Colt or USFA?

[imdarren]

I want a nice SAA in 45 Colt.
I'm not planning on competetion, just some general range work.
I know all about other alternatives such as Ruger, Uberti, STI, Beretta, but want to stay with A nice higher end USFA (or Turnbull) or Colt, both around $1,200 ish.

I can't make up my mind.
I know the Colt will hold value better, but it would be a shooter, not a safe queen. The USFA's are said to be built a bit better / tighter than the colts.
Has anyone bough a recent (new) Colt? Was the fit tight, and finish good?

Please give your opinions, and why.

Thanks!

D

 

[salvadore]

I have a third generation Colt in .44 special, 4.75" barrel, and a Uberti .45 Colt 4.75" barrel and I carry the Uberti most of the time. If I were looking for the creme da le creme, or maybe it's la, I'd research the STI texican too. Check the article in the current issue of the Handgunner. It looks as primo as the USFA, tolerences are tight and it retails for $1260.

 

[imdarren]

I'll have to check out the article. Thanks.
So how old is your 3rd gen Colt? Is it tight? How is the fit / finish?

Thanks.

 

[salvadore]

It's ok, Colt had some quality control issues on the early 3rd gens. I've put a lot of stuff thru it and it still shoots nice groups.

 

[Hawg]

If I'm going to pay the price of a Colt it's going to have a horsey on it. A Colt is a Colt, everything else isn't.

 

[Jart]

There was a fair amount of speculation on another board as to why the Texican was being made with Freedom Arms type tolerances - didn't seem to jibe with the mission.

It would appear a nice lady in SASS has discovered the answer.

It's charcoal.

Frankly, I would have never guessed. Well, I would've never known if 110 rounds of black powder was good, but it seems it is.

http://sassnet.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=94266

Any of you charcoal and/or SASS types may feel free to educate me... Goex and grits?! I say again my last: GRITS?

If I'm going to pay the price of a Colt it's going to have a horsey on it. A Colt is a Colt, everything else isn't.

I have no such problems. I pay more for an STI 1911 than a Colt 1911 - doesn't seem to be a reason why revolvers would be any different.

 

[Hawg]

I have no such problems. I pay more for an STI 1911 than a Colt - doesn't seem to be a reason why revolvers would be any different.

Personal preference. I think Colt's are way overpriced to start with but IF I was to spend that much it would be a Colt.

 

[Jart]

I'm no expert on CAS - can the Colt duplicate the STI's performance with black powder?

Edited to add:
As long as there's a CAS in the house...
What's a Murphy Mix?

 

[salvadore]

I have read this lady's posts on another forum, (be prepared for the hard sell on big lube boolits), and she seems to be an honest, smart person. I personally find the cowboy crowd a bunch of brass full of oatmeak, squib shootin girlie men, who like to dress up like howdy doody, but that's just me. If USFA and STI are making a better quality S.A.A. than Colt, then they can keep their horse and I'll buy the nicer gun. My early 3rd generation Colt is nicely timed but not nicely finished revolver. I don't know what kind of S.A.A. Colt is marketing currently.

 

[Hawg]

Lots of folks shooting bp in CAS with Colt's so I'd say so. I have no personal experience with STI or bp in a Colt. My guns of choice are Uberti 44-40's.

 

[.351winchester]

(could be wrong), but isn't USFA the original shop, machines, etc of first gen. Colts? Not sure but if that's right, and you want a shooter, you still get Peacemaker authenticity, I'd go USFA.
I wouldn't pay 800+ for a 1991A1 when better SA's are the same price. Don't get me wrong, I love Colt.

 

[Jart]

I should hasten to add I have nothing against Colt - got a nice base model 1911 on a WA group buy a while back.

But I paid about three times as much for an STI VIP and it seems worth the bump, to me at least.

Never was clear to me why 1911s priced higher than Colt seem normal but single action revolvers priced higher (actually about the same) are viewed as an aberation. There may well be a good reason, just I don't know what it is yet.

 

[Hawg]

I have read this lady's posts on another forum, (be prepared for the hard sell on big lube boolits), and she seems to be an honest, smart person.

Lou knows her stuff. If she says it you can take it to the bank.

I personally find the cowboy crowd a bunch of brass full of oatmeak, squib shootin girlie men, who like to dress up like howdy doody

You're entitled to your opinion but not all are like that. The ones that dress like "Howdy Doody" compete in B Western class. There's several different classes with different rules. Most dress like real cowpunchers would have dressed, not like Hollywierd has them dressing for the most part.

 

[darrentxs]

There's only one brand that can't be called a replica of a Colt. I'd get the pony. I suggest using a local dealer to order a recent production model for you. Resale is a big deal sometimes. Ya never know...just my .02

 

[Playboypenguin]

I would say get the Colt...but I did see a nickle plated USFA Rodeo II w/3" barrel and I fell in love with it.

 

[Tom2]

Well get a used Colt if such a thing exists, I don't see them. First time you turn your new Colt the value will drop. They only seem to be desireable to alot of folks unturned NIB. All replicas will not suffer so much from being used as a real Colt. That is the drawback to their revolvers.

 

[Jart]

Someday I'll figure out how Colt's manages to derive value simply by being what it is. In one thread on another forum regarding CAS handguns fully 20% of the posts contained a phrase similar to:

"<whatever> isn't a Colt" or "Only a Colt is a Colt".

The fact that a Colt is a Colt (or that something else isn't) is the sort of blindingly obvious observation that one would assume nobody would be inclined to make it. Yet, in the case of Colt, it's almost like a secret handshake. Far as I know, no other brand inspires similar comments - nobody buys a BMW then hears "It's not a Cadillac" - it would simply never occur to anyone to speak in such a fashion.

Oh well, the one other time I asked for conjecture on the phenomenon, I was given yet another scorchingly obvious non-answer: "If you don't get it, you don't get it". I still don't get it. But it is nice to see - in a society which has largely become driven by the mantra "what have you done for me lately", it's nice to see at least one firm that's exempt and need only be what it is.

 

[imdarren]

Wow, I'm surprised we havn't seen the same "canned answer" we usually see. "Get both", then tell us what you think.
I probably will get both, just wondered what to get first.

Has anyone purchased a recent 3rd gen Colt SAA that can give us a comparison of timing / lockup and finish? Are the cylinder / chamber dia's oversized?

I have a recent series 70 Colt 1911A1. Finish is great, but boy the parts are nowhere near as tight (slide etc) as my Springfield TRP 1911.
But then 1911's were loose back in the day so they would cycle better in the dirt.

Someone above mentioned the USFA's were made in the old Blue Dome with all the old machinery. The part about the machinery is incorrect I think. I think USFA prides themselves in their new state of the art CNC machinery. This is how they keep their tolerances so tight.

 

[Pilot]

Someone above mentioned the USFA's were made in the old Blue Dome with all the old machinery. The part about the machinery is incorrect I think. I think USFA prides themselves in their new state of the art CNC machinery. This is how they keep their tolerances to tight.

I believe USFA moved out of the Blue Dome building, but you are correct in that they use new CNC machinery.

I have a USFA Rodeo and it is a first class SAA. The only difference between the Rodeo and the pricier offerings from USFA is the finish which is a plain matte black. To me this is fine for a shooter and its still an elegant firearm. The Rodeo is hard to beat for the money and much less than a Colt.

 

[Jart]

Wow, I'm surprised we havn't seen the same "canned answer" we usually see. "Get both", then tell us what you think.
I probably will get both, just wondered what to get first.

I got a different kind of "both" - an STI and a Turnbull. The Turnbull Carbona blue is different and, I think, kinda nice. The case color is the same as would be expected. I'd give a slight aesthetic edge to the Turnbull/USFA. The STI's trigger is nicer and seems generally tighter than the Turnbull. Not that the Turnbull is "loose" - they're both put together well.

I'd give a small edge to the STI as a shooter but neither is a slouch. The current Colt's aren't giving up anything either. In a minor piece of weirdness, both the Turnbull and STI have colored hammers like the early Colt's - the current Colt is odd man out with a white / polished hammer.