I have to say that it is not easy to tell which parts of this gun are metal and which are plastic, such Which is what I found it weighed on arrival. GunsNGuys website listed the weight as 430g (very light), but I was pleased to find the error was theirs, as everyone else listed it at 730g or so, The grips are black plastic (as far as I can tell), replicating hard rubber. This is achieved simply by pulling back the hammer. Of course,īeing a Single Action revolver, the SAA needs manually cocking before each shot, like a springer.
The hammer cocks to two positions, half cock to permit rotation of the cylinder for loading and full cock, for firing. The weight and balance of the gun is good and there is nothing visible on the gun that one could describe as a fault or blemish. The silver finish on this gun is nothing like the stainless finish on the S&W 629s,īeing a bright, highly polished chrome finish. Removing the cylinder and a small bag of BBs. Inside the box, the SAA sits in a polystyrene bed, which also contains the manual, a gas loading nozzle, a tool to help with The box was fairly typical of Tanaka's other revolvers, except that the background to the photographic artwork on the lid was bright red, I really wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew this was a gun I was looking forward to testing. To snap it up before the stock went (within 3 days of it appearing, WGC's site was marking the same gun as Out Of Stock). Guns N Guys (my favourite Hong Kong airsoft suppliers) website, I decided When I noticed a silver 4 3/4" barrelled Civilian, in silver, on They are only sporadically made and are often totally unobtainable. It isn’t nearly as expensive as the collectible 1st Generation guns and will serve as well or better than any revolver.The Tanaka SAAs are widely held as the most beautiful, accurately replicated and well made airsoft revolvers available. If you are in search of a good-quality Single Action Army for the use it was intended, I recommend the 2nd Generation Colt SAA. The sense of history and emotional attachment to this gun are unmatched. I sometimes carry this revolver in the field and would be comfortable hunting thin-skinned game with the Buffalo Bore load-or, if need be, using it for defense against animals. One is Buffalo Bore’s 255-grain semi-wadcutter at more than 1,000 fps. There are a couple of factory loads that I keep on hand. Most of these are hard-cast 250-grain semi-wadcutter loads, using either Titegroup or WW231 to achieve 800 fps muzzle velocity. I rely primarily on handloads for this revolver. Unlike 1st Generation guns, the 2nd Generations are a more affordable option for collectors-or anyone who wants to own and shoot a piece of American firearms history. The fit and finish on this 2nd Generation Colt Single Action Army are excellent and typical of the breed.
Almost every 2nd Generation revolver is properly regulated for standard ammunition, but if the piece fires a bit to the right or to the left, turning the barrel isn’t difficult.Īs for elevation, if you learn to use the front sight as it’s intended, holding one-third to one-half of the sight in the rear notch with the rest showing above, depending on the range and load, you will have a hit. At 25 yards, it will put five of Black Hills Ammunition’s 250-grain Cowboy Action loads into less than 1.5 inches when I do my part.Ī requirement of the Single Action Army revolver on its adoption by the military was that it would hit an Indian war pony at 100 yards. It’s reliable and accurate and hits hard. My 2nd Generation gun is accurate by any standard. To me, the Colt SAA is a working gun, and though expensive, it is to be expected that it works well. I think a collector-grade revolver should be unfired in the original box-or if worn or shot, it should be a revolver with an historic provenance.
Values range from around $3,000 for 100 percent guns to the $1,000 neighborhood for 60 percent guns. These days, original Colt revolvers command a premium, and I believe some of the resulting prices are ridiculous. 45-by Colt but the details are lost to history. Upon his return from Korea, he was presented with another copy of his favorite handgun-the Single Action Army. MacArthur racked up quite a score in action in Mexico before World War I. Patton-and for a time by a young Jeff Cooper in the Pacific.įor his part, Gen. Production of the Colt SAA ceased in about 1940, but the gun did see some action in World War II and was carried at times by such notables as Gen. Early in his career, Keith said if he had to rely on factory ammunition, he would choose the. 32-20 WCF as a young man and, finding it terribly inadequate, moving on to the. The late, great Elmer Keith had a long association with the SAA, calling it Colt’s best revolver. The Colt Single Action Army, adopted by the military in 1873, is without doubt one of the most iconic firearms in U.S.