I was born in '52 so grew up with all the TV westerns from the mid-50's on. My folks made friends with the old spinster sisters that owned the local kids theater and we got to go free, so I was there every weekend for years and saw all those westerns, too. But after playing cowboys and indians as a kid with the Fanner 50 and such, and then hunting with a .22 as a teen, I managed to continue life pretty much oblivious to guns until '98 for concealed carry, and it turned out I liked shooting so bought a gun a month for a couple years, and got into Colt snake DA's. My first SAA was an early 3rd gen 5 1/2" 44 Spcl, bought at a gunshow in '99 for $700. It had a ring around the cylinder and timing problems and I didn't know anything about SAA's so gave it to Bob Taylor for an action job. It was made in early '78 and was one of the last SA suffixes. Same gunshow exactly one year later bought its mate for $1000, a possibly unfired 4 3/4" 44 Spcl, made in late '78 and one of the first SA prefixes. They were my first CAS guns and I still shoot them a couple matches a year.