Re: Colt Single Action Army?
You can get 'fired' third gen's for pretty reasonable money if you 'have' to have a Colt. You can find for between $800 and $1000 if you look and are willing to get a less-desireable cal. such as .357. They are lovely... And they shoot very well. Once they have been fired, collectors lose interest and the prices drop.
You can also look for a Colt New Frontier, which was essentially a 2nd Gen SAA w. a slightly de-tuned finish. I think they also had a transfer bar firing pin vs. the original SAA's hammer mounted pin. These run substantially less than the SAA and have little collector value, so make good shooters.
But as Ballistic notes... for 'plinking', the Rugers and other clones are pretty nice and fun w.out the cost. Uberti's and others are well made and fun. The other option are the US Firearms (USFA) SAA's. These are replicas of the original pattern Colt SAA. Gorgeous. Not much collector value... but wow are they nice.
Gunbroker is a great source for pricing and comparisons. I have noticed SAA prices are down at gun shows... except for the real collector grade stuff. And that's going up fast. But I've even seen some deals on 2nd gen stuff at shows lately and it's been a while since I have seen that.
Oh... and Colt SAA's are like potato chips. Once you buy one, you can't stop. Be warned.
Cheers,
Sirhr