CM, I am not trying to start a range war, but yes, to some (like you say) SASS is a game, not a historical re-enactment. And that is fine. To me, however, it is not really a game, but is more of a self indulging, somewhat a historical re-enactment. I could give a dang about speed, scores, and placing. I shoot for myself, against myself, and enjoy the camaraderie. That's the nice thing about SASS. It does not have to mean the same to me as it does to you. If you remember, one of the guiding principals of SASS was "The John Wayne Test." Unfortunately that was dropped from the SASS lexicon with the advent of Lighting Links, titanium firing pins, and aluminum follwers for 66/73s.
My M1 carbine analogy was appropriate. I was not comparing it to a Uberti Henry, but rather saying that modern metallurgy, including 1940s, was far superior to pre-1900 metals. I have been shooting SASS since 1994, and never personally had a factory SASS gun (UBerti, Marlin, Colt, Rossi, Pietta) break, malfunction, or wear out. I have had original pre-1900 guns break, though. As a "gunplumber" you would see those examples new and old that do break.
The fundamental difference between us is that you expect the guns to break, need work, or be junk from the factory, and I do not expect them to break, and have not found them to be junk or need work from the factory. You have your opinion - which is fine, and I have mine- which is also fine. You have your experiences, I have mine. They do not need to be the same. You do not need to agree with me and I do not have to agree with you. You do not have to think like me, and I do not have to think like you. That's the nice thing about this sport.
Your mileage may vary, and your experiences are different than mine.