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]

230967
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.

[charlie b]

Well, I am one who has tried to do trigger work (on a 1911 with spare hammers). And, yes, I have messed them up. I have also had some good ones.

In the 'old days' there were books on gunsmith and pistol smith work. The pistol books had good descriptions of how to work on sears to get smoother/lighter triggers. It was all about angles and making jigs to do the work accurately (and a very good stone). The book I used specifically described working on Colt SAA and 1911 hammers.

It is easy to see where someone might take a stone to their gun. Go to a shoot and hear everyone talk about how their pistols have been 'fixed' up. They try it, mess it up, then find out how expensive a replacement is. Put it up for sale.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I’m no gunsmith but when Bubba wants to file where a $30 trigger meets a $250 hammer, he ought to know to file on the cheaper part.

[Whiterabbit]

it doesn't work that way on a SA.

Have you considered just a heavier trigger return spring, to bring trigger weight up and theoretically the safety?

[JoeJames]

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.A thing I just read this weekend had some very good advcse: when considering buying a used revolver, check the screws. If the screw heads are kind of marred or had other indications of being messed around with leave it alone. Don't buy it. That was not so much concerning appearance; but rather an indicator that it had been "customized or modified". And in my experience such was not done by a qualified gunsmith, but more than likely by Bubba.

[JoeJames]

it doesn't work that way on a SA.

Have you considered just a heavier trigger return spring, to bring trigger weight up and theoretically the safety?Test the trigger weight without the trigger return spring - just measure the friction weight. And then if the trigger weight is less than 2 pounds or so by itself, it is plumb dangerous.

[ATCDoktor]

I’m all about a gun owner having his guns “his way” but sometimes the customization/bubbafication defies logic.

Take this Smith & Wesson Model 48 .22 magnum for instance:
https://i.postimg.cc/WzWNFdn0/96511463-F21-A-4027-A87-D-39033-A0-FAEA7.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/8ktPnYSs/DDC54-C3-E-AB5-D-49-A5-B55-F-DC57-B25-C41-CE.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/NMtfWqF2/3-BE24-F8-C-7-F12-4-A75-B4-A6-2199-D4-C59-F33.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/8cPkzRh1/CFA1-F987-1-B40-4-D01-ACFA-DA2-CB6-AAFB7-E.jpg[/url

[url=https://postimages.org/]https://i.postimg.cc/gJKkpSLS/DF12-EA4-A-75-C7-47-FB-A9-B2-EA983-C71-CBCD.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

I’m not really sure why the original owner went through the trouble of having the case hardening “jeweled” off the hammer and trigger.

Maybe he found it visually appealing, (I don’t know) but what really has me wondering is why he went through the trouble of having the rear of the cylinder jeweled as well.

The modifications don’t bother me (I wouldn’t have bought it if they did) but I do often wonder what the original owner was thinking when he had it done.

Replacing the hammer and trigger (in an attempt to get it “correct”) would be easy but sorting out the jeweling on the cylinder would be a bit involved.

The best thing about it was the price, I bought it about 3 years ago for $375.00 and it’s been a very good shooter.

The jeweling on the hammer and trigger do not help nor hinder operation (the contact surfaces/sear engagement were not jeweled) and the gun has been totally reliable (as long as I clean out under the extractor star with a toothbrush every 5 or 6 cylinders fired).

[wildcatter]

[QUOTE=Silver Jack Hammer;4513010]230967

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

Thank God for unions and trained craftsman! I will take the precision and the craftsmanship of the Freedom Arms today over any Colt from even 100 years ago when it comes to state of the art skilled craftsman,, the old Colts hold some nostalgia, but not a candle to the Freedom Arms revolver, and that is what you are comparing to today. Back then Colt was your best option today the Fredom arms 83 or 97 will be around and doing their jobs for more rounds than them old Colts would even have thought about!!

Your issue has nothing to do skilled craftsman of today who are far superior to the craftsman and materials of yesterday, let alone gunsmiths, it is with some idiot who who has busier fingers than he has brains! Today if I wanted more than nostalgia I would, and do own Freedom Arms, Rugers, BFR's, all before I would go for the Colt when it comes to performance and reliability for the long haul! Thanks God for Unions,, they make sure the rest have standards to meet!

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Whoa there Wildcatter. I was referring to the often made comment that the Colt’s was designed to be built by hand fitting parts compared to today’s guns which are designed to be built at union wages. Labor was cheaper in the 1870’s. There were no CNC machines in the 1870’s. This comment is often made when comparing Colt’s to Rugers types. The Ruger types were designed to be manufactured with a minimum amount of hands on time because wages are so much higher now.

I was shooting a Luger with a friend who is a gunsmith and talked about the cost of manufacturing a Luger at today’s union wages. Would be prohibitive.

I and others on this thread have referred to the guy with the file as Bubba. Not a skilled craftsmen, anything but. Neither does what Bubba did to this Colt’s I’ve got reflect on the manufacturer.

Finally referring to your comment about the reliability of the Colt’s. I have been shooting Colt’s for almost 40 years, own almost a dozen of them and have lots of friends who also own a lot of Colt’s SAA’s and shoot them a lot in less than favorable conditions. I’ve heard it said the Colt’s are fragile and prone to breakage. I haven’t seen any of these breakages. I’ve tried to break Colt’s by shooting them hard with full loads racking the hammer in non too gentle manner and shooting them without cleaning. I haven’t seen any of this fragileness. I probably put a couple of 100 rounds through Colt’s a week during the spring, summer and fall. Less in the winter A leaf mainspring goes about 20 years before breaking. I’ve replaced a couple of the trigger springs. These parts are cheap and easy to replace. When I was a peace officer I replaced springs as part of regular maintenance on my duty guns but I could run my Colt’s to failure since they are not duty guns. Colt’s fail not because their are fragile, which they are not, but because Bubba’s get ahold of them.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

My gunsmith said the hammer could not be repaired without spending more man hours than it would cost to buy a new one. The search for a new hammer hasn’t been successful and I’m getting ready to send the pistol into the manufacturer.

[smkummer]

There are some SAA specific gunsmiths. I have a Bisley that I bought for what you paid, but it only had 3 clicks. I sent both the hammer and trigger to Dave Lanara in OH. Both the trigger and hammer needed welds, $100 later my Bisley 38 WCF is within specs. davelanaracolts.com. Good luck

Remember you only need to send the parts, not the gun so you don’t have to pay the high shipping.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

The hammer is a part that factory says needs to be fitted. I bought a used Colt’s SAA with a busted hammer rivet. I sent the hammer into the factory for new riveting of the firing pin. The Colt’s factory did the work and sent the hammer back to me. It broke again. Of course it broke after I had arrived at a 2 day match which was a 5 hours drive from my home. I sent the gun into the factory with a letter explaining what had happened and they fixed it. This was 20 years ago and that pistol has been running reliably ever since.

I like to buy new but every now and then a used gun shows up at a price I can’t refuse. Then my palms gets sweaty and my heart starts to pound and I know I’m toast, I’m gunna buy it. I have plenty of reliability running Colt’s to dink around with project guns.

[salvadore]

I had a saa that had a scary trigger pull. This was 30+ years ago, anyway I bought one of the gunsmith videos for that shooter. I don't remember the drill, but no sear filing anyway, I was the able to adjust the trigger pull to a safe weight. I doubt I still have the vhs tape or even a vcr. I believe the procedure increased sear engagement.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

And of course the Colt’s factory is closed until January 2nd.