OMNIPOTENT - let the opinions roll....

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings My Good Netizens

from another thread, Good Friend Coffin posted (in part):

....
USFA managed to take their Uberti sourced SA Parts and build a Damn FINE SA Revolver.  Probably the nicest SAs I ever owned were a bespoke pair of .38 Omnipotent.  Gorgeous, super fine fit and finish.  I just couldn't find a way to draw and shot 'em Gunfighter.  I also couldn't find the Box Tops to fund having them engraved.  Double drat.  Finely crafted guns they were.  Were also some overpriced.
.....

I myself have long admired many of the "oddball" revovlers such as  the Capt Schaeffer, the Pietta "neverwere" models, the various
"Thunderer models", and the  USFA Omnipotent.

I can't help it, but the Omnipotent has interesting lines that are (to me) remisiscent remnicvitnt remind me of both the Colt Alaskan,
and some other no longer available models.

Thus I was busy saving up lunch money, boxtops, and greenstamps in order to get the Object of My Desire



I was also extremely taken with the snubnose


and to rub salt in it, I missed my chance in 2012 for not paying attention, it went for only $375:
https://www.icollector.com/USFA-Omnipotent-Six-Shooter-SA-FFL_i13195670

Unfortunately, before I could save up enough dinero, Donnolly went under 

Soooooo

Who likes these?
Who bought one?
who still has one?

yhs
prof crazy

[Coffinmaker]

Let me be first!!!  Let me be FIRST!!!  OK, first, HAPPY THANKSGIVING everbody!!  Wishing one and all great food and really comfy NAPS!!

Here goes.  A CAVEAT:  I resisted buying hight end Suppository Shooters for ever.  I just couldn't see spending that kind of money and still needing ME or someone like me to get it running.  Seem'd dumb. Then the Omni became reality in a version that was SASS legal.  My resolve collapsed.  THUD, I was smitten.  Made from Pure and Unadulterated GOTTAHAVEIEUM.  Broke down and ordered a pair (gotta have two ya know) special for me.  4 3/4 inch, 38 Special, checkered stocks and Oh My were they ever gorgeous.

My pair was superb.  Fit, Finish, Wood, Timing.  Actions needed polished and work over the springs (really funny springs).  Hard as I tried, I couldn't find a way to get 'em out of the holsters and shooting, Gunfighter.  Terribly disappointed.  Gave up and sold them on.  THE ONLY pair of suppository shooters I regret not keeping.  Especially now that USFA is no more.  Since the guns went back to a dealer, I oft wonder what eventually happened to em.  Consecutive, they were.  Oh well.

Now for the Omni Snubbie.  Yhuck.  Icky Phoo.  Not onna bet.  And remember, I am THE SNUBBIE dude of the East.  Originator of "Snubbies-R-Us"   The Omni Snubbie is/was just pure Ugly (my personal Opine only).   Others of lesser taste and discretion may disagree.  I won't mind (much).

Boy do I Ever wish I had kept those Omnies.  Oh well.

[Pangaea]

Man, some of you pistolaros are hard.  I have a 2 inch & a 3 inch.  Never looked at them as butt ugly, but to each his own.  Guess that's why there is a channel selector on the TV.  Hope everyone has a very nice Thanksgiving.

[Abilene]

They always looked to me like a single action version of the Colt '78.  I don't think they were SASS legal at first (not that a lot of people who spent that kind of money on them cared), but did they become legal later?

[LonesomePigeon]

I am not a fan of .44 caliber Navies nor the various brass framed "fantasy guns" but I do like those Omni's. Obviously a mix of Colt shapes but who actually designed them? They did a good job.

[Professor Marvel]

Well my good netizens, I did some looking around a bit.

I "thought" the S.A.  Omnipotent was loosely based on the Colt Model D.A. 1878 (as mentioned by Abilene) seen here



one can see the rough idea of course, here are some details I noticed

Both Omni and 1878 have birdhead grips
both have the humb in the backstrap ( less pronounced in the Omni)
hammer differ on both
and note the peculiar double action hump on the frame of the 1878 while the Omni frame is clearly an 1873

but compare the Omni



to the Bisley


and we see
Omni and Bisley share the same frame
Omni and Bislet share simialr gripstraps

So The Omni actually looks like they took a Bisley gripframe, and birdheaded it to look "kinda" like an 1873, but not as dramatic as a Thunderer.

and i still like it :-)

yhs
prof marvel



notice the obvious birdheard and the slight grip hump in the Omni but the

[Coffinmaker]

I thought I answered Abilene tother day, but my answer has disappeared.  Weird.

Anyway, Hey Abilene     Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.  In answer, the first iteration of the Omni was in fact NOT SASS legal.  SASS took issue with the Bisley style hammer presented with a Thunderer style grip frame.  At the time, Bisley hammers, lower hammers, re-profile hammers were not SASS accepted.  At a later point, USFA re-presented the Omni to SASS but with a more conventional SAA style hammer and that iteration was fully SASS approved.  That's when I special ordered Mine.  Wish I still had them.

Perfesser:  I take exception.  Neither the Omnipotent, nor the 1878 DA have "Birdshead" grips.  The reference makes my teeth grate.  A Birdshead grip is a single, continuing radius all the way down to the attachment point of the Back Strap.  A Thunderer grip has a great HUMP toward the top, to prevent the gun from rolling in the hand.  SO:  An 1878 "Thunderer" has a Thunderer grip frame and the USFA Omnipotent has a Thunderer Grip Frame.  As also does the Cimarron "Thunderer."  Nanny Nanny Poo Poo!!

[Gus Walker]

I always liked the look of the Omni....Very Victorian,,,,I could see Holmes and Watson carrying them....

[Abilene]

Professor, I don't see the Bisley frame or grips as being similar.  In fact, the hammer spur is the only thing that looks "Bisleyish" (yeah, it's a new word) to me.

Yep, Coffinmaker, the Bisleyish hammer spur would certainly have been a reason for SASS non-approval, back in those days.  These days, pretty much anything goes.