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Colt Cowboy Shock


H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

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I recently saw a couple of Colt Cowboys in 2 different gun shops.  One was unfired and the other still looked brand new.  The shop owner said the previous owner had only fired it once.

 

But what shocked me was the price.   $1200 for the hardly used one and $1500 for the unfired one.  I never thought I'd see the day when these things could command such a price, but wowzers, they apparently can.

 

Wonders shall never cease.

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Stupid people have caused them to go up in value.  My apologies to any stupid people that disagree with me :D

 

 

Concise and on target.  

 

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Gee, there must be a reason why I use RUGER OMs modified by the late West Fargo.  :D

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I recently saw a couple of Colt Cowboys in 2 different gun shops.  One was unfired and the other still looked brand new.  The shop owner said the previous owner had only fired it once.

 

But what shocked me was the price.   $1200 for the hardly used one and $1500 for the unfired one.  I never thought I'd see the day when these things could command such a price, but wowzers, they apparently can.

 

Wonders shall never cease.

Just because they are priced as such doesn't mean they will sell for that. Right now it is more than possible that a used Colt SAA can be had for under $1500, so take the shop owner's price as merely a suggestion. The only time I have seen the cowboys fetch that kind of price is when they are listed as SAA and not cowboys and somebody without much Colt knowledge ends up overpaying. Often times I see the gun relisted so probably returned once the error was realized.

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I have read that the rising price of the Cowboy is due to collectors who need them to fill out their Colt collections, and there weren't that many made.  Makes sense.  I don't think people are paying that much for one to shoot it.

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I'd like a nanner split too.

Or a bourbon Blizzard.

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Sometimes there's quite a difference between the asking price and what can actually be sold.  Try telling them it's way too much and making a reasonable offer.  Maybe they've been on the shelf a very long time.

Nothing ventured - - - - -. 

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I sold one a couple years ago for $750.00 and I thought that was a lot! I guess the Colt name holds prices up!;)

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Colts were once "state of the art". Now, they are, at best, "also ran".  :angry:  I switched to Rugers aeons ago and have never looked back.

 

Sadly, my 1911 is a Les Baer and my hunting revolver is a Smith & Wesson. Sayonara Colt.  :blush:

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Had on one them once....there was so much daylight between the frame and grip frame that I had to install mini blinds but I couldn't find the hardware small enough.....

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Interesting.  Dug a little into the background of the Colt Cowboy:

In the beginning, it was originally to be a collaboration between CZ and Colt.  But, CZ couldn't gear up to produce sufficient volume within Colt's time constraints so Colt went to Alphacasting in Canada for production parts.

Alphacasting was able to get their end up and running in two months.  They cast the frame, hammer, gate, ejector, ejector tube, and transfer bar.

Colt outsourced the remaining parts, but did the cylinders and barrels in-house.

The final assembly and finishing was done by Colt.

 

"The Colt Cowboy was an attempt by Colt to offer a modern design Single Action that looked like a Single Action Army, but used a modern transfer bar safety-ignition system and made with modern manufacturing techniques

The Cowboy was made from 1999 until 2003"

 

"The Cowboy was quite different from the Peacemaker and the workings and finish of the internal mechanisms are not respected among gunsmiths familiar with it.

It really is a different gun.  Some owners like it.  But as has been said, it was not widely accepted and didn't sell well enough to stay in Colt's lineup."  One of the drawbacks was that it was only available in .45 Colt.  For a gun that was produced for the Cowboy Action Shooting market, they ignored, or didn't understand, that the .38/357 was becoming one of the dominant calibers of the game.

 

The one example I handled had a very "gritty" action, and I was not impressed by the fit and finish.  In my opinion, Colt was way too far behind the trend when they came out with this model.  Had they introduced it in the early 90s, (instead of the All American 2000... oy!), and at a lower price, they might have made a dent in the Ruger Vaquero market.  But, by 2000 they were always playing catch-up to Ruger, and gunsmiths who were quite proficient at action jobs and smoothing the Ruger.  Plus, the Ruger was available at a lower price.  And, those who wanted a gun that more closely resembled the SAA had the Uberti Old Model and Pre-War Models, readily available, at a lower price point.

 

Over time, I can see there being parts supply problems.

 

Looking back over Classified Wire sales, at 625.00 there were a lot of takers.  One sold at 900.00  There's a gun out there for everybody.  Just this wasn't it for enough, "everybodies".  The All American 2000 and the Colt Cowboy almost drove Colt into bankruptcy... again.

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cheaper than the one i was interested in at the local gunshow this past weekend by half , i would never consider paying those prices for an example that is no better than others but only because of name recognition , if i was buying a collectible maybe if i really found an attachment , 

 

im not casting stones at those that can afford and want to shoot colts in our game , good on you , i cannot justify the expenditure when ruger and others make such a fine product at a reasonable rate , go for it if you like it im sure they work fine , there is so much about colt that i like and an equal amount i dont , im thankful for the original 1873 design - need i say more ? 

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Once in awhile, I shoot my .41 Long Colt revolvers at one of our local  clubs. They are illegal SASS guns but since I am usually the only Grand Patron and am no threat to the overall standings, no one cares. Mine work, are smooth and have a nice trigger pull. Obviously, they are originals and show the care that Colt ONCE TOOK with their revolvers.

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Once in awhile, I shoot my .41 Long Colt revolvers at one of our local  clubs. They are illegal SASS guns but since I am usually the only Grand Patron and am no threat to the overall standings, no one cares. Mine work, are smooth and have a nice trigger pull. Obviously, they are originals and show the care that Colt ONCE TOOK with their revolvers.

 

Why are they illegal for SASS?   I've seen more than a few SAA's and even a Bisley in this caliber.   I had no idea it was against the rules.

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:wub: OOOOPs, I neglected to mention that my little .41 Long Colt revolvers are original DOUBLE actions!  :huh:

 

;)They and my 8 gauge 4" double are lots of fun but are not SASS legal.:D

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I sold one a couple years ago for $750.00 and I thought that was a lot! I guess the Colt name holds prices up!;)

 

$750  for the gun and $750 for the name?

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:wub: OOOOPs, I neglected to mention that my little .41 Long Colt revolvers are original DOUBLE actions!  :huh:

 

;)They and my 8 gauge 4" double are lots of fun but are not SASS legal.:D

 

Oh!   That makes more sense.   '77s or '78s?

 

To be honest, I think both of those models and the S&W Model 3 DA, ONLY if operated Single Action style, should be allowed as main match revolvers.    In all honesty, I have seen them all used by others a local matches on occasion, and yes, used them myself once or twice in a blue moon.

 

Perhaps more reasonable would be to see a pre 1900 DA side match be created.

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$750  for the gun and $750 for the name?

I wish, that would have been $1500.00....I paid $600.00 for the gun!

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Asking price is one thing. “Sold for” price is another.

Caveat Emptor!

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You can buy a lot of decent SAAs for $1,500.  In fact, till I bought my cavalry model, I never paid more than that for one and I own some decent 1st, 2nd, and 3rd models.  I will let other folks spend their cash on the cowboy. 

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