USFA Rodeo question

[ESisk]

Many years ago (like almost 20 years) I stopped in my LGS just to look around, and there was what I thought was a nice used Colt for sale cheap. Really too cheap, and I wondered what was wrong with it? I asked to look at it and all the markings on the frame were just like a Colt for patent dates, but the barrel was marked AWA; American Western Arms. I'd seen some writeups on AWA that gave them wonderful reviews, and this gun still looked like new and had it's original box and paperwork! The price was $425, and I asked if they'd take $400 and they did!
The AWA is a 4.75" barrel, and chambered in .45 Colt, and has the nicest trigger and action of any SAA type handgun I've ever handled. It also had what appeared to be either real stag grips, or the nicest copies of real stag I've ever seen. Not sure how many rounds I've put down the barrel, but it's the most accurate SAA I've ever owned too. It seems AWA got sued for making their guns too much like original Colts, so only a couple thousand were ever built. I'm always looking just on a chance I'll see another, but nothing so far.

https://rdougwicker.com/2018/04/11/west ... acekeeper/

Picked up my AWA 45 way back when they were still in business, GB purchase I think. It had an extremely poorly fitted cylinder bushing and I was not happy about the long two notch cylinder base pin. Kuhnhausen's SAA book plus a Belt Mountain base pin took care of the latter and a Brownell's Cylinder and Slide oversize cylinder bushing the former. I have not needed the spare AWA cylinder locking bolt I ordered despite quite a bit of use. It a fine shooter now for sure. If memory serves, they were advertised as real case color hardened frames, not just hot salt colored.