American western arms peacemaker?

[rjohns94]

Anyone know about these? Any thoughts? Quality? Experience with?

Thanks

[Griff]

AWA made some very good reproductions and are highly regarded by those that have them.

[JerryB]

My grandson in Texas has a 4 3/4 inch .45 Colt that is a very fine six gun. It is as well made as my 1957 Colt SAA 5 1/2 inch .45. I think they are becoming kind of hard to find on the market.

[Chuck 100 yd]

In his book "Sixguns by Kieth" Elmer gave them prety high marks. IIRC .

My mistake, I was thinking Great Western.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Anyone know about these? Any thoughts? Quality? Experience with?

Thanks

The AWA PeaceKEEPER not peacemaker and the lesser priced longhorn were the first SAA's AWA imported back in the mid to late 90's. They ran into some QC issues early on because the guns were coming from Armi San Marco. ASM had previously went out of business for the same QC problem. AWA was trying to correct the guns they are receiving from ASM but I was told by the AWA CEO Russel Simpson after they dropped the ASM SAA's that at one point they were seeing 25% rejects.
The ASM SAA's were beautiful guns but just didn't work well. They were patterned after the early 1st gens with the shape fingered cylinder bolt and soft bolt cams. So they tend to go out of time prematurely. I still have a pair that need firing pin recoil bushing installed in the recoil shield. Both have concaved firing pin holes.

AWA is still in business. AWA-USA, Inc.
Their current SAA's the Ultimate and the Classic are probably the finest SAA's available today. I've had them apart and I'm pretty sure they are made using Pietta parts. Same as the EMF Great Western II's. these guns have firing pin recoil bushing, 2nd/3rd gen style bolts and ruger style coil and plunger hand springs. The Ultimate even has the Ruger style coil hammer spring.

Oh, and like the Colts they have pressed in hardened bolt cams

[rjohns94]

Thanks all.

[marlinman93]

I have an AWA .45 Colt in 4.75" barrel, and absolutely love it! It's got the smoothest single action trigger and action that I've ever felt! Better than any clone or original Colt I've ever owned! It's my favorite SAA gun, and not sure I could ever be talked into parting with it!
It's also extremely accurate, even with the mediocre sights that it and most SAA pistols have. I've had mine for over a decade, and never had a problem in thousands of rounds.

[M. M. Wright]

The wife's main match pistols are AWA, I think late enough to be Pietta, anyway they have been really good. No problems. They are 4 3/4" 44-40s that I got for her from the SASS wire classifieds. They had already been "slicked up" but I don't recall by who. I shoot Colts just because I can but would not feel handicapped by a pair of AWAs.