The Dakota - Granddaddy of the Italian SAA clones

[200Apples]

Gripmaker Sack Peterson has been looking into the history of the Italian SAA clones for a few years and has composed a page of interesting info on the subject here.

I had been looking for a single action in .357/.38 as a plinker and as companion sidearm to two .357 chambered lever carbines; an 18" Marlin 1894CS357 and a 16" Rossi '92. My other centerfire SA's are Rugers and are chambered in .41 and .44

This relatively inexpensive example of the Inter Continental Arms Dakota chambered in .357 Magnum was made in 1965 by Armi Jager in Loano, Italy. I found it at my dealer when I simply stopped in to drool over a Freedom Arms Model 97 I had seen awhile back... The FA was long gone, but then this 53 year old Italian lady caught my eye. This early version of the breed is interesting to me because it has no unnecessary safety mousetraps and it has a four-click hammer draw. Load one, skip one, load four, cock the hammer then lower it on the empty chamber.

She shoots to point of aim (when I have the daylight to see the rear sight notch) and locks up tight. The trigger, while a little heavier than it need be, has very, very little creep and a clean break. Funny how some of one's most inexpensive acquisitions can be some of the most fun to own and shoot!

Hope you might enjoy these photos taken with my Sam.sung cellular communication device. One day I might get a real camera. Heehaw.

 

[1KPerDay]

She's a beaut!

 

[Tallball]

It is gorgeous. You made a great find!

 

[ThomasT]

Pretty gun. Is the base pin designed so you can push it in one notch deeper and it works like a safety?

 

[bannockburn]

200Apples

Nice find with the Dakota! And thanks for the link to Sack Peterson's article on Italian SA revolvers.

 

[BobWright]

Pretty gun. Is the base pin designed so you can push it in one notch deeper and it works like a safety?

As best as I can determine, those guns were made and imported before the "drop test" safety requirement came into effect. I have a German made Hy Hunter that is without any safety device. I believe the Hammerli made guns, the Virginian especially, had the first "Swiss Safe" type base pin. And my Iver Johnson/ Uberti "Cattleman" ca. 1975 had the safety hammer block.

Bob Wright

 

[200Apples]

Bob is correct. While it is, however, possible to insert this base pin slightly beyond the point at which it is normally parked, it is not a two-position base pin safety setup. It is indeed a "pre-safety" spaghetti western. Hee.

Do you like the gun, Bob? You didn't say, one way or the other.

 

[BobWright]

Bob is correct. While it is, however, possible to insert this base pin slightly beyond the point at which it is normally parked, it is not a two-position base pin safety setup. It is indeed a "pre-safety" spaghetti western. Hee.

Do you like the gun, Bob? You didn't say, one way or the other.

Uh, which one? I never owned nor shot a Dakota. As to the Hy Hunter, it is a .357 Magnum, and overly large for that cartridge. The Hy Hunter, while supposedly a copy of the Great Western, has a frame comparable to the Ruger Blackhawk heavy frame. And it has that Christy type firing pin which gives it a gosh awful looking hammer. And parts made of ZAMAK which I don't care for. But the gun does shoot, and shoot well,

As to the Cattleman, my gun had that soft frame that puckered up around the firing pin and caused the gun to bind up at times. And it was poorly sighted, had to aim at my big toe to hit a milk jug at fifteen yards. Well, had to aim very low, anyway. But the gun was beautiful and extremely well fitted and finished. I have come into a few more Ubertis in modern times and never had a problem so far with them.

Bob Wright

 

[BobWright]

Uh, which one? I never owned nor shot a Dakota. As to the Hy Hunter, it is a .357 Magnum, and overly large for that cartridge. The Hy Hunter, while supposedly a copy of the Great Western, has a frame comparable to the Ruger Blackhawk heavy frame. And it has that Christy type firing pin which gives it a gosh awful looking hammer. And parts made of ZAMAK which I don't care for. But the gun does shoot, and shoot well,

As to the Cattleman, my gun had that soft frame that puckered up around the firing pin and caused the gun to bind up at times. And it was poorly sighted, had to aim at my big toe to hit a milk jug at fifteen yards. Well, had to aim very low, anyway. But the gun was beautiful and extremely well fitted and finished. I have come into a few more Ubertis in modern times and never had a problem so far with them.

That Dakota looks very much like the Virginian I saw and handled when they were first introduced, somewhere around 1970 or so. The Virginian was a handsome revolver, and had nickle plated grip straps. The backstrap lacked the flare of a Colt and did not have that "feel" but the gun looked very precisely made and well finished. Never got a chance to wring one out, though.

Bob Wright

 

[ThomasT]

As to the Hy Hunter, it is a .357 Magnum, and overly large for that cartridge.

Thats what I didn't like about the Blackhawk 357/9mm I had. It just seemed like a huge gun for such a small round. If it had of been sized for the cartridge I would still have it. The Ruger Single Sixes I have in 32 mag to my eyes are sized perfectly for the rounds they are chambered in.

 

[200Apples]

...which one?

The Dakota.

Thanks for your thoughts, Bob. One day I hope you get a chance to shoot this one if you don't come across a similar specimen, sooner.

 

[Speedo66]

Thanks for the photos, camera resolution was fine.

 

[bannockburn]

200Apples

Seeing your Dakota single action reminded me of back in the '70s when Iver Johnson use to carry the Cattleman line of single action revolvers. I believe they were made by Uberti and were very affordable, at least compared to what the occasional Colt SAA would go for, when you actually found one!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I just love blue and walnut SA revolvers. The color case hardened frame hurt the looks either, very nice!

 

[AJumbo]

My dad had one of the Jagers for a while, in .45. I wasn't much of a handgun shot at the time, so I can't comment on whether it shot where it was looking. It was reliable and well-fitted; I never could get warmed up the brass grip frame or the oddly reddish walnut stocks, but the color case hardening was very nice. I wish he still had it. I used it to pull off the best shot of my life, on a very unlucky rattlesnake.