My First SAA Clone-I Am Very Impressed!

Slowhand53 · August 03, 2014, 02:18:12 PM

Been around guns for most of my life and have had my conceal carry permit for 40 years now. Never bought a SAA clone until this week. I subscribe to American Cowboy magazine and the latest issue had a firearms review. The article mentioned Taylors. Gave them a call and ordered their Uberti Cattleman with 4 3/4 inch barrel in .357 Magnum. Picked it up yesterday and feel it was worth every penny that I paid for it. The gun has great craftmanship, beautiful bluing, and the case hardening is the icing on the cake. Also placed an order with Kirkpatrick Leather out of Texas for their Laredo holster rig in black for this one.The only thing I would consider replacing on the Cattleman are the grips,While the grips are really nice I would lie to get a nice fake set of stag grips for it. Would like to tip my hat to the ladies at Taylors, Great customer service there. I was first thinking of buying an actual Colt SAA and I still may some day but I am more than satisfied with this one.

Shenandoah · August 03, 2014, 05:35:46 PM

Why get fake? True stag grips are not expensive.

King Medallion · August 03, 2014, 09:49:57 PM

Depends on your terminology of expensive. For me, anything over $75 a set is expensive. Last set of Elk stag grips I bought was $200, real Stag is alot more.

Slowhand53 · August 04, 2014, 07:43:04 AM

Have to agree with King. My budget is around the $75.00 price also. For real stag I see them run $195.00-$395.00.

Abilene · August 04, 2014, 09:41:34 AM

Well congrats on your first SAA. Remember when the gun is on half-cock to be sure to always pull the hammer back to full cock before letting it down. You may have known that but doesn't hurt to say it again.

Every fake stag grip I've seen looks really, really...fake. Some of the fake ivory looks a little less fake. But it's your gun so do as you will

Slowhand53 · August 04, 2014, 04:32:44 PM

Thanks Kindly Abilene. Appreciate the advice on the half cock, yep, I did know that but you are 100% correct, when it comes to gun safety you can never hear it enough. Just watch Tex Grebner shoot himself on Youtube as an example. If the fake stag grips are that bad I will just stick with the wood ones that came on it as they are pretty nice looking as well.

Mean Bob Mean · August 04, 2014, 05:36:09 PM

Congrats on your first one. Careful, it can get addicting . . .

Old Doc · August 04, 2014, 06:49:37 PM

Quote from: Slowhand53 on August 04, 2014, 07:43:04 AM
Have to agree with King. My budget is around the $75.00 price also. For real stag I see them run $195.00-$395.00.

PM me about fake stags.

Curley Cole · August 04, 2014, 11:31:43 PM

I got these stags at a gunshow, right after I got the gun. I only pad $20 for the grips. (course in was 1980!)

curley

MikeChandler · August 06, 2014, 12:16:31 PM

Quote from: Slowhand53 on August 04, 2014, 04:32:44 PM
Thanks Kindly Abilene. Appreciate the advice on the half cock, yep, I did know that but you are 100% correct, when it comes to gun safety you can never hear it enough. Just watch Tex Grebner shoot himself on Youtube as an example. If the fake stag grips are that bad I will just stick with the wood ones that came on it as they are pretty nice looking as well.

I am pretty sure his advise was more about not creating a drag line on your pretty guns. Lowering the hammer from half cock can raise the cylinder latch at the wrong time, since the cylinder spins free on the half cock.

By pulling the hammer to full cock, then lowering it, you are letting the timing work properly - the latch won't scratch your purty new gun.

I just started SASS shooting and I saw a gents nice USFA guns he's shooting with the big scratches, and sure enough when he showed me the guns he lowered from half cock. I didn't have the heart to tell him he scratched that gun up all hisself - he had just told me the scratches were normal, "just look at any ruger". Yeah, but ruger's are timed that way - they're unavoidable without replacing the cylinder latch with a long-tailed one. A SAA clone should never have a cylinder drag line - it's like having a slide latch drag line on a 1911.

Lower only from full cock, and unless your gun actually is a ruger, you won't get scratches.

Slowhand53 · August 06, 2014, 03:51:10 PM

Roger that. I only lower from full cock. Thats the nice thing about the SAAs, no cylinder scratches if you know how to avoid them. I am surprised that he did not know this but I would not have the heart to tell him either.Thought the scratch line on my S&W model 29 was ugly but no way to avoid that I think with a double action.

MikeChandler · August 06, 2014, 07:51:08 PM

Slowhand,

All agreed!

I just bought two of the same gun, with 5.5" barrels, used. Like you I am pretty stoked - I wanted a real colt, but I'd never want to shoot it. If I was rich enough to buy real colts... I still wouldn't - unless they were some historic piece, for the safe/sentimentality. Never to shoot. I saw an incredible apache engraved 1st gen colt, that originally was sold to plinkerton... then lived for the last 100+ years on a reservation. If that gun could talk... man it is probably a blood-curdling story. Something like that I could see owning, purely for the safe.

My two Cimarron model P's are in fact Uberti Cattleman revolvers. They have the charcoal+blue finish... look really nice. Unfortunately the last owner didn't know about cleaning guns, and every cylinder had its bushing jammed/gummed up, along with a ton of gunk in them, and the bores filled with lead. The guns were just filthy inside... been soaking them in ATF+Acetone for a bit. I have a lead pulling kit, so I'll be yanking the crud out of the bores tomorrow.

I also want some custom grips. The uberti grips are very high grade walnut, but I'd like some of the aged ivory ones, simulated of course.

Anyhow, I really like how they feel, and that's coming from a USFA Rodeo II (posted about it here a while back in the USFA forum).

Uberti makes one very fine gun!

Mike