Why are cap n ball revolvers so much cheaper than smokeless revolvers?

Lawyers.

Lower pressures for them I would expect would allow them to be made cheaper. Also, no 11% tax as their is on a firearm when you make it and I would assume lower costs to import, ship them, store them, etc.

Ohen Cepel said:

Lower pressures for them I would expect would allow them to be made cheaper. Also, no 11% tax as their is on a firearm when you make it and I would assume lower costs to import, ship them, store them, etc.

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Do Pittman-Robertson excise taxes not apply to muzzle loaders?

RPRNY said:

Do Pittman-Robertson excise taxes not apply to muzzle loaders?

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I'm not a lawyer but since they are not a firearm I would think not. Much like an AR upper isn't taxed. That is my lay understanding though.

Starter52 said:

Lawyers.

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& compliance w voluminous gubmint regs

stoky said:

& compliance w voluminous gubmint regs

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Amen

Also, supply & demand would have to be a factor.

Quality control, fit & finish are some major factors. The $200 C&B revolver will need some tuning and smithing to get it anywhere near the performance of what folks would expect from a modern centerfire pistol/revolver.
There are quality C&B revolvers available that cost several times the amount of the low cost examples the OP is referencing.

Yea the Italian revolvers are not quite as well made as modern guns but they're pretty good. Don't forget European wages aren't as high as ours, their standards of living are lower. It doesn't cost Uberti as much to make a Colt 1851 as it would if an American company made it here.
Even when Colt was turning out the last generation C&B guns with their own markings, weren't they basically buying Uberti made parts and finishing them up over here?

Pretty much All of the answers were mostly right and the simple fact that B/P revolvers have No action safety requirements and fewer moving parts. Uberti and Pieta modern/cartridge repros price comparably with modern firearms.

wasnt there some anti saturday night special law that prohibited less expensive handguns for importation?
this does not apply to BP/historic copies

damoc - Yes! The '68 law required a bunch of features that drove up prices for imports while not requiring the same of domestic products. My 1910 Fabrique Nationale (Browning) is a sweet slim little pocket carry but the 1971 version is longer, wider and has adjustable target sights that snag on everything!

There are a couple smokeless pistols that cost less or come real close.

Semi-Autos: Taurus and Hi Point cost less ($124 - $229).
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse/_/N-1114851?CQ_sort=priceLow&CQ_view=grid&CQ_pagesize=9

Revolvers: Armscor 38 DA Revolver ($225 - $237) is in the range.
http://www.jgsales.com/handguns-c-16_1150.html?stID=13&page=1&sort=4a

And then there is the Heritage Rough Rider ($139.95)
http://www.jgsales.com/heritage-arm...arrel,-cocobolo-wood-grips,-new.-p-98905.html