sometimes be found at or near your price point. Pretty sure those are only available in the 4 3/4" tube length, though.

I'd recommend handling a couple of different barrel lengths before plunking down the cash.
 
Just checked, my 2016 vintage Uberti Cattleman also has a squared sight notch.

Bud's ships guns free, and they do an "electronic check" for the cash price, so your only extra cost would be for the receiving FFL transfer fee.
 
I admit to not having current knowledge of the Pietta, but a few years ago they were definitely nowhere near as good as Uberti. When dealing with SA revolvers, especially the Colt copies, remember that they are made today mostly as "big boys' toys", not really as working guns. Ruger is an exception, but their guns are heavily modified, not copies of an 1870's design.

Jim
 
The V sight, at least on the Cimarron's, is standard on the Model P and Pre-War frame. As far as I can tell, the remainder have the square notch rear sight. I bought a new Cimarron Bisley three or so years ago and it had the square notch rear sight.

I would definitely stay with the Uberti/Cimarron as they're of really good quality in my experience, I'm very partial to the Cimarron's.

In the April 2017 issue of Handloader magazine, Brian Pearce answers a question from a reader regarding handloading a Uberti 45 Colt. Mr. Pearce explains that the new production Uberti's have been somewhat beefed up and their cylinders now of a Rockwall hardness of 34 (same as the much vaunted all U.S. produced USFA's) and are .020" larger in diameter than the old Colts, which effectively double the cylinder wall thickness. These two things, according to him, strengthen the revolver enabling it to handle loads that are typically reserved for revolvers such as the New Vaquero, later production USFA's and S&W Model 25/625's; i.e.-21,000-23,000 psi. He also mentions that the hammer/bolt cam have been strengthened.

I bought a Ruger New Vaquero 45 Colt a few years ago and it was a little short of a disaster, at least for shooting cast bullets. The cylinder throats were all undersized and the barrel was plagued with the well known "thread choke" which creates a tight spot in the barrel where it screws into the frame. I don't often give up on firearms, but that Ruger was one I did.

As someone else mentioned, Bud's Gun Shop is a great place to get a good buy. They have several models of Cimarron and Uberti's for under $450.

35W
 
35 Whelen said:
<snip>

I bought a Ruger New Vaquero 45 Colt a few years ago and it was a little short of a disaster, at least for shooting cast bullets. The cylinder throats were all undersized and the barrel was plagued with the well known "thread choke" which creates a tight spot in the barrel where it screws into the frame. I don't often give up on firearms, but that Ruger was one I did.
<snip
35W
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I went a long way with my gunsmith to have a New Vaquero that worked as it should, including throat and forcing cone work, but I have to wonder what new gun has throats that are NOT too tight for shooting lead. The manufacturers and even reloading suppliers are just not signed up to support shooting lead. That is an aftermarket all its own.

Also, your ".020" is a very small amount, especially as a diameter, effectively half that much.
 
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Analogkid said:
For some reason I thought the vaquero was another model. I'll look into this as well.
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The original Vaquero was bigger than the Colt SAA but the New Vaquero is more in line with the Colt.

I bought the original Vaquero in .45 Colt used for $350 (on top)
The stainless New Vaquero 38/357 was slightly used and just got it for $450
The color case New Vaquero 38/357 was bought new and cost me $525.

I like the Vaquero in 45 Colt best but the New Vaquero does feel better in my hand and balances well.

Three_SA.jpg
 
"Uberti and Pietta make a matte finished version with a brass grip frame called at various times the Hombre or the Millennium. They can sometimes be found at or near your price point. Pretty sure those are only available in the 4 3/4" tube length, though."

I picked-up this Pietta for somewhat less than $300.00. It is chambered in .357 Magnum and appears to be unfired. As to be expected with a budget gun such as this it needs a action job which will still keep me South of $400.00.

p.s. I should add that the action is the same as the Colt SAA and should be carried with hammer down on empty chamber.

 
RealGun said:
I went a long way with my gunsmith to have a New Vaquero that worked as it should, including throat and forcing cone work, but I have to wonder what new gun has throats that are NOT too tight for shooting lead. The manufacturers and even reloading suppliers are just not signed up to support shooting lead. That is an aftermarket all its own.

Also, your ".020" is a very small amount, especially as a diameter, effectively half that much.
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I've owned somewhere around a dozen Uberti SA's, still have 5...or is it six (?) and not one of them has needed any work on the cylinder throats. I would know if they did because I only shoot cast bullets and am very, very picky about accuracy of my handguns. All that's been required of any of my Uberti's is a little work on the triggers just to lighten the pull a bit and maybe reduce a little creep.

The .020" isn't "mine", rather was quoted from the aforementioned column. You are correct in that it isn't much, at least not on paper, but what that mere .020" does is double the thickness of the chamber walls at their thinnest point which is under the bolt notch.

35W
 
It's not an issue of .452" cast vs .451" jacketed, I wish it were so easy. It's an issue with the .45Colt and its ambiguous, overly generous chamber specs. Most of them are not too tight. Most of them are too loose. I have Colt's and Uberti's that are way oversized. Rugers that have been corrected. Most rifles have way oversized chambers. Never had this problem with other chamberings.

Uberti's, USFA's and Ruger mid-frames have always had slightly larger cylinders than Colt. The Pearce article is just the first I've noticed where it was mentioned that the Uberti guns are a little stronger than most seem to think. That said, 0.020" is not insignificant in this context.

Personally, I think the Uberti is still living down their spotty reputation of 30-40yrs ago. The guns of at least the last decade are very good. Good enough, IMHO, for me to consider building some custom guns off of them. The article also mentioned that the new guns have a firing pin bushing but I don't have any quite that new.
 
35 Whelen said:
I've owned somewhere around a dozen Uberti SA's, still have 5...or is it six (?) and not one of them has needed any work on the cylinder throats. I would know if they did because I only shoot cast bullets and am very, very picky about accuracy of my handguns. All that's been required of any of my Uberti's is a little work on the triggers just to lighten the pull a bit and maybe reduce a little creep.

The .020" isn't "mine", rather was quoted from the aforementioned column. You are correct in that it isn't much, at least not on paper, but what that mere .020" does is double the thickness of the chamber walls at their thinnest point which is under the bolt notch.

35W
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Now that you mention it, my Uberti El Patron is the one that has not been reamed. Then there's my NMBH 45 that is .454.
 
Analogkid said:
I have been hankering to get a SAA in 45 colt.

I have about $450 to spend. I prefer to get something that is going to last a while. I have a ton of pulled down ammo as primed cases with both cast and jacketed projectiles and I want something to run it through. I would want to stick with the 1873 platform.

I see pietta and uberti make the styles I like and want to go with one of those. 5" barrel at least. Which ones are going to hold up the best in my price range? I will be reloading the components I have.

Thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated.
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Hi...
Shyda's in Lebanon,Pa has two different Uberti SAA-clone models for less than $450 in .45Colt.
I have looked at them and they seem to be pretty nicely made.
I have 3 or 4 Cimarron's in .45Colt, .38Spl and .44Spl and the quality of the Ubertis is comparable. I intend to buy a couple of their SAA-clones in .357Mag in the not-to-distant future, just to have a lighter caliber option. All the SA revolvers I currently own in .357Mag are BlackHawks and I would like to have a couple of fixed-sight .357Mag SA revolvers. I haven't completely ruled out a pair of stainless Vaqueros, but am leaning toward the brass-trigger guard, CCH frame models from Uberti.
 
RealGun said:
Now that you mention it, my Uberti El Patron is the one that has not been reamed. Then there's my NMBH 45 that is .454.
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And now that YOU mention it, I do have a Uberti with cylinder throats that could be considered "off". It's a 44-40 I bought several years ago. I never fired it before I fitted a new .44 Special cylinder to it with which it shoots wonderfully. Some time back I decided to try the 44-40 cylinder and got results that were less than stellar no matter what load I tried. Almost as an afterthought, I tried a .430" bullet in the cylinder throats and found the bullet easily dropped through them. I then slugged the throats and found them all to be at .432". This would explain the lack of good accuracy since my bullets are not only undersized for the cylinder in question, they're also cast hard enough that they wouldn't stand a chance of obturating to fit the throats. The caveat is this is an older production revolver made back in the early to mid '90's.

35W
 
The fact that they've adapted the .44-40 to modern ~.429-.430" bullets is a double edged sword. It's almost like loading for two different cartridges.
 
35 Whelen said:
And now that YOU mention it, I do have a Uberti with cylinder throats that could be considered "off". It's a 44-40 I bought several years ago. I never fired it before I fitted a new .44 Special cylinder to it with which it shoots wonderfully. Some time back I decided to try the 44-40 cylinder and got results that were less than stellar no matter what load I tried. Almost as an afterthought, I tried a .430" bullet in the cylinder throats and found the bullet easily dropped through them. I then slugged the throats and found them all to be at .432". This would explain the lack of good accuracy since my bullets are not only undersized for the cylinder in question, they're also cast hard enough that they wouldn't stand a chance of obturating to fit the throats. The caveat is this is an older production revolver made back in the early to mid '90's.

35W
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My 44-40 is Uberti's 1875 Remington copy. I have nearly 500 .428 bullets I can't use because I discovered a 431-432 bullet passes handily through the throats. So, I just use my 44 special bullets at .430+, both from Oregon Trail..
 
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You can probably get a Cimarron for close to the 450 price point. I will say there are some features on them that make them a little more authentic than a regular Uberti/Stoeger.

The Piettas are very good also and some guys actually prefer them over the Uberti.
 
If I had to go for a SA .45 Colt, I'd definitely check out the used market, Pawn Shops etc., there is very little that can't be repaired on a Single Action revolver for little or nothing, the sear and the bolt, as well as a cyllinder stop can be picked up for just a few dollars, and can be installed even by the most novice armorer.
 
My Pietta 1873 cost less than $375 NIB delivered. My Uberti Calltleman Hombre Cost less than $350 NIB delivered. But - I spent a lot of time searching online to find those deals, and had to be ready to 'pull the trigger' as soon as I found them..
 
MAKster said:
Buds is selling the Uberti Hombre for $372.
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You know, if I was on a budget, and wanted a quality single action revolver, I would jump on that Uberti Hombre at Buds.

Just so you know, the internals will be the same as any other single action revolver made by Uberti. It is less expensive because of the matte finish. And just so you know, Colt never made the Single Action Army with a brass backstrap and trigger guard. The percussion Colts had brass trigger guards, but the SAA never did. But it is still a quality firearm at an affordable price.
 
Th
Driftwood Johnson said:
You know, if I was on a budget, and wanted a quality single action revolver, I would jump on that Uberti Hombre at Buds.

Just so you know, the internals will be the same as any other single action revolver made by Uberti. It is less expensive because of the matte finish. And just so you know, Colt never made the Single Action Army with a brass backstrap and trigger guard. The percussion Colts had brass trigger guards, but the SAA never did. But it is still a quality firearm at an affordable price.
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The brass looks cool though, like this Sauer Montana Marshall in 44 Mag:
WP_20161110_001%204.jpg
 
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