Colt's Single Action Army Model of 1873

[Outpost75]

My favorite is a 1905 Colt Frontier Six Shooter .44-40 which has coal wars history in West Virginia.

[LHS]

My favorite is a 1905 Colt Frontier Six Shooter .44-40 which has coal wars history in West Virginia.

A friend of mine had one of those, made early enough to still have the black powder frame. Sadly, his grandfather had murdered it with a buffing wheel and reblued it.

[JHC]

I've had a handful of Italians and a pair of USFA but never a Colt or Vaquero. Every time I get the hankering for another I remember I can't see the sights which is why they always end up going down the road and I should stick to practical things like Blackhawks.

But since I've got practical covered, most of the things I'm picking up now are "passion of the gun" related so there may be another in my future and I'll just have to accept the limitations of the sights and my eyes.

Since the front sights on anything are getting sketchy if the light isn't super good, and I'm doing okay working on target focused and index . . . maybe it's time for a true to form replica and see what I can do. Navy Colt conversion in .38 perhaps.

Maybe start with the Ruger Wrangler though

[JonInWA]

I use my .357 stainless Blackhawk for hunting, fun and IDPA, where I shoot it when we have the occasional BUG-oriented match (loads and reloads limited to 6 rounds). I use a Galco Switchback or old Bianchi/Safariland holster, and for reloading use specially cut sprinkler tubes or a Desert Eagle .357 magazine with carefully cut springs. Mines a Convertible, so I also use it with 9mm cartridges, using either the cut sprinkler tubes or a 9mm 1911 magazine for reloads. Front sight is given a base coat of white, and then fluorescent orange, with a top coat of Dullcote.



Best, Jon

[Dave T]

Sadly, his grandfather had murdered it with a buffing wheel and reblued it.

Similar circumstances resulted in my 1st Gen Colt collection.

Best example was a genuine Cavalry Colt (circa 1881-1883) that the previous owner took down to bare metal because it was "old and rusty". Fortunately he didn't use a wire wheel or brush as the lettering and numerous cereal numbers were intact, just on bare metal. He took it to several gun shops and gunsmiths in the area trying to get someone to reblue it...to make it pretty. Thankfully they recognized what it was and refused, then tried to buy it with low ball prices. The last shop he tried was owned by a friend (and facilitator) who gave him a fair price for it, given it's condition. Next time I stopped in he pulled it out from behind the counter saying I might find it interesting. Since i wouldn't put it down he said I had to buy it. I said it was already mine, we just hadn't settled on price. When we did it was mine plus, he helped me do a sort of rust blue on the back strap, trigger guard, cylinder, barrel, and ejector housing.

It ended up looking like a cavalry Colt that had seen use during the Apache Campaigns and, it shot excellently with both the full power 45 Colt black power rounds (255g over 40g BP) and the Ordnance reduced load of 1874 (250g over 28g BP).

Dave

[MDFA]

My wife's Rooster Cogburn reproductions in .45 LC. The actual ones used in the movie were in 44-40 from what I understand. She likes them and they are a joy to shoot.

[awp_101]

. . maybe it's time for a true to form replica and see what I can do. Navy Colt conversion in .38 perhaps.

The conversion I owned for a brief time had the absolute most miserable sights I’ve ever tried to use. The rear sight was literally a nub in front of the cylinder with the shallowest v-notch possible while still technically able to be called a sight and the front sight was a brass colored inverted cone.

It only took 2-3 cylinders to decide I was wasting ammunition. If I’d have been a little more patient and a little less disgusted I’d have put it back in the safe until I could either deepen the rear notch (which really wouldn’t have been an improvement) or just ground the rear sight off and replaced the front with a shotgun bead. Instead I let my money get mad and I sold it at a big loss.