Men of a certain age, like me, grew up in the ’50s and ’60s. Our values were formed in a era when honor, courage, integrity, and self-reliance were important, and I think a big part of those values were formed by what we watched on TV. Today, television shows are mostly mindless drivel centered on pop culture (an oxymoron if ever there was one) and the so-called reality genre. We were way luckier:
The stars of those ’50s and ’60s shows were folks who knew the difference between right and wrong, and we received a steady stream of 30-minute morality injections several times every week as a consequence of watching them. It seemed to work. It was a good time to be a kid.
The other stars in those early Westerns were the horses and guns. I never had any interest in owning a horse, but the steady emphasis on six-shooters and leverguns instilled a lasting fascination with firearms in many of us. A Colt .45 Single Action Army figured in nearly every episode (in fact, you can see this iconic firearm in several of the photos above). It’s no small wonder that sixguns still sell well in the US.
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Today, the prices of Colt Single Action Army revolvers are through the roof, but there are a number of companies that offer exact replicas built in Italy at far more reasonable prices. A few years ago, when I saw this Taylor and Company “tuned” Single Action Army at my local gun shop, I was a goner. To borrow a phrase, I pulled the trigger.
The Taylor is an exact copy of the Colt Single Action Army, it’s chambered in .45 Colt, and Taylor’s “tuned” descriptor means the revolver has a trigger and action job to slick up the internals. The trigger is under two pounds, it’s crisp, and the gun feels perfect in every way. There’s just something about a single action sixgun that feels right. This one is beautiful and it has everything that floats my boat: A brass grip frame, a color case hardened receiver, and high polish bluing everywhere else. The .45 Colt chambering is perfect, too. It’s a fun cartridge to reload and shoot, and it’s accurate.
The first day I went to the range with my new Single Action Army sixgun, I knew it was going to be a good morning. On the dirt road leading to the range, I saw a bobcat. We were both surprised. He looked at me and I looked at him, and then the cat leisurely walked across the road and disappeared into the brush. It was a good sign. I’ve seen bobcats here in California three or four times in the last 30 years and seeing one on my way to the range that morning was a special treat.
My .45 Single Action Army groups well with every load I tested. It particularly likes Trail Boss propellant and cast bullets (the two groups with arrows were with this powder). The gun shoots exactly to point of aim (I used a 6:00 o’clock hold on the targets above), and the spread you see in the groups is almost certainly more the result of my old hands and eyes than the gun or the load. If you’ve ever wondered how good the Italian replica Single Action Army handguns are, my results indicate they are fine firearms.
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The Ruger Vaquero is another good copy of the Colt Army, IMHO
Agreed. I saw a stainless one a few weeks ago with a high polish finish. It was stunning. So many guns, so little time…
I never thought that the TV programs I watched as a youth had that much effect on me. But I think you did nail it in that we all were given little morality lessons in half hour installments once a week. Between Wyatt Earp and Maverick we were always exposed to men who has you say knew right from wrong and were self-reliant. I guess that’s why you’re the writer and I’m the guy sitting here reading it.
Sometimes I’m the writer because of insomnia.
Not just men; when my folks would let me watch the Motorola, I lived in the old West with Gene Autry and the Rifleman. For some reason, I really liked Sky King, too. Maybe I wanted to be Penny…
Yes, it was good stuff to be raised on. I can’t think of modern day equivalents.
You are right, Claudia. I shouldn’t have restricted it to men only. Thanks!
I get upset that so many shows set in the 1860s show everybody wearing a low-slung fast-draw holster bearing a SA Army .45 on a belt full of cartridges. When I was about 10 my uncle gave me possession of Great-grand-dad’s 1860 Colt Army .44. He served with the 5th Cav at Ft. McPherson, Nebraska circa 1870 (the date on the only correspondence I have of his). Later I received his or Grand-dad’s DA .38 with owl-head butt. The ejector rod and tube had been removed somewhere along the line. However, all my cowboy cap pistols and one Co2 bb pistol were SA .45 style, so I love them, too.
I admit, though, that if I’d lived in the last quarter of the 19th century, I’d have likely opted for a DA .41 Thunderer (and maybe regretted it). I hear they broke easily – our .38 did. I presently own a H&R top-break .32, the oldest gun I’ve personally fired.
Very cool, David. I had an H&R .22 handgun many years ago. Wish I’d kept it.
I’ll be selling the .32. One thing that bothers me it that the cylinder stop tab disengages, so firing it single-action is risky. Who would want to, you may ask. Well, there’s always “that guy.” Anyway, none of my heirs want it.
Selling a handgun is a lot more complicated than it used to be. It has to go through an FFL dealer, and if it has to ship, it has to do so via overnight shipment. You’re probably looking at something north of $100 to ship a handgun, and a lot of times, that’s more than the gun is worth. Best to sell it through an FFL dealer locally, I’ve found. If you can do that, the transfer fees are usually only around $30.
Turner’s here charges 25%. Lists them at BBoGV. Of course, a buyer may not agree with appraisal.
BBoGV? The $30 I referred to is what my local shop charges for a transfer, not a consignment sale.
Blue Book of Gun Values. And the buyer has to have the DOJ check.