A Tale Of Three 38-40s

[Danny Bear Claw]

It all started back about 4 years ago.  I had some extra coins jinglein' around in my pockets so I stopped into this little gun shop here in Richardson to see what the fella had.  Now this guy does most of his gun sales at gun shows here in Texas.  On this particular day he had 2 single actions in the display case.  A very old, well used Colt with an enormous price tag on it.  The other was an AWA Regulator, blue/cc, 38-40 with a 5.5 inch barrel.  As I examined the piece, he went into the sales pitch.  He said things like, "It's a real good shooter", "Had a premium action job done on it", "Used to belong to Texas Jack", etc., etc., etc.
Working the action felt like melted butter.  It had the usual drab looking color-case various shades of grey, but I can live with that if it's only a shooter.  It also had a brass trigger guard and grip frame, which I don't like but the price was right so I bought it.  At the range it proved to be a real good shooter.  Other than printing about 1 inch to the left it produced 20 yard groups at just under 3 inches, even with these old eyes lining up the sights.

Now I own 8 revolvers in caliber 45 Colt with the companion rifle a Rossi '92.  I also own a pair of revolvers in caliber 44-40 with a Uberti Yellow Boy rifle in 44-40.  So buying a revolver in caliber 38-40 clearly meant I was embarking on amassing yet another set of cowboy guns in a new caliber.  About a year after owning and shooting the Regulator, life was being real good to me and I suddenly had enough extra funds to order a SASS Colt.  I ordered up the top of the line model and in order to match it up with the Regulator, I ordered the SASS Colt with 5.5 inch barrel in caliber 38-40.  See I figured that at some point down the line I'd have the Regulator nickle plated and engraved to look more like the Colt.  After a year I was informed by SASS that I'd be waiting at least another year for the Colt.  Now not being a very patient man, I decided to order a Cimarron Model P in caliber 38-40, of course, and was quite pleased with it when it arrived 4 moths later.  It has the black powder frame, excelent fit and finish with superior case colors of purples, blues and even some pinks in it.  The trigger guard and grip frame are blued steel.  A good mate for the Regulator but much prettier.  It shoots around 4 inch groups at 20 yards, dead on for windage and about 1 inch low.  That means a 3 o'clock aim for the Regulator and a 12 o'clock aim for the Cim model P.  For leather I chose the double Huckleberry rig from Wester Wildlife Wonders and adjusted the straps to carry the guns low on my hips, butts foward, of course.  The guns ride so low that I've come to call this my "Wild Bill Hickok Rig". 

The SASS Colt arrived at SASS after 10 months instead of a year.  They called with this "good news - bad news thing.  The good news being it has arrived and it's gorgeous!  The bad news was they engraved my alias on the back strap as "Danny Bear".  They cut off my Claw!     SASS asked me did I want it as is or should they send it back to correct my alias on the back strap?  I said, "Look... I've got almost $2500 invested in this gun.  I want it right.  Send it back".  About 8 weeks later it was returned to SASS with the correct alias engraved on it and was shipped by EMF to my local gun shop.  Then I spent two months dealing with a paper snafu to get them to release the gun to me.  With a lot of phone calls and a great deal of help from Donna at SASS, I finally took posession of my SASS Colt.  It is , indeed a gorgeous gun... a true work of art and the black buffalo horn grips really look nice on that nickle plated beauty.  Fit and finish are perfect.  My only complaint is there are no Colt roundels set into the grips.  I just might have a set of real ivory grips with the Colt medalions fitted to the gun.  I have yet to actually fire the Colt so I don't know how it shoots.  Leather for the Colt is the "Silver King" rig made by Kirkpatrick Leather.  It cost right around $500, but I figure a $2500 gun ought to be carried in a $500 holster.  The Silver King is a buscadero type with lots of silver spots, diamonds and buckle.  It's real purty!.  I've told the wife, Maggie Three Feathers, when I die you can sell all my guns but keep the SASS Colt.  If and when I decide to shoot it I'll let yall know how it shoots.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

  Good story Danny, take some pictures when you can, we would all like to see this beauty.

         Regards

     tEN wOLVES 

[Danny Bear Claw]

Let's see if I can get this pic of my SASS Colt to post...   

[Advertising]

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Thanks Danny, a picture is worth a thousand words, well with your new Colt, and your new Silver dollar rig, I'd say you're ready for Bar-B-que,

                 Dang nice Pard

                   Regards

                 tEN wOLVES 

[Danny Bear Claw]

Thanks Ten Wolves.  I won't be a-standin' too close to the fire though.   
Here's the rest of the triplets.   

[Dr. Bob]

Lookin good there!!  Now all ya need is a 73 Winchester in 38 WCF!!!

[Danny Bear Claw]

Yer right Dr. Bob.  I've been looking for a rifle in 38-40.  Not much to choose from in that caliber and I can't believe how expensive rifles have gotten in just the last couple of years.  I'd really like a lightning model but haven't been able to find one in that caliber.  I might end up settling for a '73 or something. 

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

     Nice looking guns Danny, the one with the brass strapping's looks like an old Dakota, if so they're great guns, good luck in your quest for a rifle, with times the way they are, we might be seeing more of these rifles back on the market,

         Regards

     tEN wOLVES 

[Danny Bear Claw]

Ten Wolves, the one with the brass trigger guard and grip frame is an AWA Regulator.  I do have a Dakota though.  My 7.5 inch 44-40 is a Dakota model.  You're right... it is a really fine gun.  I picked it up at a gun show a few years back.  It apparently had a primo action job done on it.  It's got a real slick, very light action and damn fine accuracy.  No brass fixtures though.  Blued steel trigger guard and grip frame.  Excelent color case frame!   

[Danny Bear Claw]

BTT.  For the Pard who PM'd me asking about my SASS Colt.  Click on the pic for a larger view.  To try to answer some of your questions...  I don't know if it was the last SASS Colt made.  It could be.  I had been waiting for it for about a year when it was announced that the deal between SASS and Colt was off.
The factory engraving covers about half of the surface of the gun, although the ad for it that used to be in The Cowboy Chronicle said it was "B" engraving, which I think, was supposed to be less than 50% coverage.
The grips are polished buffalo horn, essentially black.  You can't see it in the pic but there is some small, gold colored grain in it.  I contacted Nutmeg Sports about having Colt medalians mounted into the grips, since they'er the guys who used to do the grips for the SASS Colts, but was told this could not be done because once the buffalo horn grips are polished they are too brittle on the surface to allow for the grinding needed to form the holes to set the medalians into.
The nickle plating is perfect.
Aside from the 2 year wait and the alias snafu, I have no complaints.
Oh and no... I have not shot it yet.  Not sure I'm going to.  I have dozens of shooters in numerous calibers.  Why risk breaking or damaging a one of a kind Colt.  I might shoot it one day, before I head for the "big roundup in the sky"  Time will tell.  

I got the SASS Colt factory lettered and the letter states that it was shipped with buffalo horn grips, so to keep things accurate I've decided to not have ivory grips fitted.  Nutmeg Sports said they could do a new set of grips for it in buffalo horn with the Colt roundels, (medalians), but I'm scared to death to ship off my most valuable gun.  I don't trust Fed Ex or UPS.  Nutmeg Sports is a long drive from Texas.  

[Hill Beachy]

I might shoot it one day, before I head for the "big roundup in the sky"  Time will tell.  

Well, if you have the date for the "big roundup in the sky" scheduled on your calendar, that might be a good plan.  But if you're like the rest of us who don't know when that will be, perhaps you should take it out to the range, if only for a cyliinder's worth of shooting. 

After all, I'm pretty sure that they test-fire them before they leave the factory, right?  So wouldn't that mean that technically it's not "unfired"?  Cone on -- you know that you want to.......

[Danny Bear Claw]

You're right Hill Beachey...  I do want to shoot it.  Every time I take it out of the safe to drool on it, I'm torn between taking it to the range and re-casing it and returning it to the safe.  So far it has ended up back in the safe.   

[Hill Beachy]

Well, at least wipe the drool off before you place it back into the safe!   

[Danny Bear Claw]

   OK!   I'll have to strap on a drool bucket before I look at it.   

[Tascosa Joe]

Danny:
I have a 2nd Gen NRA Commerative that my parents bought me for graduation from Texas A&M.  The backstrap has been engraved with name and dates etc.  And a few years ago I put one piece ivory on it.  After almost 40 years it is starting to show a little holster wear.

The point here is unless you are someone real famous, the gun is worth more to you than it will be to the next generation.  Take it out and shoot it, love it, and enjoy it.  It does you no good as a safe queen.  The best thing that can happen is for your kids to say when you are gone, "I want this one because it was Dad's favorite shooter". 

 I may be the one that bought the original Colt, Mike had in his shop.  I shoot it alot as well.

T-Joe

[Danny Bear Claw]

Good advice T-Joe.  I don't have any kids.  I've told Maggie Three Feathers that if I precede her to the big round up she is to sell all of my guns except my SASS Colt.  I don't know who she would will it to.  Perhaps the SASS Museum?  I'm pretty sure I'll end up shooting it some day...  at least, a little bit.