Best bang for the buck?

Arizona Fusilier · June 1, 2004, 10:11 PM

I apologize if this has been hashed out before, or if it's a little redundant with other threads. Since the forums are back up, I thought maybe this topic could stand some fresh perspectives, anyway.

My girlfriend and I are seriously thinking about getting into Cowboy Action Shooting. What SA revolver represents the best value; that is good, acceptable quality at a reasonable price? Something that will stand up to punishment, yet not cost an arm and a leg? Mind you, I'm not trying to get off cheap. As a matter of fact, I've got a Colt New Frontier that I bought almost two decades ago, and a Colt Cowboy a few years back that I bought on a whim. So you see, I could jump right in if I wanted to. But I am willing to make an investment in new, quality equipment. Wouldn't mind another Colt Cowboy, but I haven't seen any around my neck of the woods lately (Phoenix).

I'm broadly familiar with what's out there. I guess the other, inevitable, and related question I have is, are Colt SAAs worth the money? Around Phoenix, they seem to be $1200 - $1400; are they really twice to three times better than the other stuff that's out there? Forgive my skepticism, but you can get a few guns and ammo for that price!

To reiterate, I'm not cheap, just cautious and wise (or trying to be). If somebody tells me that Colts are hands down worth their weight in gold, I guess I'd consider it. But fer cryin' out loud, the basic single action design is kinda hard to screw up at this point, isn't it? Also, my experience with more modern Colt designs has given me some pause regarding their somewhat spotty quality control. So is an Uberti or Cimmarron or even a Beretta a better way to go? Think of your personal experience, and please consider total cost of ownership (repairs etc.)

Thanks, Jerry

dev_null · June 2, 2004, 08:18 AM

I have two stainless Ruger Vaqueros and two blued Uberti replica Remington '58s that I shoot with Taylors/R&D conversion cylinders. Each of the Rugers cost what I paid for both of the '58s, and frankly I shoot better with the '58s. I use a blued Marlin in .45 for my levergun (that octagonal barrel may not be period authentic, but it looks good!) and a Stoeger Silverado SxS in 12 ga.

I've seen many different brands represented in CAS/SASS: Colt, Ruger, Hartford, the various Italian companies (Armi San Marco, Pietta, Uberti, etc.) As always, the price varies, and as always, it's the shooter not the gun that makes the difference. In rifles, I've seen Winchesters, Marlins and Henrys, and in shotguns it seems to be about a 50-50 split between the replica pumps and a wide variety of doubleguns.

I don't know the forum rules on linking to other boards, so I'll just mention that SASS has a forum that you should be able to Google. Folks there are very friendly and happy to answer questions.

- 0 -

"Jack Whitesides"
SASS #44650
SBSS #890

fal308 · June 3, 2004, 09:28 AM

Before you go and buy some new toys you need to ask yourself some questions first. What caliber do you want to shoot? Is your girlfriend comfortable with that caliber also? Do you reload or will you be shooting factory ammo (generally, the larger the claiber, the larger the price). Remember, each shooter will be putting quite a few rounds downrange. If both of you are going to share firearms, that means that your firearms will get twice the usage each match. That means that you should definitely buy the most robust firearms you can afford. And to me that means Ruger. They are so overbuilt, they'll probably outlast you and your children. The downside to this is that they are big. They're larger and heavier than a comparable Colt clone. If you want a clone, I've heard good things about Cimarron. Then there are the other contenders out there; Schofields, Remington clones, 1871-1872 Opentops etc.
Then there are the rifles. I, like most folks I know who shoot CAS, use the same caliber for the rifle as the handguns. It eases the logistics.
As for the shotgun, again ask your girlfriend what she's comfortable with. Though chances are the two of you won't be completely comfortable with the same shotgun.
The best thing you two could probably do first off is go to a match or two and try out some of the shooters' guns. Chances are they'll be glad to help you make up your mind by trying out different guns. The SASS website www.sassnet.com has a page that lists clubs.

June 1, 2004, 10:11 PM	#1
Arizona Fusilier Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2000 Posts: 1,082	Best bang for the buck? I apologize if this has been hashed out before, or if it's a little redundant with other threads. Since the forums are back up, I thought maybe this topic could stand some fresh perspectives, anyway. My girlfriend and I are seriously thinking about getting into Cowboy Action Shooting. What SA revolver represents the best value; that is good, acceptable quality at a reasonable price? Something that will stand up to punishment, yet not cost an arm and a leg? Mind you, I'm not trying to get off cheap. As a matter of fact, I've got a Colt New Frontier that I bought almost two decades ago, and a Colt Cowboy a few years back that I bought on a whim. So you see, I could jump right in if I wanted to. But I am willing to make an investment in new, quality equipment. Wouldn't mind another Colt Cowboy, but I haven't seen any around my neck of the woods lately (Phoenix). I'm broadly familiar with what's out there. I guess the other, inevitable, and related question I have is, are Colt SAAs worth the money? Around Phoenix, they seem to be $1200 - $1400; are they really twice to three times better than the other stuff that's out there? Forgive my skepticism, but you can get a few guns and ammo for that price! To reiterate, I'm not cheap, just cautious and wise (or trying to be). If somebody tells me that Colts are hands down worth their weight in gold, I guess I'd consider it. But fer cryin' out loud, the basic single action design is kinda hard to screw up at this point, isn't it? Also, my experience with more modern Colt designs has given me some pause regarding their somewhat spotty quality control. So is an Uberti or Cimmarron or even a Beretta a better way to go? Think of your personal experience, and please consider total cost of ownership (repairs etc.) Thanks, Jerry

June 2, 2004, 08:18 AM	#2
dev_null Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2002 Location: Austin TX Posts: 615	I have two stainless Ruger Vaqueros and two blued Uberti replica Remington '58s that I shoot with Taylors/R&D conversion cylinders. Each of the Rugers cost what I paid for both of the '58s, and frankly I shoot better with the '58s. I use a blued Marlin in .45 for my levergun (that octagonal barrel may not be period authentic, but it looks good!) and a Stoeger Silverado SxS in 12 ga. I've seen many different brands represented in CAS/SASS: Colt, Ruger, Hartford, the various Italian companies (Armi San Marco, Pietta, Uberti, etc.) As always, the price varies, and as always, it's the shooter not the gun that makes the difference. In rifles, I've seen Winchesters, Marlins and Henrys, and in shotguns it seems to be about a 50-50 split between the replica pumps and a wide variety of doubleguns. I don't know the forum rules on linking to other boards, so I'll just mention that SASS has a forum that you should be able to Google. Folks there are very friendly and happy to answer questions. - 0 - "Jack Whitesides" SASS #44650 SBSS #890 __________________ The plural of anecdote is NOT "data."

June 3, 2004, 09:28 AM	#3
fal308 Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 12, 1998 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,992	Before you go and buy some new toys you need to ask yourself some questions first. What caliber do you want to shoot? Is your girlfriend comfortable with that caliber also? Do you reload or will you be shooting factory ammo (generally, the larger the claiber, the larger the price). Remember, each shooter will be putting quite a few rounds downrange. If both of you are going to share firearms, that means that your firearms will get twice the usage each match. That means that you should definitely buy the most robust firearms you can afford. And to me that means Ruger. They are so overbuilt, they'll probably outlast you and your children. The downside to this is that they are big. They're larger and heavier than a comparable Colt clone. If you want a clone, I've heard good things about Cimarron. Then there are the other contenders out there; Schofields, Remington clones, 1871-1872 Opentops etc. Then there are the rifles. I, like most folks I know who shoot CAS, use the same caliber for the rifle as the handguns. It eases the logistics. As for the shotgun, again ask your girlfriend what she's comfortable with. Though chances are the two of you won't be completely comfortable with the same shotgun. The best thing you two could probably do first off is go to a match or two and try out some of the shooters' guns. Chances are they'll be glad to help you make up your mind by trying out different guns. The SASS website www.sassnet.com has a page that lists clubs.