Got a craven flung on me. 45 colt?

[littlejack]

Howdy fellas.
I would imagine that this has been cussed ans discussed plenty. But I didn't
have an urge then. I do now though. I've been a hankerin for a 45 Colt clone for
a while now. I know that there are plenty out there to choose from, but don't
know anything about the quality of any of them. I do know that the Ruger is just
about indestructible. I have heard that the Vaquero is of the same quality. Very
tough.
I do like the looks of the firing pin mounted in the hammer, as opposed
to the Ruger system, even though this means that one should only carry five
rather than six rounds. I do not plan on any fast and fancy shootin or any
cowboyaction shootin. Just slow shooting with as accurate shot placement as
possible, and a woods carry piece.
I do own a Uberti Highwall and it seems to be made very well. I have looked at
the Uberti SSA on the net and like what I see. I need to go down a rub a few to
get the the feel and check out the quality. I like the looks of the USFA handguns
but didn't want to pay that much for one, not knowing that they were worth that
much more than the others.
OK fellas, after all of that, can you folks that have a Colt clone let me know any
of the advantages or disadvantages of any on the market.
Any expierienced input will be greatly appreciated.
Jack

[2muchstuf]

I'll be watchin this thread closely.
I got the same craven flung on me.
2

[Dennis Eugene]

Well I see your from Western Oregon, and if you are lookin' for a woods carry gun ya might give the Ruger a second thought, as big cats and a black bear might make a guy wish he had 6 rounds instead of just five. Also beings that ya want a 45 colt cal. you got to relize that you can handload the Ruger hotter than all colt and colt clones and that might also impress the big cats and bears. But then I'm a big Ruger fan. Dennis

[targetshootr]

Depends on how much you wanna spend. USFA Rodeos are a bargain and then the highest end SAA is the STI Texican, vrtually a factory custom gun.

[hickstick_10]

would it kill ya to buy american??

you want a good 45? get yourself a ruger blackhawk, that gun will last you a lifetime and then some.

I myself wanted a old style revolver, and pretty much all of them italian were cheesily finished just didnt appeal to me (the exception was the berreta stampede)

So once again I got a ruger old army, 10 times the gun of the italians.


I've had a chance to see those italian repros age and how they look after some use, not pretty. A stainless ruger single action can be given a 5 minute rub with an sos pad and she looks new.

[haven't got a clue]

buy a used Ruger 45 or 44 (condition doesn't matter) send it off to John Linebaugh in Cody Wy. and have him build you a "small conversion" 45 colt. It's a killin machine!!

[littlejack]

Thanks for the replies so far. I did own a Ruger Blackhawk that I gought new back in 1968. It was the .41 mag. I shot that handgun so much that it was a shame to make it fire the next round. I used it in fast draw competition and it kept on tickin. I sold it to my uncle and he still shoots it now and again. No doubt, they are tough. I was wanting one of the old Colt clones. I like the looks. I realize that the loads will be restricted to the lighter pressures because of the light frames.
I did check on one of the old model Ruger Bisley Vaqueros this week, but I was too late. It was sold for 450.00. What I thought was a good buy. I do not need all the power of the magnums. I have changed my thinking in the last 40 years as to what will make a firearm cartridge better or not. I believe that the 255 grain slug at 1000 to 1200 fps will penetrate as far as needs be on any game here in Oregon and probably full through most animals.
Keep the replies coming fellas.
Jack

[9.3X62AL]

Ruger Vaquero would get my vote, due to its strength. But if ya just gotta have a Colt repro, the price/quality meet point of the USFA Rodeo impresses me a lot.

[jh45gun]

I love my Uberti imported by Taylor's and Co. I disagree with those that say these guns do not last nor do they age well. I did a lot of searching on the net for opinions before I bought mine to make sure they were a good buy with few issues. On the flip side of the coin if you get a good Ruger you will have a good gun BUT and I mean BUT Ruger is not with out their issues also. They may be strong but you may have to send the gun back to Ruger for issues that seem to be reoccurring or send the gun to a gunsmith of your choice to get the issues fixed if you do not want to send it to Ruger which may or may not fix your problem. Of course the Ruger fans dismiss such talk but it has been well addressed on this forum and others. I will not own an other Ruger after having issues with several of their guns.I have owned or own Marlin, Henry, Remington, Winchester, Savage, Mossberg, guns in the past and never had to send one back to the factory with the exception of the Henry which had a minor problem and the President of the company who personally handles customer complaints (You do not see that often) sent me a prepaid shipping label and I had the gun back in less then a week in perfect working order) Which is something I have not read here on this forum about Rugers performance.

[Trey45]

OLD model Vaquero, the new model aint as strong and will grenade on ya if you put a full bore Ruger only load through it. If you're not looking for Thors hammer, USFA makes a fine Colt Clone. Or a New Model Vaquero as long as you NEVER run a Ruger only load through her.

[Dale53]

I vote for the Ruger for ruggedness and all around reliability. However, I have a very nice Colt Clone that I have been VERY happy with. It's a Cimarron in .44 Special (you can easily find one in .45 Colt). It is, hands down, the prettiest handgun I own:



The sights are very similar to the 1st Generation Colts (that is to say, TERRIBLE). The revolver shoots extremely well (well under 1" at 25 yards) but doesn't quite shoot to point of aim for me. The fixed sights make correcting that a bit of a chore - doable, but a pain, nonetheless.

Dale53

[jh45gun]

That is nice looking Dale my Taylors and Co. Uberti Looks pretty much the same. I found a dab of that white correction fluid for paper on my front sight applied at the top fourth of the sight made sighting chores a bit easier.

[littlejack]

Dale, that IS one fine lookin piece.
Jack

[Bucks Owin]

Sounds like you need a Ruger Blackhawk .45. You can stick with Colt SAA level loads for plinking, or load to .44 mag ballistics if desired for woods carry. One sixgun to do it all! JMO...

[healey55]

Pretty sure that with the clones if you load up 45 colt rounds to shoot 1200 fps with a 255 grain slug that you are gonna break the gun pretty darn soon.

I wish that they made a colt sized single action in 44 mag that I could shoot 250 grain slugs at 1200 fps out of.

[Bucks Owin]

I wish that they made a colt sized single action in 44 mag that I could shoot 250 grain slugs at 1200 fps out of.

Well, how about the Ruger NM .44 Spl "Flattop"?

[jtaylor1960]

I just bought a 45 Colt in a Ruger Blackhawk in stainless with a 4 5/8" barrel.It was a special run from Davidsons.I was looking for a gun to carry in the woods for protection or maybe hunting.I have dies and lots of molds so all I needed was the gun.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Say, did I tell you about my vaquero 45 with the barrel pinched down in diameter at the throat by 2 thousandths from cylinder sizes and every cylinder hole approaching 453 with a 452 groove. The Ruger tech I spoke with said it was in specification, not to bother sending in in. Or tell you about my two Ubertis ten years apart both checked by a highly experienced colt armorer with near perfect timng, correct cylinder hole/barrel relationships, and well done finishes.

I do like some Ruger rifles though, and have been "lucky". BvT

[ktw]

I'm in the same boat as the original poster. Shopping for a single action in a colt sized frame.

It won't be a large frame Ruger. I've always thought it was going to be a USFA SAA. It probably still will be, but the Uberti/Beretta's are looking pretty good for significantly less money.

-ktw

[Gee_Wizz01]

I have a couple of Ruger Blackhawks in .45 Colt and a Uberti Cattleman that is a dead ringer of Dale 53's. I like the Blackhawks very much, but the Uberti is my favorite. The Uberti is perfectly timed, the cylinder throats are perfectly sized for the bore and it is a tack driver. I put Wolff springs in both the Uberti and the Rugers, the Uberti now has a 1 1/2 lb trigger pull that breaks like glass; the Rugers have a 3 1/2 lb pull with some creep. The finish on the Uberti is a deep blue which is much nicer than the Ruger. I have fired about 500 rds through the Uberti without a hitch. The Uberti shot to point of aim at 25 yds without any adjustment. One Ruger needs to go back to Ruger to get a new taller front sight because it shoots 6" high at 25 yds with the rear sight adjusted all the way down. My Old Ruger has .455" throats and a .452 Bore and leads badly. My new Ruger has properly sized throats but the frame does not fit the grip frame properly. Ruger will fix these problems at no cost to me. I dont know how Uberti handles warranty work, as mine doesn't need any. Each of these guns has its place, the Rugers are my hunting guns and I load them hot for pig hunting. The Uberti is my fun gun and I love to target shoot and plin with it. I have no problems with Uberti's and they are a lot of fun to shoot. Try one, you will like it.

G