And I'm pretty sure Colt would work on the SAA.This revolver didn't wear out, it was butchered! Treat any manufacturer's products this way and the results will be the same. Abuse is inexcusable.
OK, YMMV, but I would rather take that 'risk' than use a cruder gun like a Ruger that I don't like as much. I've got a 1965 Trooper I bought for $350 a few years ago with a Python-like action you won't find on any Ruger, and super accurate. If someone can't afford to get a Colt fixed in the unlikely event it broke, then yes they shouldn't have one. My car doesn't have a warranty and might break too but I don't worry about it.Didn't say they were fragile, just that if they needed work I could be in trouble. I've bought a couple of used Ruger's that seemed fine when I looked them over at the shop, but had some issues when I got to shooting them. Ruger was great in taking care of those issues- on their dime. In one case Ruger replaced the gun, and in another the shop simply told me "your gun was sick and they made it all better." The first was an old model Bearcat and the other was a super Blackhawk. If that happened to a Colt, it could be a bit tougher and costlier for me to get it fixed.
I don't know as much as I'd like to about revolvers, Colt's especially. I'd be worried I'd overlook some things that would be flags for others with a better understanding.
If someone can't afford to get a Colt fixed in the unlikely event it broke, then yes they shouldn't have one. My car doesn't have a warranty and might break too but I don't worry about it.
And I'm pretty sure Colt would work on the SAA.
Not an apt analogy. If you need your car worked on, you can probably find a mechanic near by who can work on it. Smiths who can work on an old Colt Double Action revolver are few and far between, and are getting rarer all the time.
Have you ever tried to get anything repaired at Colt?
I have no idea how long it would take, I'm guessing it would be months. My favorite smith can repair just about anything, and he only took a couple of weeks to weld up the hammer on my SAA and recut the notch. Another time I got to sit with him while he fitted a new bolt to another Colt. Do you think Colt would let you do that?
A larger problem with the Colt factory is that they won't accept some older models because they no longer have the necessary parts.
You're contradicting yourself, first you said it's hard to find a gunsmith to work on a Colt, then you said your local smith did just that.
... P.I.P.P stands for Palisades Parkway Police Department. Cool, huh? ...
P.I.P.P stands for Palisades Parkway Police Department ?
It is the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police.
According to the Colt factory, if they don't have the parts they can often refer you to someone who does.
Colt didn't go to (somewhat) drop-in lockwork until around the early 1970's.
It is not by coincidence that prior to World War Two, and shortly thereafter our top champion Bullseye target shooters picked Colt's by a wide margin over all others.
Although I abhor the Smiths of today (as opposed to the past), Colt has continued their downward spiral of the past.
Just my $.02.