RHL Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 It was a dark and rainy day as i left work in the kitchen. The bridge players had their bellies full and I was tired but excited to pick up my new spectacles, as it makes seeing the printed tickets much easier.New glasses perched on my noggin and I decide to check out one of the local dealer's on hand line-up of goodies. What better way to break in the new eyes, eh? Holy Moly! ... no ... my new eyes are playing tricks on me. A Colt and a USFA both in .45 sitt'in right next to each other, under the glass! I play it cool. stumble, trip, and thoroughly meander about the rest of the line-up as if I hadn't really seen the two beauties. After a while Bob (a very nice young guy who I've met before while buying some ammo at the shop) ask me if I need assistance. Oh, what is that dbl. bbl scatter gun you got over there? CZ 12 Ga. Whoa, nice! Lets me fondle the sweet piece of artwork. I likey, but it is entirely too nice for what I'd use it for. "What would you use it for? " ask Bob. "I want to get into cowboy action shoot'in. You ever get any black powder revolvers in?" "Check this out." Bob says. He shows me an 1800's C&B that has so much wear on the end of the gun from being holstered that the front blade is almost gone and the end of the barrel is smoothed over in front of the site. The inside of the barrel is octagonal at the beginning of the barrel. I comment on this and everyone behind the counter gets curious. He then takes this piece of history out of the case and..... hands it to me. I gulp hard, especially after seeing the $3,500 price tag on the revolver, and grip it like a life line from a crab boat in arctic waters. I think I drooled. Then I wonder, "Why didn't I see this on my walk about?" Oh, yeah. I hand the well worn revolver back to Bob and thank him for the honor. The youngest of the guys behind the counter, I'd put him at around 18-19 years old. Starts rattling off the history of Colt, C&B, Converted C&B, and then full cartridge hand guns. He likes gun history, he tells me. We talk some more and I finally get around to asking about the USFA and the Colt. "The USFA has what?" I ask. "It has a second cylinder in .45 acp" they chime. "Say can you price me some .45 acp ammo?" "Nice." I think to myself.... So, I can almost have two guns for the price of one one for $12 Benjamins... Save money on practice ammo, while firing the same gun... The gun is beautiful. Oh, the case hardening... the blueing.... I hand it back and look at the price again. Don't these things go for something like $1400-1500, I think. "Can we measure the barrel, I ask?" stalling. 4 3/4" Oh my, oh my... it'll fit the holster that I ordered!!!!!! It has US on the grips just like my holster will have??????!!!!!! I suppose I can blame this on the new prescription with SWMBO. Words so sweet that I think I stuttered as I uttered them... "I'll take it." Maybe I should start a thread. The longest 10 days of my life... the waiting period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cope Daniels Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Sounds like a nice gun. Let us know how it shoots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RHL Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Thanks Cope, I certainly will. It'll be nice to get the holster for the guns, then I'll finally feel like I can get with the local group to learn the ropes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Bandit Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Very nice. I wouldn't mind having one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Sounds pretty cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 But what about the Colt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RHL Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 But what about the Colt? Ahhh, the Colt. About $1800 but a strikingly beautiful gun. Bob told me that it was on consignment to sell. I was really intrigued by the blueing on the Colt. When I asked if all Colts had a similar color, Bob told me that the gun was supposed to have arrived from Colt with case hardening treatment. Instead, the gun came back with this unusual color of blue. I believe Bob told me that the owner had returned it to the factory for the process and it got a double blueing. If the gun is still there in a month or two, I'll put in an offer but it is a 5 1/2" or longer barrel model and I needed the 4 3/4" for my new rig. My cross draw holster is going to be 5 1/2" compatible, though being built for my Bisley... I'll just have to see how it pans out. Besides, in Kaleefornyah, you can only buy one handgun per month. (On a similar subject... Kinda makes it hard to buy a matched pair unless the FFL is able to hold one of them for the following month.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RHL Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 I have my new USFA single action home now and it does feel different in the hand than my Uberti Hombre. Much, different considering comparing much of the dimensions appears to be the same. The Hombre isn't bad, it is just an economical version of the SAA with matt black finish, smooth walnut grips and a brass trigger guard/grip frame. The USFA is CCH and blued, with hard rubber checkered grips, and a steel trigger guard and grip frame. A closer comparison can be made with my Uberti Cattleman Bisley, even though the caliber, barrel lengths, grip frames, triggers and hammers are different. The operation of the gun feels more similar with these two guns. A kind of ease of use. The hammers are cocked into all positions a bit easier. The loading gates operate better and the cylinders have a smoother/confident cycle. The CCH on both of these guns is very nice but I have to give the edge to the USFA. It is crisper, with more of a Haloed effect than on the Uberti and the blueing seems deeper on the USFA also. Still, the narrower grips on the USFA feel closer to the Bisley than the Cattleman Hombre. Like someone recently posted, the grips make a huge difference in a gun and shooter's performance. Another big difference between the Ubertis and the USFA is the firing pin. The USFA is much more uniform in it's thickness as it rises to the point while both of the Ubertis get much narrower at the tip. I can see wear issues coming quicker for the Ubertis. These are just a few of my initial thoughts as I start out in the world of CAS. I'm pretty pleased with the stable of guns that I'm putting together. A bit eclectic of a group but I enjoy each of them and feel that the Hombre was a good first purchase of an SAA/clone since now I am able to "feel" and see the differences between the different styles and manufacturers. If I get some time in the next few days I'll try to post some pictures of the bunch. My roughshod nature doesn't stop with the arms themselves, I bought a Mernickle Evil Roy two gun holster but just placed an order for a Long Hunter shotgun belt. I'll be excited to get the leather to give me some place to draw the side arms from. Thanks for listening to my ramblings and I hope it helps some other new shooter with decisions along the way. Some images of the guns and the differences in the firing pins. USFA and two Ubertis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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