Please forgive me if this has been 'done to death'....

By far, the best SAA reproductions are made by USFA. Their frames are straight, their fit and finish is top notch, and the quality of steel used is top notch. Of course, none of this comes cheap, and in some cases USFA guns cost more than Colt. I qualify all of this by pointing out that the above concerns guns of recent manufacture. When USFA began, they imported Italian made components and assembled them. Nice guns, but not near their current quality.
By far, the biggest player in the reproduction game is Uberti. They have been at it for decades, and generally speaking, their guns have improved. You will get a wide divergence of opinion on Uberti because so many believe that they ARE Cowboy shooting, and have the distinction as the only affordable manufacturer to stick to the traditional action of half cock, and open the gate for loading/unloading.
Unfortunately, Uberti is not quite so traditional as some think, dreaming up complex and idiotic "safeties" to save the brainless from themselves. Nor does Uberti have a reputation of choosing the best steels, just those that will work, but others will argue, that's what makes an Uberti affordable.
My own personal opinion is that Uberti makes a competent gun, but not a great gun.
Other guns available recently include the Taurus Gaucho, the Beretta Stampede, and Heritage Big Bores. All are competent, tho far from outstanding.

Over the years, other manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, have played at the SAA. Rohm, from Germany, is one of the worst, and the Virginian Dragoon, from Interarms is one of the best. Unfortunately, all these guns are aging. Parts availability is hit or miss, and try to find a gunsmith who will work on them. Thus, even though many of these guns were quite good, their age and scarcity relegates them to more pedestrian uses than demanding outdoor activities, or Cowboy shoots.
I still believe that about the best bang for the buck in the "affordable" market to be Ruger. No traditional lockwork, but a current company with a good history of customer service, making good guns that can withstand use and abuse-and keep going. If you must have the traditional half cock-and I do understand this, then in the affordable arena, Uberti is the only game in town.

What about Cimarron?  They are made by Pietta.  I've heard of them.

Pietta makes the Heritage Big bore-same gun as cimmaron. Rest R Uberti. Comment stands

I gotta agree with Mak. USFA's are slick pieces. Uberti's are good guns but they are priced on par with the Rugers. Given Ruger's reputation for rugged reliability I'd lean in that direction. If you want to save your pennies The Usfa is an excellent SAA clone.

USA headed outta business? Rumor has it. Can anyone confirm?
My Revolvers all Uberti
Two 44-40 Cattleman
Two .357 Mag Cattleman
One .44 Mag Buckhorn
One .45 Colt Cattleman

The 45 is my daily carry gun and I have had no problems with any of them for the $400 price range. All are work horses and none are safe queens.

Sad to see this kind of thing happen to a company that has a good product. Chris

Dunno if USFA is going OOB or not, but they have always been expensive and generally unavailable. USFA guns are NOT Colts, they are replicas, with larger cylinders, sometimes made better than Colt, sometimes more expensive than Colt.

I have had the pleasure to handle a number of USFA guns, and like any manufacturer, things like trigger pull do vary. I always wondered why USFA refused to release a 44 magnum. Might be they followed Colt too close.

Anyhow, I hope they can reorganize, and re-release the Rodeo, a great sixgun.

The Rodeo really was a bargain, back when it sold for 5 bills, it was hands down better than anything out of Italy, and for a competitive price.