Compromise Part 9: Replica Sixguns

For the past several months we have been looking at compromise single-action sixguns — those with a barrel length of 5 1/2″ combining portability with an adequate sight radius. This brings us to the final category, replicas. Today, this is a thriving part of the industry with replicas of nearly every sixgun found on the frontier in the 1880s being produced in Italy. However, that is not where it began. To find the beginning we need to go back to nearly 70 years.

An Industry Arises

The Colt Single Action had been out of production since 1940 when Bill Ruger was the first to recognize the demand for single actions, mainly due to the influence of television broadcasting many hours of old Western movies. His .22 Single-Six was first offered to shooters in 1953.

William Wilson began offering a replica of Colt Single Action, the Great Western (GW) Frontier Six-Shooter, in Los Angeles in 1954. Wilson, president and one of three founders of GW, had contacted Colt in 1953 and was assured they had no plans to resurrect the Colt Single Action Army. Television reruns of old B Western movies had spawned a desire among shooters for real Colts and they couldn’t get them, so Great Western stepped into the void. The Great Western looked so much like a Colt Single Action Army they actually used real Colts in the early advertising. In fact, some of the Great Western parts came from Colt.

At first glance, Great Western and Colt Single Actions look identical. But as one studies each, subtle differences can be seen in the hammer profile and shape of the trigger guard. Great Western guns show up on many TV Westerns and are easy to spot when the hammer is cocked. Colts have the firing pin on the hammer, while most Great Westerns have a frame-mounted firing pin as introduced by the old Christy Gun Works and picked up by Bill Ruger for use in all of his single actions. Unlike Ruger, the Great Westerns have sort of an upside-down L-shaped hammer.

We should also note the original Great Westerns have no connection with the Great Western II currently being produced in Italy by Pietta. The latter sixguns are Great Westerns in name only.

Great Western made several mistakes. First, they believed Colt would never again produce the Single Action Army. When Colt did come back with the 2nd Generation run in 1956, Great Western’s days were numbered. Secondly, as too often happens, they did not have the best-qualified people producing their product. The company did eventually fix the problem, but by then they had to overcome a reputation for poor quality.

European Invasion

Replicas began arriving from Europe sometime in the late 1950s. My first was an Iver Johnson imported imitation of the Colt New Frontier. I had hoped to save money by getting what I wanted for half the price and learned very quickly “cheap is too expensive” and this poorly fitted and finished imitation was sold. I bought the real thing.

Fortunately, over the years this situation has changed. Thanks to Mike Harvey of Cimarron Firearms, we now have replicas that are not only exceptionally authentic, but also well-fitted and finished using quality materials. Mike started working with the Italian gunmakers in the early 1980s and we now have examples no one needs to apologize for.

Compromise Single Actions are available from manufacturers like Uberti and Pietta in a long list of calibers — and not just Colt-style, but Remington 1890 as well. In addition to these two examples, Cartridge Conversions with 5 1/2″ barrels are offered on both the Colt and Remington platform as well as the Colt 1871-72 Open-Top. I have found all of these to be good-shooting examples as well as excellent outdoor companions. As this is written, if one wants adjustable sights, the only choice currently is chambered in .44 Magnum.

Back In America

It was sometime around 1990 and there in front of me was the one of the most beautifully finished Single Action Army sixguns I had ever seen. The bluing was deep and the case colors looked as if it had been done by Colt. It was not an original Colt, but rather a new sixgun from United States Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company (USPFA). The sixguns were not only fitted and finished in this country, but the work was done in the old Colt Armory.

At that time, USPFA was a relatively new company that had taken over the old manufacturing facility of Colt Patent Firearms. All of their sixguns were beautifully assembled in this country using Italian parts. It was just the first step: USPFA had a dream and began the move toward providing an all-American-made single action.

In the process the name was changed to USFA, for United States Firearms. Making the switch to an all-American-made sixgun was neither quick nor easy; however, it was accomplished. My first experience with a USFA .45, American assembled with Italian parts, was a 5 1/2″ nickel-plated sixgun acquired more than 20 years ago. It was and remains an excellent-shooting sixgun, well-fitted, finished and timed.

USFA did not just produce good guns; they produced great single-action sixguns. But alas, it was not to remain. For whatever the reason, the CNC machinery was sold and final sixguns were assembled with parts on hand. USFA has produced some excellent single-action sixguns and I am very well pleased with my examples. Over the years, I’ve accumulated enough USFA single actions for each of the grandkids to have their own. I trust they will appreciate them as much as I do; however, they will never have the feeling of loss I now have with the demise of the USFA sixguns.

A very rare compromise single action is the STI offering produced by Hartford Armory. Very few of these were ever offered. I had mine customized with the addition of a Smith & Wesson adjustable rear sight and a beautifully crafted barrel band front sight. All the work was done by the gunsmith at Buckhorn and the result is an exceptionally good-shooting sixgun. Over my shooting years, I have watched Great Western, USFA and STI sixguns disappear. Fortunately, we still have excellent replicas available.

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