New Pietta 1858, is it a problem?

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vkm92

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Hello everybody,

I am new to black powder shooting, however been reading this forum for a while and got quite a bit of valuable information in that regard.

Anyhow, just got my first Pietta Remi 1958. I’ve been kind of skeptical of the quality control of these revolvers, but finally decided and went to Cabela’s. I ask a salesperson about their return/exchange policy in case of defect, he replied: Muzzleloading guns sales are final! Well, it is not what I expected to hear but took a chance..

Overall the fit and finish on the revolver is pretty good, few minor marks here and there, not a big deal. Mechanically everything precisely aligned and function perfectly, timing is good, action feels smooth and locks solid, front sight is strait.

But one thing bothers me: muzzle appears to be off center in the barrel. But after close examination looks like too much metal was removed from three flats of the octagon barrel on the right side, I guess is a result of aggressive/sloppy polishing of the barrel before bluing, I don’t know. But I’m concern about accuracy.

Any opinions or suggestions on this issue?


IMAG0295.jpg IMAG0298.jpg IMAG0299.jpg
 
It looks off to me too. I have seen this on other guns . It will not make your revolver less accurate. There is some likely hood of the sights being off because of this. Shoot it first and see what you get. If it shoots where you aim ( most shoot high anyway) you are good to go.
Black Jack Shellac
 
I am not a Pietta Remmy guy, but it looks copasetic to me.

I have 8 Pietta 1851 Navy .36 revolvers (mostly of Confederate flavor) and I have not had a problem with any of them.

Regards,

Jim
 
Nothing surprising about the Cabelas policy. It applies to any firearm and they state it up front. I have two Pietta Remington NMA from Cabelas and they both looked good and shoot better than me. I never checked for even thickness at the muzzle but unless it effects the sights it shouldn't bother accuracy.

Welcome to the High Road.

Jeff
 
vkm92

Looks okay to me too. Could be the way it appears in certain lighting or it could be, as you say, how the barrel flats on one side were unevenly done. That being the case it really shouldn't affect accuracy any.

Just went and checked the barrel on my Pietta Remington NMN and each of the eight flats measured at .125" around the muzzle, even though a few times the bore looked like it could have been a little off.
 
Its off center a lot, if you can see it, it needs to be returned. Not acceptable. If I purchased at my local Sportsman's Warehouse they would return it for me to replace or repair.
 
Gentlemen, thank you for your replies!

I noticed the difference as soon as I looked at the muzzle, so I measured the flatness of each side of the barrel. The very right flat (as I hold the gun in my hand) tapers in toward the end of the barrel about 1/32”or slightly less. Then I measured the thickness of the barrel from the muzzle side as you look at the picture: the right side .125”, the left side .108” The front sight seems to be positioned at the center over the muzzle, so I hope it wouldn’t shift point of impact.

If I go back to Cabela’s and convince them to exchange the gun, I cannot be sure it won’t be any other issues with replacement, or should I just go to the range and shoot it?
 
The bore looks off center with both the exterior of the barrel and the front sight. It will need windage adjustment. I would take it back and I’d bring the micrometer with me.
 
woodnbow said:
It will need windage adjustment.
Click to expand...
I thought one of the characteristics of the Pietta (unlike the Uberti) is that it doesn't have a dovetailed front sight. If that's the case, you can't adjust the windage.

In regard to the OP, I would say this is not acceptable. Regardless of Cabela's stated policy, they should take this back because it's a clear manufacturing flaw.
 
Yes, the bore looks to be off center.
Did they let you examine it at the store and it was something that you didn't notice until you brought it home?
It may affect accuracy or it may only be cosmetic depending on how concentric the bore aligns with the part of the barrel that's threaded into the frame.
I guess that you could always install a dovetailed front sight if the accuracy were way off.
Good luck asking Cabela's for an exchange.
You could also contact EMF which is owned by Pietta and ask for their advice if you determine that the barrel does need to be replaced and Cabela's won't exchange it.
 
AlexanderA said:
I thought one of the characteristics of the Pietta (unlike the Uberti) is that it doesn't have a dovetailed front sight. If that's the case, you can't adjust the windage.

In regard to the OP, I would say this is not acceptable. Regardless of Cabela's stated policy, they should take this back because it's a clear manufacturing flaw.
Click to expand...
Which is why he should return the thing to Cabelas. I’m sure Pietta would like to know that one of their pistols slipped past qc...
 
Two things to check is how perfectly the bore lines up with the chambers.
I think that it's usually done visually but maybe someone else can help explain how to do that.
IIRC you would look for an eclipsing of the chamber when looking directly down the bore, while flashing some light into the barrel - cylinder gap.
Also possibly by using a bore size dowel.
If you can place a close to bore size dowel into the bore and chamber, the directional angle of the portion of the dowel that sticks out of the barrel can also reveal if the bore is drilled off center or not.
Any dowel close to bore size should work.
If the bore - dowel does not have a diagonal alignment in comparison to the exterior flats, and the chambers line up with the bore at all of the chamber edges, then everything could be okay when you go to shoot it.
For instance, a 7/16 " X 36" dowel costs $1.70 at Home Depot and would have a diameter of .4375.

That doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to exchange it, but it would provide another piece of evidence whether the defect is major or minor.
 
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Take it back and let them deal with it as a new unfired gun. As soon as you mess with it your claiming ownership as is. Regardless its defective merchandise. If you keep it the resale value is zero.
 
This SASS thread from 2018 mentioned that EMF is the primary USA distributor for Pietta guns.

The posts said:

" EMF is the primary distributor for Pietta in the US. Call them. Becky can get you to the repair/custom shop. 1-800-430-1310...they are in Santa Ana, Ca. Good folks to deal with."

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/270268-pietta-customer-service/

The owner was able to fix the problem himself with advice from the EMF gunsmith.
But in your case they may be able to fix it for you if needed.

I would try to exhaust all of the options at Cabela's including speaking with the gun dept. manager first, and then the store manager about an exchange.
And then if EMF won't fix it, contact Cabela's headquarters and write a letter if necessary about taking care of it.
You can always contact Pietta in Italy too.
They have a contact form on their home page. --->>> https://www.pietta.it/home-pietta-eng
 
I've rarely if ever had a percussion revolver shoot exactly to the point of aim for windage, even with what appear to be centered bores. The last two open tops I bought were both Uberti's and they are both off to one side of the sight alignment. However if your sights align to the centerline of the bore it shouldn't matter the difference in barrel thickness from one side to another (I would think?). But as others mention if the problem bothers you, exhaust all means to remedy it with distributor or vendor, then absent resolution there, I would just shoot the heck out of it.
 
I have several guns like that, including a centerfire from a big name company. It has never caused a problem for me. If it was mine, I would shoot it and see what it does. Chances are it will be fine.

The consumer has a right to a properly manufactured gun, of course, and if the OP is upset enough about it then he should be able to get satisfaction - if not from Cabela's, then from someone higher up the chain. I personally no longer buy BP guns from Cabela's, Midway, or anyone else that does not accept returns. I find that my results from Dixie Gun Works are so good that I use them almost exclusively and suggest them to anyone who asks.
 
As,soon as I noticed it I would be looking for satisfaction from the seller or the manufacturer. I’m not going to overlook a glaring fault like that, don’t really care if it shoots well or not because I won’t shoot it. It seems to me that the manufacturers sense of pride would prompt them to make it right and if it doesn’t, I can easily find another manufacturer to take my money.
 
Cabela's used to accept BP gun returns and then sell them in their Bargain Cave "as is".
I don't know when they changed their return policy.
Some folks would shoot the guns and then return them.
I doubt that they can sell them as new once they're returned since they can be altered or made to be unsafe.
There's will always be a percentage of new guns with defects, some worse than others.
Especially due to the volume of guns that Cabela's sells.
I would buy the Remington with the free extra cylinder from EMF that's on sale if still available.--->>> https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...mington-steel-with-extra-cylinder-234.859825/
 
I remember seeing those guns in the bargain cave. I suspect that many of them came from people who wanted to get that extra season, found out that black powder is a bit more work than expected and the returned the guns taking advantage of the Cabelas good nature. The idea of that just pisses me off but I know it happened. With more than just bp guns...
 
Thank you for helping me to make up my mind. I'm going back to Cabela's this weekend so will see what happens..
 
Some Cabela's are well you know what A______e and go in prepared for a lot of BS and if turns out they do the "right thing" then please post here. Interesting that Bass Pro Shops now own Cabalas. I know my local Sportsmans Warehouse would take it back and return for you either repair or replaced. I have done that twice, not only are they cheaper and nicer they give us Veterans a discount!!
 
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