Remember when cowboy films ruled the world? Then this limited edition could be for you, the editor says

During my annual visit to the incredible IWA show in Germany this year, I went along to see Umarex on their stand which was vast, as ever. The ‘Gold Edition’ range of pistols caught my eye because it was about as bright and shiny as you could ever imagine – as the photo shows, they haven’t been shy with the colour choices. On the Colt .45 SAA Peacemaker I have on test, the frame and barrel are brightly nickel-plated, whilst the cylinder, hammer and trigger blade are gold-plated. To top it all off the grips are simulated ivory, with a lovely Colt badge inset in each side. Because this is a licensed gun, the Colt branding is authentic and correct. I think it’s fair to say that this is a bit of a Marmite look, but I know from experience that limited edition, gold plated pistols sell like hot cakes!

Crisp, light release

Because this revolver uses dummy cartridges, it loads and ejects just like the real thing. To begin, you half cock the hammer and then swing the loading gate out to the right. This exposes an empty chamber into which you drop the cartridge, and the cartridges accept .177 pellets into their bases which is a quick and easy job. The 12 gramme CO2 capsule sits in the frame in the conventional place, and Umarex has cleverly built the hex driver needed to complete the job into the grip, so you always have it with you.

The designation SAA stands for Single Action Army, telling us that the hammer needs to be manually cocked for each shot. This is slower to fire repeatedly than a double-action revolver, but it gives the huge advantage of delivering a crisp, light release that’s an absolute pleasure to use.

A pleasure to shoot

Guns of this era had very basic sights, with a simple front element, and a groove in the top of the frame used as the rear sight. These are crude at best, but authentic to the gun and anyway, I don’t imagine anybody buying one of these as a precision target pistol. This limited edition will appeal to those old enough to remember when cowboy films were everywhere, and the hero always galloped in and resolved the town’s problems with his ‘six-shooter’. It’s well made, has a good heft in the hands and is a pleasure to shoot. Add realistic loading and good accuracy and I bet this lovely revolver will be another huge hit for gun shops everywhere.

Specification

Manufacturer: Umarex

Importer: John Rotherary Wholesale

Web: www.bisley-uk.com

Model: Colt .45 SAA Gold Edition

Type: C02 Single-action revolver

Length: 328mm

Weight: 1032g

RRP: £203.99

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