Recently I've been heavily interested in Cap and Ball revolvers, but they have their limitations. It would be nice to have a dedicated black powder cartridge gun so I started looking at Colts and they are darn expensive as you already know.
From what I gather, the EMF Pietta Great Western 2 line of guns is the closest thing to a Colt while still being affordable. I can't pay 2K for an STD gun. So, that's my first option.
Option number two would be to get a conversion cylinder for my 1857 Remington. It's slower to load and unload but that's not a big deal. The appeal of a metallic cartridge to me would be the added reliability and waterproofing.
3rd option would be to get a 38 S&W top break. It would be a new caliber so I'd need to buy dies and brass, but these little things are cool and not crazy expensive for an original.
What do you guys recommend?