A. Uberti's
Cattleman
(.45 Colt)
If there's an iconic (albeit largely fictitious) image of the Old
West, it has to be that
of a lawman standing on a dirt street facing down a surley
opponent with guns drawn. In all probabilty, these guns would
have been the Colt 1873 SAA. Designed, as the name implies, as
an Army service revolver, this pistol changed the way we look
at firearms forever. Known by many names, including
"equalizer," "hog leg" (sometimes spelled
"hawg"), generically a "fourty-five", or
"plowhandle," the most popular monachre for this
pistol is, of course, the "Peacemaker" although it
was also known in the factory as the model "P." It was not
the first cartridge revolver
by any means (Smith & Wesson's model 1 using .22 rimfire
was actually developed 15 years earlier and the self
contained cartridge had been conceived of even before that)
but it was the first practical design to really catch the
attention of the public. Both light and simple, the Colt
revolver quickly garnered attention in many circles.
First built in 1871, formally adopted late in 1872 (resulting
in it occassionally being incorrectly refered to as the 1872
SAA), but not issued until 1873, this pistol became a favorite
with soldiers and civilians alike. Standard barrel lengths
were initially 7 1/2, 5 1/2, and 4 3/4 inches identified as the
cavalry, artillary, and what was termed the civilian model. Other
barrel lengths were offered on pocket models as well as custom
pistols so this weapon may be found with barrels ranging
anywhere from about three inches all the way up to the
so-called "Buntline Specials" having barrels of 10
inches or longer and most often being accompanied by a
detachable shoulder stock.
Between 1873 and 1893, over 35,000 Colt pistols were purchased
by the army, mostly for the cavalry and militia units. From the
outset, the new army pistol was also marketed to the public
and in order to further capitalize on the civilian market
which had come to greatly appreciate the capabilities of the
new Colt pistol, in 1877 Colt introduced what was
perhaps the most famous variant of this arm, what they termed
the "Frontier Six-Shooter" and was typically marked
as such on the barrel. Chambered in .44-40, the
same cartridge that Winchester used in their famed lever
action rifle, this meant that a settler or rancher only had to
carry one cartridge for both weapons. In my oppinion, it was
this pairing that probably led to both arms being around for
so long.
While both the factory
and an untold number of gunsmiths made custom alterations to
these pistols, supplying them in a myriad of calibers,
when all was said and done, the most popular chamberings, in
order, were .32-20, .38-40, .44-40, and the .45 Colt which
accounted for almost half of total production. Of the
lesser chamberings, the most notable is the .41 Colt,
accounting for an estimated 5% of total production. But the
.45 in addition to being the most popular was also the
original chambering and since for me this is a
sample of history, that's what I looked for. Eventually,
I want to pick up a 7 1/2 inch .44-40 but that will have to
wait for another time. With prices of first generation Colt
revolvers reaching five figures in some cases, it is unlikely
that I will ever be able add one of these great originals to
my collection.
So why was the Colt so popular when there were so many other
weapons out there such as the Smith & Wesson, the recent
cartridge conversions, Starr, Remington, and other lesser pistols?
Well, concensus seems to be that many of these pistols,
while servicable and otherwise very
excellent arms, seemed to be somewhat delicate and had rather
tight tollerances or were just plain complicated to build and
operate. When speaking of reliability, most commentary seems
to focus on the S&Ws, fairly or not. This is quite
probably due to the fact that among the military, the Smith
& Wesson pistol was the chief rival of the Colt
revolvers and therefore received more attention than the other
models available.
The criticism of the Smith & Wesson pistols held that they
were good designs and in some ways perhaps technically
superior to the Colt design, but were also more easily damaged and
prone to rapidly diminishing function from fouling or improper
maintenance. The Colt pistols, on the other hand, quickly
gained a reputation for being able to take pretty well
whatever treatment they were given and keep on
functioning. As it is with any business, rugged reliability
proved key to making this arm a success. As an aside, it
should be noted that the tight tolerances spoken of are
actually a sign of precision manufacturing and speaks pretty
well for the quality control of Smith & Wesson, however,
in this application those same tolerenaces could also be
viewed as poor engineering. (Not allowing sufficient
clearances on exposed parts prone to collecting dirt, etc.)
Still, the Smith & Wesson was good enough to also be
purchased by the government, though not in the same quantities
that the Colt was.
Some confusion seems to arise surrounding the monachre,
"Peacemaker". Various writers use this term rather
freely and even those who can be called authorities on the
subject of the Colt 1873 SAA often mix the usage of this
term. For instance, Charles Edward Chapel writes in his
book, Guns of the Old West,
Colt Model [1873], also called the Peacemaker, and the
Frontier Model
and in the very same paragraph,
The standard barrel lengths were 7.5 inches for most
revolvers, including the Cavalry Model and Peacemaker...
So in the same breath, he uses the term Peacemaker to refer
to all Colt 1873 revolvers yet also references a specific
configuration as though a Peacemaker were a particular variant
of the Colt SAA revolver. To further confuse the issue, just a
couple of paragraphs later, Chapel makes
reference to an image of a Buntline Special he observes to
have "true 'Peacemaker' characteristics"
Consequently, where the term "Peacemaker" originated
and what properties it is intended to describe is quite
difficult to ascertain. It is most probable that this derrives
from one of the nicknames applied to Samuel Colt by those who
were fond of his designs. John Parsons in his
book The Peacemaker and its Rivals
states that the first appearance of this name in connection
with the Model "P" was by the firm B. Kittredge
& Co. as well as others in the earliest advertisements for
this arm. A reproduction of one of these adterizements is
printed inside the front and back covers of his book. So this
name was not something that was applied over time, it was used
right from the get-go.
Often you
will see writers describing virtually any 1873 SAA pattern as
a Peacemaker and many have accepted this as the correct usage
of the term. However, from my own research, it seems that
there are two schools of thought here. Some writers, as noted,
call them all Peacemakers while others seem to agree in principle
that a true Peacemaker is defined by at least two
items: first to guns chambered in .45 Colt (Parsons' writing
supports this), and then generally only to guns posessing a 7
1/2 inch barrel.
For example, the pocket or so-called "storekeeper"
models, because of their short barrels, would not qualify for
this designation. A very few pistols are also known to have
been altered to include a birdshead style grip. These custom
pistols, while interesting, would likewise not be properly
classified as a Peacemaker. As to which deffinition is
correct, I don't have enough information to
make a call with certainty one way or the other but I
personally lean towards the latter of the two. But among
those that I have seen use this description, what more
specific characteristics might be used to further delineate
this classification are less generally agreed upon.
Type: |
Single-Action Revolver |
Caliber: |
.45 Colt |
Capacity: |
6 |
Barrel Length: |
4 3/4 in. |
Overall Length: |
10 1/2 in. |
Weight: |
apx 33 oz. |
Sights: |
Blade Front, Channel Rear |
Finish: |
Blue |
MSRP: |
$519 |
So successful was the design of this pistol that production
continued for nearly 70 years. When Colt finaly did decide to
retire that model in 1941, it was really a result of sales
that had been falling
for some time from factors including more powerful cartridges being
used in military circles such as the .45 ACP, law enforcement and
public adoption of the .38 special as the principle defensive
cartridge, and the fact that the equipment used to produce
these was just old and wearning out with quality suffering as
a result. But the final straw was the changeover to war time
production as a result of WWII.
The Colt SAA was not dead, however. (Quite probably, the Colt
1873 SAA and especially the .45 Colt cartridge have been
declared dead more times than Elvis.) Nostalgia for the old
pistol arose through the new medium of television, giving
another generation of Americans the chance to grow up with the
old "B" Westerns and contemporary horse operas in
the form of the television serial. Seeing all their television
heros spinning their revolvers and performing impossible feats
of marksmakship restored interest in this
pistol. In 1956, sensing an opportunity to capitalize on this
nostalgia as well as satisfying the demand from Hollywood for
pistols for use in the film and television productions of the
day, Colt began manufacturing a second generation of the SAA
but this production was
nowhere near the original quality and it finaly ceased in 1974
with the last two years of production apparently being from
leftover parts and pieces.
But the nostalgia continued even after production ceased and
in 1976, Colt began producing a third generation revolver
which remains in production to this day. It should be noted,
though, that these are not merely replicas of the
original. Certain items have been updated and various safety
features incorporated. The current generation of SAA revolvers
is a modern gun built for modern times under modern laws. But
lets also not forget that Cowboy Action Shooting is a major
factor in the popularity of this pistol and as such, a nod to
historical accuracy is also given in their production.
As indicated, second generation Colts and even the early
production third generation pistols are not generally looked
on favorably from a quality standpoint for various reasons
that I, not being an authoritative source, will not deign to
get into. However, current generation revolvers are viewed
as being quality arms and generally worth the investment. Most
who hold a fondness for the first generation Colts will say
that these do not shoot nearly as well as the originals and
that may indeed be true but such views are often tainted with
personal sentiment for one of the greatest guns in history so
must be taken in that light.
Aldo Uberti's pistols
Of course, Colt's war-time cesation of production of first
generation pistols, the problems with the second generation Colt
pistols as well as the continuing public interest in westerns
and western arms allowed an opening for other makers to get
into the game. Among many who started producing pistols at
various times was Aldo Uberti. Long fascinated by
the history of America and particularly the American West, Uberti
started out in 1959 by making replicas of Civil War arms
directed towards the reenactors. In the 1950s, with Colt no
longer manufacturing the real thing (prior to 1956, of
course), several replica makers began sending their wares to
the United States to support the market created by the
Spaghetti Westerns and the escalating price of the genuine
article. Initially, these were of dubious quality with poor
finishes (the very term "Italian replica" became
something of a dimminuitive expression) but as time progressed
and these makers got more experience, quality began to improve
and things only got better from there.
Currently, Uberti's arms are considered among the best quality
arms, rivaling not only all the other replicas but the
modern guns as well. While Aldo Uberti is no longer with us,
having passed on in 1998, his company produces a wide
variety of western replicas for all tastes in a whole host of
finishes, chamberings, and styles. Uberti's website presently
lists 58 versions of this revolver on sale. Chamberings
include .45 Colt, .44-40 and .357 magnum in each of the three
standard barrel lengths. Finishes include nickel, stainless
steel, blue, charcoal blue, color case-hardened, a matte
finish, and more recently, their Old West finish (a finish
designed to give the appearance of a 125 year old pistol that
actually carries it off pretty well.) I had seen some reviews
of this Old West finish and they spoke very highly of it but
did not personally run across one until recently and I can now
say the reviews weren't lying. This is a very attractive
finish.
Some of these finishes are complete coverings (such as nickel
or stainless steel) but naturally most are used in combination
with each other with some models also having brass
furniture. Likewise, various factory fitted grips are
available from one piece walnut, to checkered synthetic, to
immitation ivory and mother of pearl. Uberti's website also designates
several of these combinations with their own monachre
including thing such as "Cattleman Chisolm",
"Cattleman Hombre", and "Cattleman Frisco"
to name a few.
These revolvers are quite affordable and as a result of their
price and inherent quality have become some of the more
popular pistols for Cowboy shooting but Uberti's website
reminds us that these are not merely good looking toys, they
were built to be used. They're just at home in the field with
full house loads as well as on the line of a fast draw
competition, firing wax bullets.
My purchase was somewhat spur of the moment. I was in one of
my favorite gun shops, Guns,
Etc, in 2007 and saw a used basic .45 colt with a 4 3/4
inch barrel in the display case for what I considered a bit of
a steal. This gun was obtained by them as part of an estate sale
so I was happy to be able to place it in my own collection in
tribute to whomever had owned it before me since it was quite
obvious that this gun had been appreciated for what it was and
while it was well cared for, it was also obvious that it had been
fired quite a bit. The exterior of the pistol was in
excellent condition and the mechanism functions well enough,
although there are indications of wear as you draw the hammer
back, a distinct cylinder ring, and somewhat greater
than desirable cylinder play. On
full inspection, once I had it home, I found that the
cleaning had been somewhat less than thorough and had to knock
out a ring of powder residue from each of the chambers but
otherwise, the gun seemed to be in great shape with no dings
or scratches visible.
This pistol incorporates every significant feature of the
first generation Colt design, including the hammer mounted
firing pin which I personally think makes the hammer and the
whole pistol look a lot better when looking at someone holding
this gun, narrow trigger, leaf mainspring, and straight
cylinder pin with spring release. Uberti also
supplies what they call "Old Model" pistols with a
screw retainer in place of the spring lock on the cylinder
pin, as a nod to the earlier production SAA Colts before the
design was changed to the spring retainer beginning about
number 153,000.
My pistol, as I indicated, is a pretty basic gun with a blued
finish, color case-hardened frame, steel backstrap and trigger
guard, and one-piece walnut grips which are pretty well fitted
to the frame with only very slight misalignments most notably
on the forward edges. Although
functioning acceptably, as stated earlier, you can clearly see
a pretty well defined cylinder ring forming. Additionally,
after having used it in a few shooting sessions and getting
more accustomed to this revolver and revolvers in general, I
have now noticed that I can feel the cylinder skip or hesitate
on occassion. In order to prevent unnecessary wear on the
pistol and the cylinder, I do think a trip to the gunsmith is
in order before too much longer.
Performance
For reasons I can't quite figure, the original military
cartridge was designed around a 230 grain bullet with 28
grains of powder whereas the commercial load held 35 to 40
grains. Why the army would not want more power behind their
rounds when many of the other revolvers submitted for
evaluation were criticized for their weak cartridges, I do not
know. Parons lists the relative muzzle velocities
of the service load as 733 fps as opposed to 890 fps with
commercial cartridges loaded with 37.6 grains of power. This
translates to 274 ft-lbs of energy vs 404. That's 47% more
energy in the commercial cartridge. While this had notably
more recoil, a faster bullet will also tend to have a flatter
trajectory and will therefore be easier to aim. Likewise, the
additional energy will mean a longer effective range which
itself was a criticism of other cartridges.
Today, many of the commercially available cartridges for the
.45 Colt pistol are loaded based on
the Single Action Shooting
Society (SASS) standards. These standards
hold that the velocity of these loads should be between 400
and 1000 fps. This certainly allows for some pretty hefty
cartridges but you'll not likely find them at your local
market. There are two reasons for this. First, many of the
competition shooters deliberately want lighter loads so recoil
is reduced. This helps them recover faster for the next shot
since the muzzle is not being thrown all over the place and
the pistol is not shifting in their hands. However, it is the
second reason, in my oppinion, that is perhaps the more
notable. Wanting to err on the conservative side thanks
to liability concerns reinforced by direct statements from the
SASS handbook that "Shooters may be held responsible for
damage caused to a target or injury to personnel due to bounce
back because of inappropriate ammunition", factory
loads don't usually come anywhere near the maximum and indeed
are closer to the original military load in velocity and power
than they are to the commercial Bridgeport load. There are faster
loads out there but perusing the shelves at my local stores
has typically left me disappointed. Still, I get by.
This is no criticism of SASS, by the way. It's not really even a
statement against the ammunition makers. These folks are
running a business and to stay in business, they have to make
a profit. This minor requirement means that they're only going
to produce what they can sell, preferably in quantity. Consequently,
rounds being loaded are being loaded to satisfy the demand for
competition and in competition, close range targets
are the norm. One must also remember that today's society is such
that if you can be construed as being even partly responsible for
an injury or damage, you get a lawsuit. So we end up with the
majority of rounds being loaded to the minimum necessary to
get the bullet downrange. I just find it mildly irritating
that there are not a few more commercial offerings meant for
performance instead of competition.
Black Hills 250gr
|
641.1 | 21.5 | 228 | 1.8 |
Winchester 250gr
|
643.1 | 31.0 | 230 | 2.5 |
Magtech 250gr
|
732.8 | 32.5 | 298 | 2.1 |
GOEX Black Dawge 235gr
|
795.7 | 7.3 | 330 | 2.5 |
For my tests, I obtained four boxes of shells. The first three
of these were Cowboy loads from Winchester, Magtech, and Black
Hills all 250gr. The fourth was a more recent offering,
GOEX Black Dawge cartridges with 235gr slugs. These last
rounds are loaded with replica black powder for those who wish
to get a sense of the original without the additional effort
of loading their own.
As you can see, velocities varied considerably. I was both
surprised and quite pleased when I fired the Blawk Dawge rounds.
These were quite obviously more powerfully loaded
shells than the others. Having spent more than enough time
shooting the usual lightly loaded offerings, it was actually
surprising to feel the pistol jump from the recoil –
surprising, but imminently pleasing. Having a fondness for
black powder, it was amusing to me that these were also the
most consistant of the bunch. It should be remembered as well
that out of a 7 1/2 inch barrel, these velocities would likely
have been five to ten percent higher, putting the GOEX load at
between 835 and 875 fps. Still, these do not quite replicate
the old commercial loads (close, but not quite) so if that's
what you're after, handloading is the way to go.
After taking velocity measurements, I set out to see what kind
of patterns I could cut with these. Normally, when I print
patterns on paper with pistols, I do so from a standing
position with no additional support. But when it comes to
handguns, I'm a bit inconsistant. For these tests, I really
wanted to see just what the gun was capable of and opted to
fire from a bag rest at my target set out to 30 feet.
The design may be old, but it still performs superbly.
Top honors go to the Black Hills rounds, coming in at a mere
1.8 in. All the rounds performed well and I suspect if I
had been a bit more careful, I could have gotten the
Winchester and GOEX rounds under 2 in. also.
On a whim, I aimed my revolver a little further afield and
took a few pot shots at the 200 yard gong and loaded up some
more of the Magtech rounds. The first few shots, pretty well
as expected, did nothing more than toss up a cloud of dust
near the top of the 100 yard burm. The next two shots impacted
a bit low and behind the gong. About 18 rounds later, the
revolver was getting pretty gummed up and didn't want to cycle
so well. I managed to hit all around that target but never quite
could zero in on it before calling it quits. Perhaps this
signals a project for future outings!
Before leaving this topic, I've mentioned several times how
eventually I fully intend to start handloading for this
revolver. One important note about the various pistols out
there is that there is a significant variance in frame
strength. The original pistols are best used with black
powder only. First generation Colts of later manufacture had
been suitably strengthened for use with smokeless power but if
you are not certain what period yours was made in, go with
black powder (and it would probably not be a bad idea to
lighten the load if you're firing a $10,000 pistol.) For
today's pistols, recall that strength means increased price
and manufacturing costs. Therefore, many of the replica
pistols will not stand up as well as a pistol specifically
designed for those who seem to want to see just how much it
takes to stretch a frame or blow up a cylinder. This is
especially true over time. Do not assume that all replicas
fall into this category but as a general rule, it's the safer
bet. So before you go trying to put full house loads into your
gun, make sure it's rated for it.
Final Thoughts
The old model P was introduced more than 135 years ago during
the days of the Old West. Even though this encompassed
a period of only a few short decades
extending from roughly 1865 to just after the turn of the
century, just over 35 years, those years have
become perhaps one of the most culturally significant period
in our nation's history. More than 100 years since the sun set
on that era, the Old West is still being celebrated in novels,
films, television productions, music, and poetry. Ask anyone
to picture a sheriff, marshal, cowboy, or outlaw from that
period and they almost inevitable picture a man standing on a
dusty street, wearing a Colt 1873 Single Action Army
revolver. This pistol was so well liked that it has become an
icon for the Old West.
Pretty well daily, somewhere cowboy action shooters gather to relive a
little piece of this history. Participants eagerly dress the
part (even if not required to do so, many still would), grab
their leather, and strap on their revolvers. Many of these are
designs passed down from the iconic Colt pistol. At these
matches, on occassion, one may even encounter a first
generation pistol still in service after all these many years,
now filling a somewhat different role from what it was
originally designed for, but still faithfully serving its
owner nonetheless.
A different kind of cloudy day.
Like so many others, I doubt
that I'll ever be able to afford a first generation Colt. For
us, having a faithful replica becomes important. If we can't
get the original in our collection, then a replica as true as
we can get is the next best thing. The Uberti pistols may
differ in the specific details on some parts but these
deviations are generally something that can be ignored by most
every day users. Even collectors seeking an affordable
specimen pretty well faithful to the originals can usually
find a replica they will be happy with. Not forgetting, of
course, that a big advantage of a replica is that you don't
have to think about the cost of the gun every time you pull
the trigger.
Uberti has given us an attractive and functional pistol. With
the success of their Cattleman series, they have continued to
expand their line and currently offer 15 different variations
with multiple barrel lengths and grips. Some of
these guns I have seen on display at the local shops and I
must admit that with the exception of the matte black finish
(I'm sorry, I can't help it... it just looks awful),
I find the majority of pistols I have seen to be quite
attractive. While most generally intended for Cowboy Action
Shooting, remember that one of the chamberings offered is the
(relatively) powerful .357 magnum. To be able to handle this
cartridge safely, the gun has to be strong.
My Cattleman revolver may not be exactly new but it wouldn't
take much to return it to like new condition. It feels good in
the hands, shoots well, and looks good to boot. The Colt
Peacemaker is an important piece of American heritage. It may
sound cliche but in a very real sense, having this pistol in
my collection honestly has helped me to connect with that part
of history. It is a shame that factory rounds are so expensive
because this gun is just a joy to shoot.
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