US Firearms, simply the best!

[Virginia Gentleman]

I have recently purchased a US Firearms SAA with Turnbull case colors and it is fit and finished better than any 2nd or 3rd generation Colt I have seen and is on par with the 1st generations.  While the price approaches the Colt SAA, it is far and away a better looking and better shooting gun for the money.  Colt IMHO has a lot of catching up to do. I doubt they will do it with the Union and greedy management at the helm.  Collector value of the Colt is well established, but I don't rule out US Firearms guns being collectable in the near future.  I would highly recommend US Firearms to anyone looking to buy a high end SAA and if they really wanted a shooter, go for the Rodeo.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

I've heard nothing but good comments about the USFAs except for one thing:  they aren't Colts.

[Virginia Gentleman]

Colt as it exists today is a different company than the one Sam Colt and his predecesors ran.  Today they are less focused on quality or customer satisfaction and more on pacifing the union and keeping the greedy management happy.  US Firearms builds a better gun with friendly service and a comittment to quality in my experience.  The fact that they aren't 3rd generation Colts is a plus in my book.

[St. George]

And they'll last 'how' long before their over-priced clones drive them under?

A clone hits its peak price at point-of-sale and after that - its value drops like that of a new car being driven off the lot.

Go to any large gun show or look at any of the 'gun sale' websites and you'll see clones being offered at low prices as the dealers vie for your dollar - and the bigger the dealer - the lower the price.

Not so with a Colt - at 'any' generation - because even a marginal Colt has value, since the popularity of restoration rose among both collectors and shooters.
Lettering is re-cut, with new rollmarks added, overly-rounded edges are re-established, barrels re-crowned and front sights restored and original finishes are applied.
Doug Turnbull does a great job at this as do several others.
And people willingly pay the prices asked...

That's because a Colt holds its value and that value rises as long as the piece is not abused.

Colt owners hear this question often - "Is that a 'real' Colt?  Can I see it?"

But you never hear a Colt shooter sigh wistfully, and say -'"Boy, I sure wish 'I' bought a clone..."

Clones are built and finished to look like Colts and some are re-finished to look like them as well - or that finish is supplied by a trip through a specialty shop - such as Turnbull's.
Hell - they even offer a case-colored frame for Rugers.
'Original Finish' means nothing when that finish was applied a month ago.

Currently - the 'new' Third Generation Colt Single Action Army - the one with the removable cylinder pin bushing - features a better fit and finish than the much-vaunted Second Generations.
They're built by Colt's Custom Shop, and their quality is top-notch.
The wholesale price is right at $980, as well.

Customer experiences may vary, as any time I've dealt with anyone at Colt they couldn't've been more helpful.

As to the observation that the company isn't the same one that Sam Colt built - what 'old' gun company is?
Things change in business - rapidly.

Colt 'did' have problems in the '70's when the WWII-era machinery was failing and some less-than-great stuff was coming out.
No question about that.
At the time - they were short-sightedly counting on more Government Contracts - but those waned, following the Vietnam War.
Thanks in large part to gun writers like Skeeter Skelton and his love affair with the Model P - and his encouragement to his readers to write and tell Colt to keep it in production - the new tooling that was needed was purchased and the products improved across the board.

Thanks to the input of C&WAS shooters and the cachet of owning and using a 'real' Colt - they brought back the older feature of that removeable bushing - even though it added to work time.
It paid off...

Good Luck,

Scouts Out!

[Virginia Gentleman]

Written like a true Coltaholic.  Colt is always perfect, Colt is always customer service oriented, Colt will always be worth more and well it is just a Colt so it is just got to be so much better.  I say Bullfeathers, they haven't built a gun worth its salt in years and have relied on their past reputation and collector status to overcharge for their medicore guns.  I own Colts too and a blind man can see that the quality is not on par with US FA.  The US FA is not overpolished, parts are fitted correctly and near perfectly, the screw holes are not dished out, the front sight has no burinishing marks on it and it is the correct shape.  Colt SAAs made today are not as historically correct or finished as well as a US FA SAA.  I'm sure there are exceptions, but as a rule, there is not comparison in quality, the US FA is done better.  Nostalgia and collectablitiy aside, Colt isn't even a clone of itself and is far behind in the market for a reason.  They are over priced and of substandard quality compared to even some of the Italian clones.  Colt now uses cast parts which was so horrible that the clones were much maligned for it.  I must admit a Turnbull Colt is a different animal and he does an excellent job of cleaning up the mistakes that Colt makes in their manufacturing of their SAA.  US FA is not just a clone and actually is more accurate to the original design and it shows.  Compare the two factories, one uses state of the art CNC machining using all US made parts that are from forgings, well one doesn't.  US FA is finacially solvent and making profit, while Colt barely hangs on and is losing contracts and revenue to its competitors.  US FA is here to stay and it is no accident they sell everything they make.  I can't fault anyone for liking Colt, they were pioneers when it came to handguns, but they have lost their way.  S&W by comparison, has stuck to its mission and not gone union and not compromised the comittment to quality and customer satisfaction just to make a few dollars.  Colt won't even send you a safety and operation manual unless you pay $10.00.  S&W and other companies send them out for free. 

[St. George]

Nice rant.

I stand by what I wrote and like someone said - 'Your mileage may differ'.

The described problems that you've encountered have never been a part of my experience, nor have they been one of any other folks I know.
Too bad that they happened to you.
As to what importance various companies business practices have on their actual products - I fail to see the point.
Smith and Wesson and Colt business practices may differ - but whether one was bought by a British firm while the other was bought by Union folks has no bearing on any discussion as long as they produce a purchaseable product and make money for the parent company.
They do.

A clone is what it is - a copy - not an original.
Enjoy yours...

Scouts Out!

[Calamity Jane]

I've heard nothing but good comments about the USFAs except for one thing:  they aren't Colts.

That to is a POSITIVE statement!

Ain't seen a Colt yet I'd spend money one. S'pose if somebody gave me a bunch of 'em, I could sell 'em off and buy some more USFAs 

[RRio]

I've heard nothing but good comments about the USFAs except for one thing:  they aren't Colts.

That to is a POSITIVE statement!

Ain't seen a Colt yet I'd spend money one. S'pose if somebody gave me a bunch of 'em, I could sell 'em off and buy some more USFAs 

That's mainly the reason why I have USFAs. I have been doing action jobs on Colt SAAs and Colt replicas since 1978, and from my experiances, the USFAs are a better made gun. No machine marks, no burrs, no sharp edges just pure craftsmanship.
1st and 2nd gen Colts were beauitful, 3rd gens looked like they were thrown together on the inside. I have heard that the new 3rd gens are a lot better now, but I have not had the chance to work on one yet.

Another reason I prefer the USFAs is they have the old style bevel on the front of the cylinder. The new Colts do not.

[Virginia Gentleman]

Nice rant.

I stand by what I wrote and like someone said - 'Your mileage may differ'.

The described problems that you've encountered have never been a part of my experience, nor have they been one of any other folks I know.
Too bad that they happened to you.
As to what importance various companies business practices have on their actual products - I fail to see the point.
Smith and Wesson and Colt business practices may differ - but whether one was bought by a British firm while the other was bought by Union folks has no bearing on any discussion as long as they produce a purchaseable product and make money for the parent company.
They do.


A clone is what it is - a copy - not an original.
Enjoy yours...

Scouts Out!

I have been known to rant when I see or hear things that defy logic, no offense or malice intended.  I do feel that the actual product whether or not it comes out the door perfect or not needs to be backed by a company that stands behind their product.  With regard to Colt's practices, I have heard or experienced many more negatives than positives and the attitude taken is either you have to live with the problem or we don't see one.  When it comes to the over vaunted 3rd generation Colt SAA, the high price is all there, but the high quality, with few exceptions isn't there.  Look at the 1911 buyers, Colt is also loosing ground there as Springfield Armory and Kimber (oh my gosh, clones) are eating Colt's lunch simply because they make a better product at a competitive or reduced price.  Having held and shot examples of both, Colt just comes up short on quality when you consider the very high price tag they put on the little pony.  If you have convinced yourself that this is a better way to go, then buy Colt.  If you really want a gun that looks and feels like a 1 generation Colt, made in Hartford at a state of the art facility with care and customer service, then US Firearms is the way to go.  I agree with Calamity Jane that saying US Firearms aren't Colts is a compliement and I couldn't agree more with Rawhide Rio that the US Firearms are actually more authentic in detail to the 3 rd Generation Colts. BTW: S&W is now 100% American owned.

[r0gue]

Clones clones clones    New production Colt SAAs (3rd gen, and second for that matter) ARE clones.  They are built in a different factory, to different specs, by different people in a different age.  We dress as Cowboys in 21st century and we worry about being called clones?  Not me. 

They don't bevel the cylinders, don't even offer case colored hammers (because it would add a step after the hammer is fitted), and the only one I ever saw (small town) came out of the box with front to back cylinder play that rattled like a...  well...  a rattle!  It had a spot where the blueing didn't take as well. 

If they had beveled cylinders, case hammers, a little more attention to detail (maybe better than a thumbnail pic on a website, then I'd probably own one.  I have nothing against having a horsey on my smokewagon, but I won't sacrifice quality to get it.  It wouldn't be intellectualy honest.  I won't have it. 

The modern Colt company is dedicated to landing big dollar contracts for law enforcement autoloader and such.  USFA is dedicated to making everything that I want in an SAA with none of the things I don't. 

[Virginia Gentleman]

Amen, that is the truth well said.  US Firearms is a superior gun at a competitive price sans the pony.  I sure don't miss it on my US Firearms SAA in .45 Colt with a spare .45 ACP cylinder.

[Charlie Montana # 16369 Life]

   With Truivory Grips.

[Doc Sunrise]

I must say that from the perspective of potentially new customers and growth in the industry, Colt was and is not actively enhancing or trying to market the needs of the new surge in Single Action Sixguns created by Cowboy Action Shooting, which has now been going on for more than a few decades.  Colt seemed to be of the mind set that if they purposely limited production that they would have been able to influence supply and demand and therefore charge higher prices, especially for their brand recognition which automatically placed them in the higher end market.  They even tried an "entry" level Colt, the Cowboy, which failed.  Partly because the "Real" Colt was nothing to speak about.  Their marketing strategy and lack of product quality opened the door to many new entrants into this market.  Call them clones or whatever else makes you feel good, but the Italians filled a marketing hole that has brought millions in revenues to companies other than Colt.  Colt's 3rd generations have more than just bushing issues to worry about, their barrels can not be interchanged with older Colts, and dealer availability is sad. 

Thank God for Doug Donnely who was not satisfied with having a clone, and decide to do something about it.  But even he had to turn to the Italians in the beginning to get the components his company needed.  Then with Investments in his American company, and the mind set that American Quality is the best to strive for, he has created an American company producing American products with American Quality that has a great demand for it.  USFA is actively marketing and producing a great American product that has even surpassed the higher end COLT.  Clones and USFA are successfully filling consumer's demand while Colt has its head up its you know what. 

I love old Colt SAA's, and thank God for new USFA SAA's.     

[Virginia Gentleman]

BTW: Collectors are starting up in the USFA camp and the values are edging up for some models. 

[RRio]

With the rumors floating around about Colt, who knows, maybe ol' Doug will buy up the name. As I understand it, he tried in the beginning.

RRio

[Doc Sunrise]

It would seem that Mr. Donnely has more respect for the Colt name and traditions than Colt does of itself.  It is too bad the "Coltaholics" find it hard to show some respect for USFA.

[Virginia Gentleman]

How true, the Coltaholics will need extra napkins to eat that big helping of crow with humble pie for dessert.

[Doc Sunrise]

With that humble pie hard to swallow Coltaholics should think about this.  People usually find it a compliment when others are trying to copy them, such as the "Clones", but those same people should realize the wake up call that has been given when another, like USFA, is placing the bar at new higher levels and becoming the industry standard that all others now will be compared to.  While Colt has been sleeping and resting on it's laurels, USFA has been sweating to produce the finest Quality ever seen.  Using smart investments in todays modern machinery to produce high levels of consistency in tighter tolerances combined with the old traditional expert hand fitting, USFA produces the best!

[Virginia Gentleman]

I couldn't agree more and USFA will be here long term especially if Colt does indeed get disolved and sold off and USFA keeps their quality standards high at a competitive price.  The imported clones have made some serious inroads that will keep USFA on their toes.  USFA still makes the best SAA though and is well worth the extra $.  I can't wait until they get their 1910 and 1911 replicas to market, having a quality 1911 that you aren't afraid to shoot would be awesome.

[Doc Sunrise]

Amen to that!  USFA's quality and adherence to traditional American finish should keep them above the Imports on Single Action Army Sixguns.  Even if Colt does remain in the SAA market, big changes in Corporate culture will need to occur if Colt wants to even come close to USFA on any level.  Brand recognition only lasts for so long.  To bad too because it is cheaper to maintain a current customer than try to find new ones.  USFA is addressing both ends of of satisfaction and loyalty, their brand name is growing very strong, which is now being reflected in collector's values.  On the 1911 I hope USFA is careful to remain in that historically accurate niche because Kimber and quite a few others are very strong in the 1911 markets.  In Colt's .45ACP, I would have to readily admit that Kimbers feel and shoot absolutely wonderful.  Great thing, American USFA Sixguns and American Kimber 1911s!  God I love being an American!