Rant and Rave Against Previous Owner

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I purchased a used Colt’s SAA recently for a real good price. Nothing pretty, just a 4 3/4” .45 blued and case hardened. Somebody before me filed down the hammer full cock notch so that the trigger is too light. The last time I had the Colt’s factory replace a hammer it was $250.00.

The local gunsmith is real good and said he thought he could weld and recut the notch on the hammer.

I wish the previous owner wouldn’t have filed it down. This trigger is so light I had an accidental discharge with it at a match last summer. Pure dumb luck I hit the target. Haven’t shot it since.

Waiting for the gunsmith to give me the come and get it calll.

[Love Life]

Dang.

Whenever I look to purchase a used gun, and the owner talks of having enhanced it, I immediately offer 50% of asking price. Talk about hurting feelings, lol. I offer the same if the gun has been smithed by an unnamable gunsmith and there is no contact information and/or paperwork showing work done.

To many people with hungry dremels, good intentions, and bad execution, lol.

[sniper]

I feel your pain! Hopefully, your 'smith will do a good job for you, and you can enjoy your gun!

[Walks]

What's it cost for a new hammer ?
I have a full parts set (sn# marked) for each of the 2 COLTS, I spent 20+ years shooting in Cowboy Action. Each set fitted & resting in an oily Plactic bag. My other COLTS (3) have hammer,triggers & bolts fitted and waiting. With 5 sets of hammer & bolt springs.

My DAD did Fast Draw in the 1950's-'60's. So I was raised to have spare parts handy for COLT SAA'S & 1911'S & S&W'S .

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Numrich Arms lists hammers for $145.00. Not currently available, of course. The factory told me hammers should be fitted at the factory. I’m confident my gunsmith would have no problem fitting a hammer.

[nicholst55]

Dang.

Whenever I look to purchase a used gun, and the owner talks of having enhanced it, I immediately offer 50% of asking price. Talk about hurting feelings, lol. I offer the same if the gun has been smithed by an unnamable gunsmith and there is no contact information and/or paperwork showing work done.

To many people with hungry dremels, good intentions, and bad execution, lol.

I totally agree. I have had especially bad luck with 1911s that have had 'trigger jobs' done. I immediately deduct the cost of a hammer and sear whenever I hear those words.

[Guesser]

Email Frank Glenn in Phoenix and talk to Jack First in Rapid City

[lar45]

Could you stone or file the notch deeper instead of welding on it? Im not familiar with the shape of the SAA hammer, but did a similar job on a JP Saur single action 357 that the previous owner had cut it down way too far.
That one had a big problem with not firing when you pulled the trigger. If you pulled the trigger hard all the way back then it would fire, but if you pulled it just enough to drop the hammer then it might fire or not. It turned out that the hammer's half cock notch was bouncing on the trigger on the way down and lost most of it's energy. I ended up stoning down the outside of the half cock notch so that it would clear the trigger. It works great now and haven't had any problems with it since. I picked that one up super cheap. I don't know if the shop knew about the problem or not. They said that the barrel was shot out, so I got it for $125. It just needed a serious cleaning.

[Tackleberry41]

Would think a gun thats been made so long a hammer would be cheaper and easier to get.

Not always due to bubba. I had an old SA 22 revolver, put 2 hammers and a trigger in it. Did not take much to break the ledge off.

[salpal48]

Let the Buyer Beware

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Would think a gun thats been made so long a hammer would be cheaper and easier to get.

Not always due to bubba. I had an old SA 22 revolver, put 2 hammers and a trigger in it. Did not take much to break the ledge off.

The gunsmith said that due to the hammer reaching a full arc when cocked he may be able to just cut the notch deeper but no promises about the future are made at this time.

The full cock notch on a Colt’s SAA does not have ledge like the half cock notch.

The Colt’s SAA was made before unions during a time when skilled manual labor was state of art.

The photo is from Jerry Kuhnhausen’s “The Colt Single Action Revolver A Shop Manual”

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Let the Buyer Beware

This Colt’s was added to my herd of a dozen or so Colt’s SAA’s. I can afford to have one in surgery and still saddle up with a full brace -plus.

Let the buyer beware. When acquiring a firearm central to your collection like a SAA or a 1911, my advice to buy new and get one good one up and running. After that you can dink around with “deals” and goofy custom jobs as subsequent additions to one’s collection.

We had an officer get a 1911 used and the hammer spur had been filed down too short, that gun was in the shop for months before it got on duty.

[Murphy]

Colt SSA's have just never truly appealed to me that strongly. Which, I guess is a good thing in a way because I can afford more S&W's.

As for previous owners having had them 'worked on', I am truly leery of them. I hit the auction sites fairly often and nothing will cause me to move on to the next gun faster than seeing buggered up screw heads. A sure sign 'someone' has been inside of the gun.

Murphy

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I have a longing for Smith L frames and N frames but their grips just don’t compute in my hand. Smith’s have a lot going for them such as multiple frame sizes, but I’m stuck hooked on Colt’s.

[Walks]

I got all my parts from Peacemaker Specialists more then 25yrs ago. had them fitted by One of the First Cowboy Gunsmiths. I don't think I paid more then $250.00 for ALL parts and the Hand work.

Peacemaker Specialists ( or John Kopec ) offered complete replacement part kits. I bought 2 for the Guns I used and add'l Hammer/Trigger sets and springs for COLT'S I had, and planned to buy.

I had no Idea parts prices had gone up so fast.

Sometimes I feel as though I was born to hold a COLT Single Action Army in MY Hand. And Fire it Often.

[Char-Gar]

I have been around this gun stuff for a very long time. I learned decades ago, never to buy a gun which has been modified or customized....never. It must be in factory trim before I will even consider the purchase.

[9.3X62AL]

I have been around this gun stuff for a very long time. I learned decades ago, never to buy a gun which has been modified or customized....never. It must be in factory trim before I will even consider the purchase.

Yessir--Bubba is alive, well, and he reproduces at will.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I paid $899.00 for the gun, I could have the factory install a new hammer and come out ahead. I’m really not complaining about my plight, only that someone would file down a hammer inside a Colt’s.

I read where Wyatt Earp said the men on the frontier would file down the “dog” on their Colt’s to slick up the action. Bat Masterson had ordered 3 Colt’s from the factory while working the frontier and I have wondered if he didn’t wreck the Colt’s he had by filing them down inside the action.

[dubber123]

I have no issues with a properly done trigger job. Most of mine are set to right around 2 pounds, but have a few set lower.

[David LaPell]

Sadly I'm afraid we're liable to see more of these Bubba guns. I know this because of some of these online so called gunsmithing courses. My nephew took one, it cost him $1,000 to take it through one of these colleges. He showed me the course curriculum, the first ten courses were nothing more than the description of various firearms, lever action rifles, bolt action rifles, pistols, revolvers, etc. Nothing on how to work on them, just what they were. Each one of those cost $70 to learn. In the end he has a certificate, they sent him a screwdriver set like the ones Walmart sells, and he has no idea how to mount so much as a scope, let alone how to do any real work. There's a lot of those going around now sadly, instead of real machinists classes and gunsmith classes that are hands on, they have some of these so called online courses where hardly anything is taught and then you have these guys who think they are gunsmiths working on peoples' guns.