H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

I shoot double Duelist. I mostly shoot Colts with barrel lengths ranging from 3 to 12 inches. (Sometimes I pair one of my 3s with my single 12) Most of my Colts are in the 5.5 or 7.5" range, although my favorite pair are a 4-3/4 and a 5.5 inch set. (Shot EoT clean with 'em this year!) I also occasionally make use of a pair of 58 Remingtons, or I mix and match a 75 Remington, a Scofield, a Merwin and Hulbert, a S&W New Model 3 or a pair of Nagants. Calibers range from .32-20 to .45 Colt. Normally I shoot smokeless, but I have played with black a little bit for fun. In other words, shoot what you like, the way you like it, and have fun. There is no right or wrong answer, just what you enjoy.

I have 2 Uberti 58's and a real Remington. All are cartridge converted. I'd assume Piettas are similar enough to the others that this information will be of use to you. Operation wise they are not all that different from a Colt. They fit the hand well, and I don't really notice any appreciable difference in them. The "shape" is a little different of course, but not so dramatically that it feels weird to me. I will say this... Both of my Uberti's and the real Remington developed some timing issues. It seemed to be exactly the same in the original as in the reproductions, which makes me wonder if it's a design flaw. A good gunsmith was able to fix the issue for me on all three pistols. I don't know if the Pietta has the same issue or not. Or if I just got very unlucky. Good luck with the pistols and enjoy them.

As far as keeping the Colt running, here's a good bit of info. The 4-3/4" one in my picture is a .45, and it was my father's. Once I was at a three day shoot and I suddenly noticed that cylinder pin was missing. A quick look around and I saw it on the ground near where I was standing, but the screw pin thing that holds it in place was also missing, and I could not find it. I took the pistol down to Hartford to have it fixed. Within two weeks they had mailed it back to me with the missing part replaced. They also replaced the hammer which unbeknownst to me had a broken half cock notch. Total cost to me was $0.00. They really do mean it when they say a lifetime warranty. However, there is a limit to that. When I tried to get them to fix something that was wrong with the .38 right under the trigger of the Lightning they said words to the effect of "Uhm... That's an old one that we don't make any more. Can't fix it cuz we don't have parts." But the bottom line is, if you buy a third generation SAA, if it ever breaks, Colt will fix it free of charge. I also know that if you've got a 2nd Gen, they will work on it. The nicer looking 7.5" one in the picture was unfired when I bought it, but the action was as rough as sandpaper. I took that back to the factory as well, and they did an action job on it for less than $50. It now has a very smooth, nice action that works fine. But this was NOT covered by the warranty. I'd be willing to bet they won't look at a first gen gun. Of course, I live in New England, so taking a trip down to Hartford is easy for me. But it is an option to keep your SAA's working if you have problems.

Nope. That's a Colt 1909, .45 Colt, genuine US Army issue.

Well, Griff, you are close. 2 outta 3 ain't bad. The Lighting rifle is an AWA The lower right 5-1/2" SAA is an Armi San Marco. But the middle 1911 is a real Colt. It's one of the new original 1911's that they made in the early 2000's I took it back to Hartford and had them put the ambi safety on it at the factory. Special recognition now goes to Griff for getting 2 of the 3. Good for you, Griff. Shall I reveal the third, or does anyone else wish to guess?

Well, Widder, I am sorry to say, nope, nope and nope. All three of those are real Colts. The "WHITE GRIP" pistol is a 3rd Gen .44-40 Those are not the grips that came with the pistol however. They are a "Ivory laminate" grips that I found at a shop in Pennsylvania about 3 years ago that had the Colt logo on the package. (Which I kept.) As near as I can tell they are mostly wood, with a thin layer of ivory over the wood. "Top row, upper right pistol with the diamond mark on the grip." That's a 1st Generation gun, in .32-20 According to the Colt letter I got for it, it was made in the 1880's as a .44-40. The mods are why I got it so cheap! Colt has no records of the change, but two different gunsmiths who know old Colts think it was probably done at the factory sometime in the 1020's That's jyst a guess, of course, but it still shoots well. Interesting note: It letters as a nickel gun. All of it is nickel, except for the ejector rod housing which is blued. The Buntline is a 3rd gen .44 Special. Any other guesses?

Here are most of my Colts. Many of which I use for SASS. With three exceptions, these are all real Colts. The SAA's range from 1st to 3rd generation. The bottom middle one was my fathers. It and the one in the lower right hand corner were used along with the Lightning to shoot EoT clean earlier this year. Special bonus recognition to anyone who can spot the 3 non Colts in the bunch.

I have not bought a pair of Levi's since they stopped making them in this country.

While a few clubs here in New England do advertise for shooters to "bring a lunch," most provide some sort of a hot meal. I have seen things where there is a prepared lunch served buffet style which is included in the cost of the match, where you go back to the clubhouse where you can purchase a hamburger or something made to order for a very low price, where a food truck shows up, some sort of food vendor is there to cater the shoot, or a grill is set up to make burgers, hot dogs, sausages and so forth. Entirely up to discretion of the local club it seems. Usually we will shoot 3 or 4 stages before lunch and then 2 or 3 after. It seems to work well. Most shoots start between 9 and 10, and the lunch break will start anywhere between 11:30 to 1:00 depending on how many stages are shot, how early/late we started, how many posses, how the food is made available, etc.

These are my Lightnings. Both are in .38 Long Colt The top one was made in 1880 something. The bottom 1900 something. Cool, guns, fun to shoot. Very comfortable to shoot, but not SASS legal. If the Cimarrons (Which are SASS Legal) feel anything like these old Colts, your wife should enjoy them just fine. In fact, you may like them so much that you'll decide you want a pair for yourself.

A revolver has a cylinder with multiple chambers. A 1911 type pistol is loaded via a detachable magazine An M1 Garand rifle is loaded with a clip. Mounted soldiers served in the Cavalry Calvary is a hill outside of Jerusalem. The Lemat is a weird but very cool looking pistol. It'd make a great gun to use at a "Steampunk" type match where you use weird things. And so would this...

i use the Magtech brass. With smokeless...

Boston.

Hmm... According to AAA, it will take me 32 hours and 3 minutes to get there.