Hi All,
After doing a posting on my Ruger New Model Blackhawks our leader Captain Kirk mentioned that I should do a thread on the Hombre series from Uberti since I owned one of them. The title of the thread is the full name of the Hombre revolver as listed in the Bass Pro Website. Uberti also makes a number of other Colt SAA Clones in color case hardened frames as well as nickel finishes and they even make a 1890 Remington Outlaw version. They also make a number of other very nice firearms from this period including a number of rifles and even shotguns. But getting back to the Hombre series.
It is a pretty faithful representation of the original Colt SAA with the major exception being the finish, it is a matte black although it is called out in the Bass Pro Website as dark blue. There is a brass trigger guard and back strap to offer a little bright color to the otherwise drab appearance. It weighs in at 2.5 pounds, with the short 4 and 3/4 inch long barrel is very nicely balanced and comes in .45 Colt caliber. It can also be had in .357 Magnum as well. The only ones that I have ever seen at the local Bass Pro Shop are the .45 Colt caliber. Personally all I have ever fed it are "Cowboy Action Shooting" type loads, read that as relatively low pressure types. While you could get away with feeding it a few higher pressure type loads such as the standard Remington and Winchester Factory loads, I prefer not to. Even at the low end of pressure and velocity levels, big fat .452" slugs in the 230 to 250 grain class moving out at 700 to 750 fps are something not to be trifled with. These revolvers made their reputations with similar black powder pressure and velocity levels and as such will do quite nicely. I will reserve Ruger .45 Colt revolvers for exploring the upper limits of the .45 Colt realm. Colt SAA models and clones thereof are not really designed to handle a steady diet of things like that. They will handle a few but in the end you will be looking at shooting your revolver loose and risking parts seeking other parts than the ones that they were originally joined to.
As a dull finished utility revolver it is actually pretty decent to ride the range with. It is pretty accurate, I can group five shots into 2 to 2 and 1/2 inch groups at 25 yards with mine. I have popped a couple of yodel dogs that had the temerity to come close enough for me to feel comfortable in taking an off hand shot at them. The big 252 grain slug that I favor, a round nosed flat point dropped the offending critters in their tracks with one shot to the brain pan. I also had occasion to take one of those smelly black and white kitties as well. I was out and about with my Metal Detector and he came wandering down the trail as I was wandering up. As he was stomping his front paws and working his way around to aim his or her business end my way I drew and fired taking the top of it's gourd right away ending the confrontation right there.
I have made up a couple of different gun belt and holster combinations for it, the current favorite being a cartridge belt with room for 24 cartridges and a holster angled to my liking. While some may accuse me of trying for the Movie Cowboy look, it is actually quite comfortable to wear for a day of wandering out and about. I also have a pancake style holster that carries it high and tight on my right hip. As I like making leather stuff, these are all made up here at home so cost isn't a problem. Trying to finance such things with the way prices are now might make them beyond my reach. But since I do the Home Brew thing, I can get away with my own ideas about these things.
