Colt SAA ..... THIRD gen??
- Thread starter Lavan
- Start date
As for any Colt, handling the gun in person is more important than any sort of summary or testimonials regarding other examples.
If everything fits and functions, it doesn't really matter what experience others have had.
I think the areas to be most concerned about are the fit of the trigger guard and grip frame to the grips and frame, and is the action smooth, with tight lock-up.
There are many detail differences between the 3rd Gen, and earlier guns, but unless you are planning a barrel or cylinder change, they don't really matter.
If everything fits and functions, it doesn't really matter what experience others have had.
I think the areas to be most concerned about are the fit of the trigger guard and grip frame to the grips and frame, and is the action smooth, with tight lock-up.
There are many detail differences between the 3rd Gen, and earlier guns, but unless you are planning a barrel or cylinder change, they don't really matter.
The serious aficionados say the early 3rd generation SAA Colts are hit or miss on quality, and that wasn’t straightened out until the mid to late 1990s.
In the last several years there has been criticism of the color case hardening on the frame.
Mine was made in 1979 and I have no complaints about it except a slight bit of end shake with the cylinder.
In the last several years there has been criticism of the color case hardening on the frame.
Mine was made in 1979 and I have no complaints about it except a slight bit of end shake with the cylinder.
I’m looking for a 2nd Gen with 4.5 to 5.5” barrel in 45 or 44 spec. Extremely hard to find in shooter. A lot of these are held NIB and start at $2500 average. The cheapest seems to be 3rd Generation in 357.
I’m no authority on them have only bought 2 new in my life back in 60s. I switched to Rugers back then for the price. SBH was half off Colt and was 44 mag, big deal at the time.
I ended up with a bucket of Rugers, 3 screw in those days. When Ruger went to new model with transfer bar they lost me. Been into S&W revolvers since 70s. Just recently decided I wanted a 1911 Colt and a Colt SAA. Scraped up a few 1911s but ain’t found my SAA yet.
I’m no authority on them have only bought 2 new in my life back in 60s. I switched to Rugers back then for the price. SBH was half off Colt and was 44 mag, big deal at the time.
I ended up with a bucket of Rugers, 3 screw in those days. When Ruger went to new model with transfer bar they lost me. Been into S&W revolvers since 70s. Just recently decided I wanted a 1911 Colt and a Colt SAA. Scraped up a few 1911s but ain’t found my SAA yet.
highpower3006
New member
I have had both second and third gen Colt Single actions and quite honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between them as far as function. I can't speak to any fit and finish differences as the third gen I had was NIB when I bought it and was an absolutely beautiful gun. It was a limited production gun that was built on the original blackpowder style frame and was chambered in .44-40. The second gen was well used when I got it.
Like the dumbass I can be I traded it off for another gun that I wanted more and I have regretted it ever since. Last year I wandered into a LGS that had a Colt SSA in the used gun case that looked like it had been used by a Cowboy Action Shooter as it had a fair amount of finish wear, but it locked up tight into battery. I negotiated them down to $900 for it and took it home that day.
In doing some research on it I found out that it was one of the 125th anniversary SAA's that Colt made in 1961. It is a wonderful shooter with a trigger that feels like breaking glass. Even if the action wasn't worked on I am sure that the thousands of times it has been cycled has smoothed out the action to the point where it is in today. I don't particularly like the pimped out gold plating on the trigger, hammer and grip frame, but for the price I ain't complaining!
The thing is, I remember that the trigger on the third generation I had was just about as good right out of the box. So from my personal experience, I would say that if whatever generation of Colt you are contemplating passes the visual test and the trademark four clicks are crisp, you will no doubt get a nice shooter.
Like the dumbass I can be I traded it off for another gun that I wanted more and I have regretted it ever since. Last year I wandered into a LGS that had a Colt SSA in the used gun case that looked like it had been used by a Cowboy Action Shooter as it had a fair amount of finish wear, but it locked up tight into battery. I negotiated them down to $900 for it and took it home that day.
In doing some research on it I found out that it was one of the 125th anniversary SAA's that Colt made in 1961. It is a wonderful shooter with a trigger that feels like breaking glass. Even if the action wasn't worked on I am sure that the thousands of times it has been cycled has smoothed out the action to the point where it is in today. I don't particularly like the pimped out gold plating on the trigger, hammer and grip frame, but for the price I ain't complaining!
The thing is, I remember that the trigger on the third generation I had was just about as good right out of the box. So from my personal experience, I would say that if whatever generation of Colt you are contemplating passes the visual test and the trademark four clicks are crisp, you will no doubt get a nice shooter.
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44caliberkid
New member
I have a third gen .357 that we got NIB. It’s a great pistol, beautiful blue and case hardening, smooth as glass. I’ve never researched when it was made.
Driftwood Johnson
New member
Howdy
Rugers do not have a removable bushing, but they most certainly have a raised bushing, or gas collar, or what ever you want to call it. In the center of this photo is an 'original model' Vaquero cylinder, on the left is an Uberti Cattleman cylinder and on the right is a Colt 2nd Gen cylinder.
This photo shows the bushings pulled out of the Uberti Cattleman cylinder on the left and the Colt cylinder on the right.
The value of a raised bushing like this is to shield the underlying cylinder pin from fouling blasted out of the barrel/cylinder gap. The major cause of binding when shooting cartridges loaded with Black Powder. I can tell you that all three bushings do a great job of this when shooting cartridges loaded with Black Powder. For normal smokeless powder cartridges it does not really matter.
Getting back to your original question, yes at some point Colt began putting removable bushings back in the 3rd Gen, and some folks incorrectly call that a 4th Gen.
I have several 2nd Gen Colts, I do not own any 3rd Gens. But I have shot those that belong to a friend. I can see some tiny differences in the quality of the machining of the 3rd Gen vs the 2nd Gen, but not enough to make a big deal about. For a while, quality of the 3rd Gens was not the greatest, but Colt cleaned up their act. From what I have seen, the quality of the current crop of 3rd Gens, if you can manage to find one, is just fine.
Rugers do not have a removable bushing, but they most certainly have a raised bushing, or gas collar, or what ever you want to call it. In the center of this photo is an 'original model' Vaquero cylinder, on the left is an Uberti Cattleman cylinder and on the right is a Colt 2nd Gen cylinder.
This photo shows the bushings pulled out of the Uberti Cattleman cylinder on the left and the Colt cylinder on the right.
The value of a raised bushing like this is to shield the underlying cylinder pin from fouling blasted out of the barrel/cylinder gap. The major cause of binding when shooting cartridges loaded with Black Powder. I can tell you that all three bushings do a great job of this when shooting cartridges loaded with Black Powder. For normal smokeless powder cartridges it does not really matter.
Getting back to your original question, yes at some point Colt began putting removable bushings back in the 3rd Gen, and some folks incorrectly call that a 4th Gen.
I have several 2nd Gen Colts, I do not own any 3rd Gens. But I have shot those that belong to a friend. I can see some tiny differences in the quality of the machining of the 3rd Gen vs the 2nd Gen, but not enough to make a big deal about. For a while, quality of the 3rd Gens was not the greatest, but Colt cleaned up their act. From what I have seen, the quality of the current crop of 3rd Gens, if you can manage to find one, is just fine.
FoghornLeghorn
New member
FoghornLeghorn
New member
@Driftwood Johnson, how do your Uberti Cattleman revolvers compare to the Colt SAA?
Do all Ubertis have the removable bushing?
Do all Ubertis have the removable bushing?
jackmoser65
New member
Some are very good. Some are very bad. The rest are somewhere in between. The newer guns are the best of the bunch.
FoghornLeghorn
New member
Reread my post. I'm responding to a statement concerning 3rd generation Colts.
Yours is talking about 2nd generation Colts.
Here, let me explain. The quote says “In 2003 Colt reintroduced 38 special AND reintroduced the 2nd gen removable bushings to the 3rd gen guns”.
Jim
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FoghornLeghorn
New member
Your second quote is not the same as your first quote. Grow up.