Wherein we explore lower cost alternatives to some of the greatest pistol platforms of all time
by Bob Campbell
Saying the Single Action Army is an American Icon is like saying Jeeps and mud go together. It is obvious! These legends are held in high regard. Many shooters enjoy firing the great guns of the past. The Single Action Army, 1911, Hi-Power, Python, and a good, big-frame Magnum are American icons of one sort or another. An icon is a representative symbol worthy of veneration. No matter how worn or beat up, certain handguns have a character that some just don’t quite understand.
I have been attached to the 1911 handgun, another icon, for some fifty years. Time has not changed the conversation. The problem for most shooters is that a Colt Single Action Army or original 1911 is quite pricey. I have never owned a gun too pricey to fire. I have owned some too lousy to fire again, sure, but nothing so nice I would not use it. A person wishing to enjoy firearms the way they were meant to be enjoyed by firing, carrying, or hunting, may find the price of an original handgun prohibitive. I know I do. There are modern handguns of the icon status, to be certain, but with the price of a Colt Single Action nearing two thousand dollars, we just may pause and consider the value of such an investment.
And it isn’t really an investment. No new gun is, and the Colt on the shelf isn’t the same Colt that rode the plains with Hec Thomas and Bill Cody.
Let’s look at some alternatives to the higher priced pistols that shoot just as well — perhaps better — with a similar shooting experience. Sure, it is possible to marshal your resources and purchase a collectible pistol demanding the price of a used truck, but if you are a shooter like me, you may wish to have a few bucks left over for leather and ammunition.
The Single-Action Army
There are several heavy duty single-action revolvers well suited to hunting big game. They are not as quick and agile as a Colt type SAA. The SAA is still a fine hiking and trail gun and one that may be counted on in an emergency. Some of the clone guns are very smooth, very accurate, and absolutely gorgeous. Among the better examples are those from Taylor’s & Company. These revolvers are honest clones of the original. In general, they are more authentic than the present-day Colts! Taylor’s offers models with color case hardened frames and blued barrels and cylinders, and the all-black Devil Anse — my favorite. The Italian imports are well made and fitted.
The original design was intended to give a trooper a handgun that would take down a war pony at 100 yards. The .45 Colt was easily the most powerful handgun cartridge of the day. I have fired the 7 ½-inch versions at 100 yards and accuracy is there. A 250-grain slug at 800 fps will penetrate forty-five inches of water! When town marshals and “gunfighters” wanted a handier gun, they sawed the barrel off even with the ejector rod. Eventually, the SAA was offered in the 4 ¾-inch gunfighter’s length. These are my favorite. The SAA is best used in fast, off-hand fire and snap shooting. The Taylor’s guns have good triggers — something the original maker doesn’t supply — and there are even special tuned versions. They are a blast to fire and use. As for absolute accuracy, I have fired several clone guns capable of making a five-shot group of less than two inches at 25 yards. That is good enough for who it is for.
In the days of the SAA, there was a grinding reality not often accurately portrayed in the cinema. Out west of the 98th meridian, a line bisects Kansas. This the Great American Desert. Drovers herded cattle, tended ranches, and ended up with busted knuckles, scars on their hands and face, and usually they were missing a finger or two by the time they reached forty — if they reached that milestone. There were more cheap guns than good guns, and the Peacemaker was a treasured handgun even then. The SAA saw service in the Philippine wars, in the hands of lawmen like Tom Threepersons and Frank Hamer, and adventurers like Lawrence of Arabia. Douglas McArthur and George S. Patton got into gun battles in Mexico with their SAA revolvers. McArthur never gave up his SAA in his long career.
In common with Lawrence and his brother, many shooters went straight from the SAA to the 1911. The big double-action revolvers were not as easy to shoot well. A crisp, single-action trigger means a lot. These revolvers will keep you in touch with history.
The 1911
When it comes to the 1911, the original was a firearm made of the best material of the day. The key differences are in metallurgy, spring quality, and machining. Fit and finish are important. Once you load the 1911 and fire it, there is a difference in the hammer and trigger feel in the cheapest guns and an accuracy difference as well. Some pistols use a Plain Jane finish to keep costs down, but the internals are good. A GI gun will have small sights and controls and sometimes a heavy trigger.
Among the best renditions of the GI gun is the Auto Ordnance. A reliable and useful GI gun, the AO 1911 is a simple pistol closely mimicking the 1927A1 pattern. This is a pistol without features to drive the price up, but it isn’t cheap, and it isn’t cheaply made — about 1/3 the price of a WW II Colt. There are other makers offering pistols similar to the Colt. Tisas offers the Raider, a near copy of the famous Marine Corps M45. It is close to the original in appearance and satisfactory for casual shooting.
Some of the 1911 handguns involved in a race to the bottom in price are too crude and unreliable and use sintered or MIM parts. Don’t go too cheap! That said, among the best buys in the 1911 world is the Rock Island Armory 1911. The GI gun is okay. For informal target practice and even carry, the FS Tactical — at a few bucks more than the GI gun — offers Novak sights, a full-length guide rod, and an ambidextrous safety. Quite a few more expensive guns do not have these features. Occasionally, an RIA will need the extractor tuned out of the box, but most often not. I have one I cannot make fail! It isn’t the most accurate 1911 I own but it will ring the bell every time at 25 yards and isn’t helpless past 50 yards. A good place to be!
Not long ago, I looked on the shelf at a local shop and saw several well used Series 70 Colt pistols. These handguns feature small sights and controls and heavy triggers. The asking price was over a thousand dollars each! They certainly aren’t collectible. That would demand a new in-the-box gun in my opinion. This is false economy! For a superior handgun, you may reasonably bet your life the Springfield Garrison is readily available — all for around $750. A real Colt Government Model, blue or stainless, may be had for just under $1000. It doesn’t have the features of the Garrison, but it is a Colt. I just don’t see the prices asked for those old Series 70 guns. I have built plenty, and the modern Springfield and Colt pistols have superior barrel and feed ramp fitting, better sights, and better triggers. For a shooter, they are the better choice by leagues than any older 1911.
The Hi-Power
A curious thing occurred with the FN Hi-Power a few years ago. The pistol became so expensive to manufacture and demand so low that FN discontinued it. As these go, the Hi-Power was in demand overnight, with older guns bringing scalper prices.
Springfield hit the market with the SA 35. This pistol features a good trigger (something that somehow eluded FN), a speed safety, and very good sights. The pistol became a success overnight and has given good service. Turkish makes also offer decent clones, but not always close to the Hi-Power template and, in some cases, improved. They are fine recreational shooters. As for my choice, if the FN Hi-Power and Springfield SA 35 were the same price, I would chose the Springfield hands down. It is that good.
Colt’s Most Expensive Snake
Revolvers are desirable handguns and perhaps a better bridge to the past than most semi-automatics. The Python’s story is similar to the Hi-Power’s: the pistol was too expensive to manufacture to offer competitively and demand was low. Canceling production is a sure way to raise prices of older models.
After a hiatus in production, Colt went one better and introduced a new revolver. The new Python is stronger, having been beefed up in critical areas. The action is superb and accuracy cannot be faulted. I like it better than the older models. It isn’t inexpensive but the tariff is half that of a collector-grade Python. I don’t own a gun for collector value. I am more of an accumulator than a collector. And I rely on a small number of very good guns rather than a rack I don’t use well.
Colt has done shooters a favor by introducing a matte stainless version of the new Python. It isn’t cheap, but at $1222 or so retail, it offers the same action and accuracy as the more expensive revolvers, with a singular addition: this gun features Hogue MonoGrips. Even the new model Colt grips slide in the hand in rapid fire with Magnum loads. The Hogue grips do not. This is a shooter for shooters.
More Good Shooters
I am not expressing opinions here as much as sharing experience with a wide variety of handguns over many years of shooting. If you are a shooter and fire a lot of ammunition in your handguns, I am certain you have reached similar conclusions.
Another handgun that seems to command prices disproportionate with their performance are older Magnum revolvers. It isn’t unusual to see older Smith & Wesson Model 19 or Model 66 revolvers demanding well over one thousand dollars. These aren’t boxed, unfired guns but rather shooters. I don’t like the modern Hillary Hole gun lock either, but it is easily done away with. Modern Smith & Wesson Model 66 revolvers feature a crane lock similar to the sought after Triple Lock but for a lot less money! CNC machining has made the fit of the barrel lead and forcing cone very precise, resulting in stellar accuracy. It’s your money, but for shooting and personal defense, these modern revolvers are smooth in operation, reliable, and more accurate than you would think. And, yes, they give the Python a run for the money — especially if you choose an L-frame gun.
Parting Considerations
I have lost count of the 1911s I have seen butchered. I have repaired a half dozen that dropped the hammer as the slide fell. Remington, Colt, or Ruger…the gun butcher finds a way to make them dangerous. I have also seen Smith & Wesson and Taurus revolvers with the bolt stop polished to the point that lock up was ruined. Others have had the operating angles destroyed by someone who did not know how to stone a sear. It doesn’t make horse sense to take a chance on those gun shop specials when an affordable, newer firearm is superior, and for less cash. Don’t forget that.
As an extreme example, curiosity led me to purchase an 1858 Starr revolver because original military trials claimed this revolver would strike man-sized targets well past 100 yards. I broke it. Or it was already almost broken? A Pietta replica would still be firing!
There are other considerations. The original Sig P210 is terribly expensive at well over two thousand dollars. A new engraved P 210 C is about $1500; not cheap, but it makes more sense. It outshoots the original in my hands and features a superior safety. Then there are the many affordable Taurus revolvers. Prices for proletarian snub .38s of the 1960s are over the top for what you get. Heritage offers the Roscoe, which is a great shooter — not in myth but in present fact!
Before you plunk down hard-earned cash or overload the plastic, take a look at alternatives. You just may find that a safe with a 1911A1, SAA, Hi-Power, and .357 Magnum is more within reach than ever. Ammunition prices are getting better as well. Go out and fling brass so that it “kerchings” across the range like pennies in a collection plate. It works for me.
