Standard Manufacturing SAA .45

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vanfunk

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Hi All:

In keeping with my current obsession with revolvers, especially big bores, I had been tempted at my LGS by a Standard Products 7.5” blue/cch SAA. I have a bid on a new production Colt 4 3/4” SAA which I suspect I’ll win but it’s a lengthy auction. Meanwhile the Standard was a bird in the hand, and it looked beautiful. So… I nabbed it today. Visually, the revolver is expertly finished and finely fitted. The case colors are magnificent and some of the blues mirror the fire blue of the screws and ejector. The action is smooth and the trigger breaks at about 3 lbs. I had a few 2nd and 3rd gen Colts about 20 years ago and this piece beats them at least in visual appeal and metal fit. We’ll see how it shoots - I plan to take it to the range on Tuesday and by then should have some handloads cooked up for it. Range report to follow… IMG_3401.jpeg
 
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I love single-actions. I've owned several over the years including a Colt, and a USFA. I love the look, the feel, the history. Everything about them.

But...you knew there was a "But" there, didn't you?

I don't like shooting them for some reason. At least I don't like shooting them at an indoor range, at a paper target, which is the only place I have to shoot these days. Back when I lived out in the country, a S/A 22 was a constant companion. And no, I have no idea what's different about S/A's at the indoor range. D/A revolvers, and semi's no problem. S/A's just feel "wrong" there. I'm quirky.

But that is a beautiful gun, I gotta say. It's probably a good thing I've convinced myself I don't like to shoot them or the Lord only knows how many of them I'd want.
 
Thanks everyone! I don’t have or have ever had a USFA so I only have Colts to compare it too. The case colors woild be hard to improve on - they’re genuinely the best I’ve ever seen. The blue is deep and even but is definitely a hot-salt blue. Still, the metal prep is near perfect and the bluing is flawless. I missed that plow-handle grip! The 7.5” is a natural pointer and it’s not too heavy; in fact it feels just right. It being the 150th anniversary of the SAA, I considered it rather fitting and proper to buy it. My ancestor, Admiral Robley “Fightin’ Bob” Evans, was reported to prefer the .45 Colt SAA over the .38 Colt DA revolver issued on the Great White Fleet. He was a real SOB, too, apparently!

Dies, bullets and Starline cases are coming on Saturday now, so I’ll be able to whip up some bangers before the range on Tuesday. CB, I know what you mean - there is such a thing as chemistry with a firearm; either it’s there or it’s not. If I don’t “attach” to a gun, or even admire some aspect of it, I don’t keep it.
 
I want to see a SAA photo with flower in the background!

They still makes those SA SAA’s?
 
They're great guns! I eyeballed this one a few times before pulling the trigger on it. I needed another .45 SAA like a hole in the head but the temptation was too great.

013b_3.jpg
 
Gorgeous CraigC!

My LGS has an engraved 7.5” too but I passed on it… Anyone know if those are hand- or laser-engraved? It looked laser-done but I don’t want to be unkind to Standard Mnfg. if not.
 
Enjoy your sixgun!

I saw a really nice pre-owned Standard Manufacturing 4-3/4” Single Action yesterday, locally. Beautiful case colors, and decent wood grips. I will be tempted to return, with something to trade, to start a lay-awake, er, I mean lay-away. Not that I need another sixgun, now, especially since I bought a nickeled 5.5” Standard Mfg. SA, relatively recently.
 
vanfunk said:
Gorgeous CraigC!

My LGS has an engraved 7.5” too but I passed on it… Anyone know if those are hand- or laser-engraved? It looked laser-done but I don’t want to be unkind to Standard Mnfg. if not.
Click to expand...
Don't know but if I were going to assume, I'd be comfortable assuming it was hand engraved.
 
I think you’re right, CraigC. They don’t specifically state it on their website but I looked over the pictures very carefully and it appears to be hand engraving. It’s harder to see on a blued/casehardened pistol but I’m kind of liking the subtlety. It’s priced in the mid-3k range so it’s a bit out of impulse-buy range, but… a quality SAA with C engraving? Kinda sounds like a bargain. At least that’s how my brain works, dammit.
 
That is laser engraving. It is rather well done, but still obviously a laser. The engraving is only $1000 extra. Hand engraving with that much coverage will cost many times that price.
 
I looked it up, it does look lasered. Parts of it 'may' be hand chased but most of it is definitely laser. Not particularly impressed.
 
CraigC said:
I looked it up, it does look lasered. Parts of it 'may' be hand chased but most of it is definitely laser. Not particularly impressed.
Click to expand...
you have guns hand engraved, what would a moderate talent charge for a full engraving. Not the best engraver but a respectable artist.
 
Range report! I loaded up some .45 Colt ammo and headed to the range this morning. It was only 36 degrees and windy, so my trigger finger wasn’t in the finest fiddle. First load up was a 250 grain coated Missouri RNFP in front of 10.5 grains of HS-6. These averaged 930 fps from the 7.5” barrel of the Standard SAA. Extraction was easy but the spent shells were a little sooty. Here are the first 5 rounds on target:

IMG_3405.jpeg

I fired offhand at 20 yards with a six o’clock hold on the bottom of the red center. The first shot was the low one; I adjusted my grip and put four more rounds into about 2”. These shots are to the left but subsequent groups were more centered as I learned to use just the very tip of my trigger finger. I also tried the aforementioned MBC RNFP in front of 8.3 grains of BE-86 and I think I like it better than the HS-6 load. It’s cleaner and feels “softer” although the velocity was identical.

I won a Gunbroker auction for a late-model Colt SAA with a 4.75” barrel; it should be here in a day or two and then I’ll do a comparison between the two.

Thanks!
 
CraigC said:
They're great guns! I eyeballed this one a few times before pulling the trigger on it. I needed another .45 SAA like a hole in the head but the temptation was too great.

013b_3.jpg
Click to expand...
It's gorgeous and I especially like the grips. I saw nothing in Standard's literature about it, but I assume these are built to Colt's original patent specifications? 4-click action and no other safety features? Sure would be nice for them to offer a few other models of the era, such as Remington's 1875 New Model. I'm good with .45 Colt as the only caliber offering.

Nice as it is, it's too rich for my blood. I can buy two Ubertis for that price, with cash left over for a holster. I have a Uberti 1873.
 
That's their standard factory walnut. Colt never offered anything but recycled pallet wood. No safety crap. Not sure if they're following the Colt blueprint or the very slightly larger Uberti dimensions.
 
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