How often does Colt make SAAs?

[Doug.38PR]

To this day I don't think I've ever seen one in any gunstore except for Collectors Firearms in Houston some years ago.  And I was told by them that the curren Colt SAA is actually made in italy, shipped here and given a Colt stamp on it by Colt (supposedly why they are so expensive).

[Capt. John Fitzgerald]

Current Colt production of the SAA is slow, but they are being produced.  If the good folks at "Collectors Firearms in Houston" told you that modern Colts are made in Italy then I would find another gun store because they obviously don't know #@%& about Colts.

[St. George]

When they do manage to get to a gun shop - they're sold pretty quickly.

Most are being ordered for customers - that's likely why you don't see them.

However, Scheel's seems to get them regularly enough that they're on the shelf for about a week, before they're snapped up.

Any sillyassed clerk telling you that they're 'Made in Italy' needs a new job - or at least some serious retraining on that store's wares.

Scouts Out!

[Abilene]

A few months ago I was talking to one of the Colt guys at a mounted shooting championship, and he showed me one of the daily emails he gets that lists what guns were completed that day.  On that particular day, they had completed 17 SAA's (actually some of them were New Frontiers). 

Some of the 2nd Gen black powder guns were made in Italy.  And the Colt Cowboy (a budget SAA with a transfer bar from the late '90's) may have been made in Italy, I'm not sure about that one.

[cal44walker]

Colt 2nd and 3rd Generation Siganature Series muzzleloaders were Uberti parts, shipped in the white to the US and finished there by 3rd party companies run by the Imperato family in New York. They were labelled as Colts as they bought the rights to the Colt name for the duration of the contracts,  but they are only Colts in name. They are as Italian as lasagne. Colt however, produces the SAA albeit in low volume in the US. They have nothing to do with the italian gun industry.

cal44walker

[Sagebrush Burns]

Colt does not seem to be making very many SAAs and New Frontiers these days.  I understand they are pretty tied up with military contracts and not necessarily interested in the "civilian" market.  That said, you see them here and there at sites like Guns America and Gun Broker, but nearly as many as a year or two ago and at generally higher prices.  I just received my engraved, ivory handled New Frontier from the custom shop after a year and a half wait and I understand they haven't taken any new orders since I got mine in.

[Fox Creek Kid]

...Any sillyassed clerk telling you that they're 'Made in Italy' needs a new job - or at least some serious retraining on that store's wares.

Scouts Out!

It gets better: on the 1911 Forum a fella said a gunshop clerk told him that Rock Island Arms 1911's were made on Colt machinery abandoned in the Phillipines!!      

[Blackpowder Burn]

I spoke to the gentleman that runs the Colt Custom Shop at the NRA convention in Houston.  He told me that they had so many orders that the backorder time was 18 months.  He said he decided to tell everyone that orders would take 2 years from placement - thinking it would make a lot of folks avoid placing orders, and that would allow him to start catching up.  Instead, even more were immediatley placed and the backorder time now really is 2 years! 

I've been thinking of ordering a pair.  Even though I don't have the money now, I figure I could accumulate it in a couple of years! 

[Fox Creek Kid]

Colt made 1,154 revolvers in 2011 according to the ATF.

[Old Doc]

It gets better: on the 1911 Forum a fella said a gunshop clerk told him that Rock Island Arms 1911's were made on Colt machinery abandoned in the Phillipines!!      

Sounds like he's confusing that with the S&W equipment in Brazill which , I believe, became the foundation for Taurus .

[jplower]

Most recently, our collectors association president was at the factory.  All the machinery used to manufacture the SA has been removed.  The parts are currently being made in New Jersey, shipped to the factory and assembled there.  The union and Conneticut's anti gun stance has led to this.  When I was there 12 years ago, back orders for the SA stood at 10,000!  This from the CEO, William Keys, and the plant manager at the time, John Young.  Colt still does the case color and blue, fitting.  And on the Cowboy, those frames were made by Ruger, they were investment castings with standard sa parts attached.  The frames were "colored" with a witches brew of molten salts, whereby the frame was dipped for a few minutes and then quenched. 
JP

[Hondo44]

Not quite standard innards since they had a transfer bar.

Those familiar with the USFA SAAs know they also closed up production of everything except the Zip Gun due to Connecticut's anti 2nd Amendment posture. But a new plant is scheduled to open in the not too distant future in a gun friendly state!

Colt SAA production has been as low as 400 in a year.

[Old Doc]

Not quite standard innards since they had a transfer bar.

Those familiar with the USFA SAAs know they also closed up production of everything except the Zip Gun due to Connecticut's anti 2nd Amendment posture. But a new plant is scheduled to open in the not too distant future in a gun friendly state!

Be curious as to the source of your information on a new plant as I don't believe the demise of USFA single actions had anything to do with Connecticut's 2nd amendment position .

[Hondo44]

Old Doc,

My source was someone who knows Doug Donnelly, the CEO at USFA. But although I know that he knew a lot more that's all he would divulge to me.

Conn's posture is not the only reason, of course, as always business costs had a lot to do with it.

But what have you heard?

Jim

[Major 2]

Not sure if the post was for USFA or Colt  moving to another gun friendly State. I'd be supprised to hear NJ was gun Friendly.

Colt was to be making a $2.5 million capital investment in a Kissimmee Florida vacant building, which the company will lease, that is owned by Osceola County.
Two years later the Building is still vacant.

The Colt Cowboy was not made by Ruger, thought Ruger may have been paid royalties for the Tranfer Bar design.
The Cowboy was made in Czechoslovakia as I recall.

[Old Doc]

I too have read of a Czech connection to the Cowboy. They have become collector's items but for the life of me,  I can't understand why.

[Hondo44]

Not sure if the post was for USFA or Colt  moving to another gun friendly State. I'd be supprised to hear NJ was gun Friendly.

Colt was to be making a $2.5 million capital investment in a Kissimmee Florida vacant building, which the company will lease, that is owned by Osceola County.
Two years later the Building is still vacant.

The Colt Cowboy was not made by Ruger, thought Ruger may have been paid royalties for the Tranfer Bar design.
The Cowboy was made in Czechoslovakia as I recall.

It was for USFA , but there is no NJ connection; where did you get that?

The only claim was that Ruger DID THE INVESTMENT CASTINGS FOR THE COLT COWBOY, not that they made them. Ruger contracts for casting for many other things besides gun parts as well, including various sub assembly parts castings, tools and golf clubs.

[Major 2]

When jplower stated ;

Most recently, our collectors association president was at the factory.  All the machinery used to manufacture the SA has been removed.  The parts are currently being made in New Jersey, shipped to the factory and assembled there.  The union and Conneticut's anti gun stance has led to this.  When I was there 12 years ago, back orders for the SA stood at 10,000!  This from the CEO, William Keys, and the plant manager at the time, John Young.  Colt still does the case color and blue, fitting.  And on the Cowboy, those frames were made by Ruger, they were investment castings with standard sa parts attached.  The frames were "colored" with a witches brew of molten salts, whereby the frame was dipped for a few minutes and then quenched. 
JP

He was referring to Colt .... I stated I'd be surprised if NJ was " Gun Friendly "

I do not assume where USFA was going if anywhere...

I do know The 16,000 square-foot Shady Lane building was refit for Colt back in 2011, an effort costing the county and the state $550,000. To-date, the building has been unoccupied.

[Pettifogger]

The saga of "Colt" goes on.  The company has been sold, split, bankrupt and back several times the past several years.  I remember several years ago when Colt's assets were being sold there was litigation over who could use the Colt Pony logo.  "Colt's" the civilian company has produced very few SAAs the past couple of years and other than the 1911 was practically out of the consumer gun market.  Now that they have been acquired by "Colt's" the military manufacturer.  It will be interesting to see where the new company goes and what the new company will produce in the next few years.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/15/ct-colt-defense-idUSnBw156293a+100+BSW20130715

[Fox Creek Kid]

Pettifogger, they're DAB:  dead azz broke. They cannot even pay the interest on their loans they got years ago. They are in a death spiral financially. The Co. will have to go totally bankrupt and then someone salvage the name if possible.