SAA clone durability

[Gus Walker]

  JMHO but i think the clones hold up very well. Hell most of us shoot more in a day than the average Colt was ever shot back in the 1800's. I have clones almost exclusively. My uberti stainless 45 colt is my eveyday carry gun on the farm. It is really accurate and bein stainless i dont worry bout it. Now dont git me wrong i love Colts products. Just cant see the price differance. Just to show i aint a colt snob My 1911 and my ar are both colts. 

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

 I thought very seriously about getting a Colt SA or a USFA but decided it'd be silly to spend $1500 to do something I could do just as effectively with a $400 pistol, and I don't do Safe Queens.

 Cholla

[will52100]

I've got several Uberti revolvers, including open tops and conversions.  Got one Colt SAA.  Thinking of selling the Colt because of accuracy issues.  The Colt's cylinder throats measure .457-.458, the Uberti's measure .454 and .455, both have .452 barrels.  No matter what load I try my Uberti's are more accurate than my colt.  Now, the Uberti's have had to have some tuning done and the colt no work and it's still got a crisper feel than the Uberti's, not to mention the fit and finish is way above the Uberti's.  That said I won't have a gun that won't shoot straight, no matter how nice it looks.

I'd say if colt would get there chamber throat and barrel ID's a little closer to what they should be then it'd be a real nice revolver to own.  Till then I'll stick with something I can hit with.

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[Cholla Hill Tirador]

I've got several Uberti revolvers, including open tops and conversions.  Got one Colt SAA.  Thinking of selling the Colt because of accuracy issues.  The Colt's cylinder throats measure .457-.458, the Uberti's measure .454 and .455, both have .452 barrels.  No matter what load I try my Uberti's are more accurate than my colt.  Now, the Uberti's have had to have some tuning done and the colt no work and it's still got a crisper feel than the Uberti's, not to mention the fit and finish is way above the Uberti's.  That said I won't have a gun that won't shoot straight, no matter how nice it looks.

I'd say if colt would get there chamber throat and barrel ID's a little closer to what they should be then it'd be a real nice revolver to own.  Till then I'll stick with something I can hit with.

  I'd heard this about the Colt's cylinder throats. What generation is it?

[will52100]

Not sure, it was manufactured in the late 90's.

Edited to add, 1990's I mean.  For a minut forgot where I was.

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

About a year ago I bought a used Uberti .44-40. It had obviously been slicked up and had the spring end of the bolt modified for CAS. I fitted/installed a new.44 Special cylinder and have fired a few hundred rounds with light CAS loads. I also have however fired well over 1000 loads running a 260 gr. SWC at anywhere from 850 to close to 1000 fps. She's as tight as ever and as accurate as ever.

 Cholla

  I should probably qualify my statement regarding accuracy. My Uberti's have been like every other handgun I've ever owned; they like some loads, others not so much. But I will say the one I've fired the most is really not very picky about loads. By that I mean it might "only" group 6" - 7"@ 50 yds. with certain loads and a little better with others. It's accurate enough that I very seldom fire it at 25 yds. anymore doing most shooting at 50 yds.

  I just bought and am waiting to receive a 3rd Generation 4 3/4" Colt in .44 Special. It will be a safe queen because I can't see shooting it, at the price I've paid for it, when one of the Uberti's in the same caliber will do just as well.

 

[will52100]

Pretty much any of my Uberti's will do a 3" group at 25 yards with .454 sized bullets.  Some will do better with tailored loads, some seem to like just about anything.

I love the action on my colt, but for as expensive as it is I can't see sending it off and having a .357 cylinder bored to .452 and mated to it to make it shoot correctly.  If it shot well I'd shot it a lot more, but wouldn't take it into the woods and such.

Like you, I can't see spending 3X what a Uberti cost for a gun that won't shoot as well as the Uberti.

[Navy Six]

I can't substantiate this with absolute facts and I would appreciate anyone correcting this statement, but I believe Uberti is using a better grade of steel for the newer frames as compared to the earlier guns. A friend has a earlier Black powder frame Uberti in 45 Colt that he insisted on compressing as much 2F Goex as possible in the case (He told me he actually got 40 grains in, of course heavily compressed) behind a 250 gr soft lead bullet. This was his cowboy load for several years. Needing a new spring replaced ( I forget which ) he brought this gun over to my house and upon removing the cylinder I noticed the frame was starting to split just under the firing pin hole. I call this abuse, not use. I have yet to see this again and all my own Ubertis show no sign of undo wear after many years of cowboy shooting with full (normal full) loads. You can destroy anything if you try hard enough.   Navy six

[Virginia Gentleman]

I think if you abuse any firearm it is going to start to fail no matter how good the steel is made.  The fact is the newer guns made in Italy and by Colt are far stronger than the originals and they are shot far more often than the originals and break down less.