How are they? Especially the 45 colt/acp ones?
How are they? Especially the 45 colt/acp ones?
I have no specific personal info, but i have looked at the general situation of Uberti guns imported by various companies, including the SAA copies. The guns are mostly pretty good at this point, 45 SAAs have pretty good reports on barrels and chambers and accuracy, Im not sure if the soft screws thing has been improved, but it not a deal breaker to me, and screw sets are available to remedy it. The Taylors and Cimarron guns seem a bit better finished on average than standard Uberti guns. Seeing pictures of the 1866s carbines from either company, I prefer the markings on the Cimarron guns, both the type of markings and content. Strictly a personal preference thing. The Tayors markings appeared to be shallow electro-etched and paint filled, the Cimarron looked like old school stampings and not paint filled. I may be mistaken, but recent pictures seem to indicate this trend.
Ive given up on getting another Colt SAA as a shooter due to their cost, near $2k, at some point I will likely get a Cimarron/Uberti early type 4 3/4" 44 spl or 45 as a shooter. The 3 1/2" models are somewhat intriguing also.
@fatdog and others likely have more firsthand experience to relate.
FWIW, Cimarron and perhaps Taylors sells some Pietta models in their lineup. They have upped their game significantly from all accounts, but I personally have no interest when the Ubertis are at the level they currently are. Cimarrons "Frontier" models and likely some others are Pietta guns.
Last edited by Malamute; 11-28-2022 at 09:38 PM.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
I have a Smoke Wagon. It shoots POA/POI with heavy .38s and light .357s and has a crisp 2.5 lb trigger.
You’re basically paying a few more bucks for an Uberti or similar foreign make that’s gone through extra QC checks and has really accessible stateside customer support. Some modes come with slick-tuned actions and short stroke kits.
Well, you may be a man. You may be a leprechaun. Only one thing’s for sure… you’re in the wrong basement.
I’ve got a.357 Tayleor’s from earlier this summer. It’s a nice-looking Gun, and the trigger is surprisingly light, but I’ll probably end up trading it for a large-frame Vaquero- I find I prefer the more modern Ruger touches.
Per the PF Code of Conduct, I have a commercial interest in the StreakTM product as sold by Ammo, Inc.
AFAIK the Piettas are built to Colt size whereas the Ubertis have a bit larger cylinder and frame. I believe Piettas have some parts interchangeability with 2nd gen Colts. As mentioned you have to check the Cimarron/Taylor website carefully because most are Uberti and some are Pietta. (If that distinction matters to you.)
Taylors is just an importer, like Cimerron, IFG, others, that gives Uberti, Pietta, or Pedersoli some specifics with respect to details plus fit and finish for the guns they are going to brand and sell.
Competed for nearly a decade with a pair of .357 Smokewagons (Uberti), as stated, they are just Uberti's with some extra fit, finish details, checkered grips, case hardened frames. Accuracy was good and they never failed me. I mostly used 357 cases with 158gr lead bullets and kept the 5.5" barrel smokeless velocity very low, about 800 fps although I loaded some black powder packed case loads that would do probably faster velocities with 3F. I put at least 5 K rounds through each of those guns. I did replace some springs during their tenure and the frame screws tend to be too soft for the repeated disassembly required for black powder shooting, I had lost of spares of those.
On the whole I have had nothing but positive experiences with the Italian Uberti and Pietta revolvers, regardless of the importer. Both .357 and .45LC chamberings. While I had to exit the CAS sports this summer for health reasons, I retained several Uberti's and Pietta's and still shoot them often.
I think the Uberti's and Pietta's are the answer for having a SAA shooter grade gun for the reasons Malamute cited. The ones they are making now are far better guns, more accurate and durable, than the ones I purchased back in 1995 when I first tried CAS. I would compare the branded importer versions based on cosmetics to get what you want, because I believe the cosmetics are the only big differences in the various importer varieties.
Last edited by fatdog; 11-29-2022 at 07:41 AM.
....Here we go spending money again....🤦
Working diligently to enlarge my group size.
I had an Uberti Smoke Wagon, and then my son had it. We both shot it without any problems.
I believe @Outpost75 has considerable experience with Uberti & Pietta SAs, as he does with just about everything gun-related.
The earlier guns before 2005 or so were fragile and broke parts in heavy CAS use. I have both Pietta and Uberti from Cimarron and also Taylor which all needed minor adjustments to trigger pull and shimming cylinders to remove end shake. The Lance Shively shim kit makes it easy. All are accurate and good shooters. Both .45 ACP cylinders required gunsmith fitting. Mine handled either Starline .455 Mk2 or Cowboy Special cases well as they came, after facing front of cylinder to clear barrel. Using Auto Rim brass requires facing off rear face of cylinder. Cylinder throats on the Italian .45s are all .454-.455 and shoot well with Saeco #954 cast 1 to 30 tin-lead with 4 grains of Bullseye or TiteGroup in .45 ACP or Cowboy Special. Reduce to 3.5 grains in .455 Mk2 cases. Front sights are high and need to be dressed down to zero your chosen load.Originally Posted by jtcarm
Last edited by Outpost75; 11-29-2022 at 02:12 PM.
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