[Tomahawk674]

Hey guys, as I play with the idea of buying a bp revolver, I have some questions.

I think I either want a Colt 1860 or 1861. Now the thing is, from pictures, I can't really tell the difference between them! I know the 1860 was much more popular and mass produced than the 61, and that the 61 was supposed to be lighter and had less recoil in .36.

I think I'll make my purchase at Cabelas, but I ask, why would they price the 1860 at around $200, but the 1861 at $270? The 1861 is advertised as having a steel frame, so am I to assume the 1860 they're selling doesnt?

Oh and also, I read somewhere that in the '61 the spent caps sometimes fall inside the mechanism, requiring a complete disassembly. Is this a true/common statement?

Thanks in advance.

[Tommygunn]

The 1860 & 61 both had steel frames and the repros are both made that way too. Atleast the ones I've seen at Cabela's are steel; there are brass frame 1860s but this isn't accurate to how Colt originally made them.
The 1861 Cabelas sells is made by Pietta, and it's okay and works fine, but technically, the barrel is longer by IIRC about half an inch. If you can locate a Uberti, they make one with the correct barrel length -- plus Uberti makes generally better quality guns than Pietta. They also cost more. Now I'm not saying Piettas are not good guns it's only a matter of degree -- and as well, Pietta has improved their guns in recent years. IMHO Pietta does a better Color case hardening than Uberti. That's only a cosmetic thing though.
As to the difference in price; are you sure their not doing some kind of promotional or sale? $70 is a lot of difference! It may just reflect popularity and what the market for each of those guns will bear ... There's not really a whole heck of a lot of difference between those guns except caliber & grip size (1860s have longer grips).
I have not noticed a huge difference in weight myself. Mostly I think it's a matter of do you want .36 or .44? Over time you save a bit of $$ in powder with th .36 since it uses a little less of it.
That's about what I can think of. You're going to have to decide based on your preference the caliber.
If you really want to save the $$ just get the 1860 at $70 less.
You know, either way you really can't go wrong.

[mykeal]

First, I suggest you consider S&S Firearms - they sell the Uberti 1860 Army and 1861 Navy for $252 and $258 per their 2008 catalog (however, prices may have changed due to Euro/dollar exchange rate changes). It's worth looking into. S&S Firearms web site (http://www.ssfirearms.com/download%20catalog.htm)

However, new Piettas are fine guns and are less expensive than Uberti. The $270 price for the Pietta 1861 Navy does not make sense based on other retailers prices. BTW, the difference in price is $60, not $70.

I believe the 8" barrel length for the 1861 Navy in the Cabela's ad is a typo - call them first and verify that it's really 7 1/2" if you decide to go with that gun.

I cannot recommend one design over the other. The difference in caliber and grip size become personal choices, so my preferences will have nothing to do with what you might like or dislike. I will say that my personal preference between the two is the 1860 Army, but that's not a recommendation, just a statement.

[Mausermike]

I think the biggest question is do you want a .36 or .44? The .36 has a light recoil, shoots flatter and costs less to run in terms of powder and ball. The .44, well bigger boom!

[Tomahawk674]

Thanks for the help so far guys. My question now is, can you to tell which of the two italian brands makes the most "accurate" replica of what the old colts were like?

The prices seem to be all relatively close to each other, so that won't play in too much.

[Tommygunn]

I believe the 8" barrel length for the 1861 Navy in the Cabela's ad is a typo - call them first and verify that it's really 7 1/2" if you decide to go with that gun.

Nope, I have a Cabela's 1861; has 8" barrel. IIRC they make the 1860 & 61 barrels the same, they just bore the '61 to .36 caliber rather than .44.

[Tomahawk674]

I just called S & S, they are out of stock, and the new revolvers coming in will be priced higher, but won't know exactly by how much until the end of next week.

Either way it seems the Ubertis are close to being 50% more expensive, but if that's a reflection of higher quality, I'll opt for one of those.

[Mausermike]

I've only had a 125 shots through mine but my Pietta 1851 .36 Navy has worked flawlessly.

Except for the 1st outing with the CCI #11 magnum primers, the gun has worked flawlessly with the Remington #11's. Cock, boom, every time without fail.

[J.T. Gerrity]

My question now is, can you to tell which of the two italian brands makes the most "accurate" replica of what the old colts were like?

Uberti, hands down. The Piettas are all oversized to begin with; in addition, they cover their guns with various stampings that (IMHO) detract from the appearance of the revolver. AND the Pietta 1861, as already stated, is not an exact (or even close) copy of the original Colt, but uses an unmodified barrel from an 1860 bored out to the .36 cal. specs. When engineering the original 1861 Navy, Colt started out with the 1860 Army barrel, but then machined it smaller and shorter (7-1/2" vs 8"), and Uberti copies this in their version of the gun.

Not to mention that the level of fit and finish is higher on the Ubertis.

The Piettas may be cheaper, but at least where the 1861 Navy is concerned, you get what you pay for.

[Thomas Hawkins]

Uberti’s do look better, but…. I bought two Pietta’s in 2006 and they never missed a beat. I then bought two Uberti’s ( Walker, 1851) and the troubles started. Walker cylinder pin had a flat spot. It took wood wedges and heat to get it off the barrel. The nipples were too small for both Remington #10 and #11. When I could fire it the lever latch fell off the barrel. My Uberti 1851 was not quite as big a disaster as only the front sight fell off after 25 shots. Uberti’s do look better but a Pietta shooter is a good value.

[Tommygunn]

I haven't had such bad luck with Uberti guns. I have quite a number in my collection.
I did get one 2nd model Dragoon from Dixie Gun Works I had replaced because something was wrong and the cylinder wouldn't turn, but that was a one time event.
I do agree that Piettas are good shooters though. In recent years their quality has improved. I doubt the OP would go wrong getting a Pietta if he didn't feel like spending the extra $$ for Uberti.

[Dienekes]

I have had a Uberti 1861 for about five years now and think highly of it. Very pretty gun, well made, shoots dead on which is unusual for percussion revolvers. I would rate it above the Colt 2nd Gen 1851 I had years ago...if these were still state of the art this is the one I would carry and use.:)

Also have a Uberti Walker which is just a massive paperweight, never fired. and a Uberti 3rd Model Dragoon which I do shoot. Only complaint I have about it is that the POI is fairly high--as in normally high.

From what I can see Uberti's quality is higher than some household names in the shooting world. :scrutiny:

[J.T. Gerrity]

I've had some bad luck with Pietta, too. A Navy I bought of theirs fired exactly three shots before the hand spring broke, and I had to rotate the cylinder by hand to complete firing the cylinder. An 1860 Army was mis-indexing out of the box, and I sent it back for a replacement that arrived with a loose cylinder pin! You take your chances when buying anything sight unseen; I'd rather take my chances with a Uberti, because, if you do get a good one (more often then not), you'll end up with a superior gun. Personally, I'll never buy another Pietta, because I find no compelling reason to do so. Just MHO.

[scrat]

funny. my 1851 pietta is the most reliable and accurate gun i have. out shoots my 1860 all the time. my 1860 is ASM

[krs]

I have a Uberti 1851 and a Pieta 1858 replicas. Quality is on a par between them.

I take these guns down to the last screw and part when I get them to deburr and hone every part and to correct any sort of fitment issue. I found more wrong with the Uberti, but it amounted to a stripped hole in the trigger guard and a fairly rough hand. The Pietta runs and sounds like a fine watch but it's precise clicks are likely a result of the design than anything.

[RON in PA]

Aside from the obvious caliber difference between the 1860 and the 1861 the real difference between the models is the grip. The 1860 grip is larger & longer.

My preference is for Uberti products.