H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619
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Posts posted by H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619
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I don't really see the flaws you are referring too.
Nickel finish looks great, except when it doesn't. When it's new and shiny, it is very pretty. When it's old and flakey, it's not. But, old does not mean it will flake off. For example...
This is my 1st Gen Bisley. It's finish is much more obviously scuffed up than yours, but it still looks good, and I have no plans to do anything to it. This pistol dates to 1901, and while I suspect the grips might be new, the finish I believe is original and has held up "well" for such an old gun. In comparison, I think yours looks nearly pristine. Whatever flaws yours may have, I'd say ignore 'em. They give the gun some character.For that matter, here are some more examples of how nickel can age welll...
New model 3 Target in .38-44. It's not perfect, but looks REALLY good for a gun that dates to 1887.
This one is a .44-40 and you can see that it's a lot more worn that the .38, but it still looks pretty nice. 1897 is it's date of birth. This is more "typical" of what I see for old nickel guns that still have most of the their finish intact. A few flaws and not nearly as shiny as a new one.
And then there is this...
Made in 1881 it does letter as nickeled and a .44-40. It's a .32-20. The barrel and cylinder do looks newer than the rest of the gun, which overall looks pretty good. Colt has no record of the change, so your guess is as good as mine as to who/when the conversion was done.
It all adds up the fact that a nickel finish can age well with proper care. Some wear is probably inevitable, but as I said earlier, it gives the gun some character.
And I think character is good.
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I have first, second and third generation Colts, and various clones. Functionally, I don't really notice a difference. When all is said and done, I prefer using real Colts, but have many clones cuz I can afford them.
As far as some of the differences that I AM aware of, see this old thread...
Specifically, I looked it the different safeties on some of the various clones.
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3 hours ago, Rance - SASS # 54090 said:
I do the same as Garrison Joe..
Put ‘em in my vibrator fer about a half hour..
Just sayin’..
If for some reason I have dirty ammo, I find that this does the trick very well. Yeah, the bullets get oddly colored, but the dirt on the brass, is gone.
That being said, I've not had to do this a lot. If I have to lube brass to resize, for example, after resizing, that's when it goes into the tumbler to clean it, not before.
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.38 S&W is a great caliber that has many old and interesting guns chambered for it. The "holy grail" of the caliber, as far as I am concerned is an SAA so chambered. They did make them, but not a lot.
.38/200, the WWII British round, does indeed use the same case as the .38 S&W, along with a 200 grain bullet. You can of course chamber regular .38 S&W in any .38/200 gun, such as a Mark IV Webley, Enfield, S&W Victory Model or the Colt DA revolvers from WWII chambered for it, but if you want a hotter load for the guns that can handle it, then they will absolutely be able to handle max loads for the caliber with no problems. If you can find data for the .38/200, make sure you NEVER attempt to fire those rounds in an older .38S&W pistol. It'll likely blow them up.
Also of interest is the .38-44 round. No, NOT the superhot .38 Special that let to the .357 magnum. This is an older late 1800's round that was basically an elongated .38 S&W for use in the New Model 3 Target revolver. Colt also chambered some guns for it.
Long story short, you can safely chamber regular .38 S&W in guns chambered for this round as well.-
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DANG! I have always wanted a carbine and a musket like these!
But they have become stupid expensive in the last few years.I am jealous.
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I have some boxes of .30-'06 in that packaging bought by my father in the 50's.
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I did some looking on Gunbroker today, (didn't buy anything) and was surprised to see how inexpensive some SS's are. There was stuff for less than $100, and a lot for less than $300.
12, 16, 20, .410....
Didn't see any 10 or 8, but I don't wanna go there...
Who knows I may yet get a couple more, just for the fun of it.-
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Something you don't see very often in our game is the single barrel/single shot shotgun. The occasional popper target aside, they are perfectly legal in our game, and are even allowed to have ejectors. Really, they are not all that different from how we treat the 97 as if it were a really weird action single shot.
But let that go.
I have found that these 1 bangers are quite fun to shoot, and are often interesting.
Over the years, I have used my Greener police shotgun, made on the old Martini action, to be a nice scattergun, and I recently acquired a Hopkins and Allen gun in the "junk pile" of a local dealer who is going out of business for fifty bucks. It's all there, works just fine, and I am eager to try it at a shoot. I also have a Remington Rolling block 12 gauge that I want to give a try with as well. It all adds up to a seldom seen variation. I even have a K-Mart Special 20 gauge!
I have also found that, when you find these things on the old, used gun market, they tend to be rather inexpensive, making them a tempting target to become a collection enhancement.
Anyone else out there have/use one of these one and done shotguns? If so, what do you use?-
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A few folks have alluded to trading in their kid's guns as they get older and out grow them.
To be honest, I find that distressing. Even though they might "legally" belong to the parent, from a practical standpoint, they belong to the kid in question. As they outgrow the youth model, they should become a cherished part of their collection, one that they can pass on to their own kids some day.
Probably the most dear to my heart gun is the tiny .22 rifle that I got when I was a kid. I hardly ever shoot it anymore, but I'd never think of getting rid of it. It was a not only a gift from my father, but it was also MY first gun, and started me on the road to being a shootist.
Just saying.-
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Here's something to consider.
When the young man get's older, what is he most likely to use as his main match gun.If a Winchester 73, 66 or Henry, get a Uberti replica 73 .22, or their 66 .22.
If a Winchester 92, get a 9422If a Marlin, get a Marlin 1892/39A
If a Henry Big Boy, get a Henry Repeating Arms .22
If a Colt Lightning, get a Colt Lightning or a Winchester 1890 or some other pump .22You should see a pattern here.
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Assuming you are looking for a .22, there is nothing better than a Winchester 9422. Yeah, you'll pay for it, but it'll be WORTH it.
Now, if that's just not an option, see if you can locate a Uberti reproduction of the Winchester 73 in .22 LR, or even their 66 in that caliber. Either one would be good "trainers" for when he gets older and moves to a full size main match rifle, especially if he goes with a 73.
Winchester's new .22 lever gun that sorta looks like the 9422 but isn't one, I don't know. I've heard good things about it, and bad things, but have no experience.
You'll notice I've mentioned all lever guns, even though there are a LOT more SASS legal .22 pumps for very affordable prices, both new and used. I figure that, unless it's likely he'll wind up shooting a Lightning, he's better off learning to use a lever gun. If he's gonna go the Lightning route, or if he really wants a .22 pump, well, the Winchester 1890 and it's offspring are excellent rifles, and Rossi (I think) still makes a modern replica. Can't got wrong with these. Or, if you wanna be adventurous, a small frame Lightning...
Good luck -
5 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:
I have a 1959 vintage (Gen. 2 ?) 5 1/2" .45 Colt that my parents got me for my high school graduation in 1960. It was brand new gun at that time. Over the years it has been refinished once and has had a lot of internals replaced. I bought a Tyler "one piece" Ivorex grips kit for it in 1975, and custom holster made in the style of El Paso Saddlery's original Ranger, but cut lower like their Ranger fast draw style. It hangs on a El Paso money belt with some added silver conchos.
I pretty much retired the gun in the '80s and got a pair of AWAs with matching holsters), but I'll keep "Old Sam" until I die. It's in a safety deposit box at my bank, but I visit it every few months.
Picture needed! -
Just for kicks, I tried swapping a 3rd gen Colt pin into various clones. Uberti, Armi San Marco and others. It fit in all of them.
Among other things, the 3rd Gen pin from a smokeless frame fit in an ASM black powder frame.-
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2 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:
Didn't they move to West Hartford? Off New Park Ave.
Uhm... I'm not sure...
Lemme check the Colt Website...
Ugh! They don't list their address. How irritating. Let's check Wiki...
Yeah. West Hartford. Good catch.
All I know for sure is that you get off I-84 exit 45. (Ironic, isn't it?)
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10 hours ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:
Don't forget that after being bought by CZ it becomes a 6th generation!
You know, that makes sense, in a weird sort of way.
If CZ moves Colt out of Connecticut, then it would, perhaps, be a legitimate generational change in real life...AND it makes me realize there is yet another 3rd to 4th generation possible switch time under the old system. In 1994, Colt left the original Colt plant in Hartford to move to East Hartford.
Adding it to the mix on the new system, this would mean we are in 6th generation, with the CZ ownership possibly being the 7th.
See, this is fun! -
On 3/10/2025 at 11:38 AM, Houston CAS said:
I have an Insta360 Go 3 camera that I use for 1st person video of stages. I like it because it easily transfers to my iPhone, where I can trim the beginning and ending of the video in a few seconds. It came with a clip that I can attach it to my cowboy hat. I press a button on the camera, then again when I'm finished. You can also control it from its base, but I don't use that feature.
Here's my instagram where you can see some videos of it in action:
https://www.instagram.com/houstongunfighter/
Can't see videos. Requires a logon.
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With tongue firmly inserted in cheek...
The other day, I again heard the term, "4th Generation," and I wanted to scream. There are only 3 generations. But, people don't wanna accept that. They want to insist that there are 4.
Okay, let's pretend.
But here's the problem, where does the fourth generation begin? MOST people will tell you it started when Colt switched back to the removable bushing in the cylinders that the early thirds did not have. But this is not a universal definition.
The earliest recollection I have of the term "4th Generation" was in an issue of Guns & Ammo a very long time ago. Now, once upon a time, the 3rd Gen Colt was only available as a custom shop offering. But then one day, Colt decide to make it a general production gun again. The article was about how this was happening, and it ended with a reference to these new regular production guns as "4th Generation" guns. And yes, "4th Generation" was in quotation marks. I don't remember who wrote the article, but that was the first time I heard the term. And, that was about the only time I recall it being used in that context.
But now, let's assume that the fourth generation exists, just for fun. Let's assume that the dividing line is indeed the cylinder bushing. I would submit that this change, while perhaps indicative of a generation change, CAN'T be the difference between 3rd and 4th. To that end, I now offer the follow new definition of Colt SAA Generations.
1st Generation: The "Black Powder Frame" guns made from 1873 to whenever they switched to the "Smokeless Frame."2nd Generation: The "Smokeless Frame" guns made from whenever they started to the end of production at the start of WWII.
3rd Generation: What under the old system were "2nd Generatation" guns.
4th Generation: The "early 3rd Generation" guns under the old numbering system with the solid bushing that was a part of the cylinder.
5th Generation: Starts with when Colt went back to the removable bushing to the present day.
I do hereby propose that this is how we "should" think of the SAA "Generations."Unless of course there is some sort of a dichotomy in the old system 2nd Generation that I am not aware of.
I also have some oceanfront property in Arizona for sale real cheap.
Please don't take this seriously. It's meant as a joke.-
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Clones are a wonderful thing. The different "safeties," the various variations to different parts, it all makes for an endless source of curious curiosities.
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Obviously heavily sporterized, but somehow, it doesn't seem as offensive as it does on other guns. Too bad the ramrod/spike bayonet is gone, that would add even more character to a gun that already has a lot.
Is there any documentation as to who/when the the alterations were done? That would be interesting to have.
Overall, I'd say you've got a nice shooter, and since it was gifted to you by a friend, I'd preserve it as is and not even think about restoring it to original configuration.
For what it is worth, the following page can tell you when it was made.
https://www.nps.gov/spar/learn/historyculture/firearm-serial-numbers.htmGood luck with it.
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Is "thread count" in things like sheets different because the threads are metric sized instead of normal sized?
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17 minutes ago, PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L said:
Usual procedure is: Shooter goes to the firing position, loads revolver, waits for the "beep"...engages target(s)...unloads.
Okay...
Actually, with some of my pockets I can see how that would work. You gotta put 'em on half cock to open them (top breaks) which keeps firing pin off pin off primer when closed.
Similar to a derringer, I suppose.
Makes sense. Thanks.-
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On 2/19/2025 at 5:13 PM, ORNERY OAF said:
Not forget a lot but where it says COUNTY, I've seen a ton of "U.S.A"....lol
When they first added county a few years ago, it caused real problems here in Massachusetts and the rest of New England. People were leaving the space blank because they not only didn't know what county they lived in, they didn't even know that counties existed. ATF got mad when they realized it was happening.
To this day, many people still don't know. About the only relevance they have in most people's lives is a "severe weather alert for Middlesex County till 11 PM" warning on the TV or radio. Usually followed by someone in the room saying, "Is that us?"
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I have had signature required deliveries of handguns just left on my doorstep. The delivery men don't care.
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Saw the title of thread and thought, is it for the centerfire version of the .22LR?
Then I saw thing. "Oh yeah. Die can mean 'one dice.'"-
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Colt SAA nickel polishing?
in SASS Wire
Posted
Snerk