1858 Remington

Which New Model Army?

  • Uberti

    Votes: 26 46.4%

  • Pietta

    Votes: 30 53.6%
  • Total voters
    56
  • Poll closed .
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R

rodwha

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I'm very interested in a New Model Army in .44 cal with the shorter 5 1/2" barrel. I prefer stainless, but may opt for the blued version, especially since it costs half as much.

I have been swayed to feel that Uberti's are a little better in quality, though many now claim that Pietta has really closed the gap. But by how much? To make them even? I've read that some believe the metal used in Uberti's cylinders are harder.

Were you in the market for an 1858, which would you opt for and why? And would you choose a certain importer over another? If so, why do you believe it to be superior to the standard model offered by the manufacturer?
 
You can find a real nice Uberti or Pietta. Possibly the most important difference is the size of the grips. Uberti is closer to the historically correct dimensions, and Pietta is significantly larger. I've heard many say they like the feel of the Pietta grips better, and seem to mostly claim to have large hands. I prefer the smaller grips, but I don't have small hands, so I think it's more of a personal preference either way.
 
I do have small hands. Maybe I ought to find an example of each and see what I think.
The grip of my Old Army is OK, but I have a hard time reaching the hammer w/o adjusting my grip. I've been thinking about a bisley type hammer...
 
rodwha said:
Were you in the market for an 1858, which would you opt for and why? And would you choose a certain importer over another? If so, why do you believe it to be superior to the standard model offered by the manufacturer?
Click to expand...

If buying another new .44 Remington, I would purchase it at Cabela's due to their ultra low price. I bought my last two in person so that I could inspect the trigger pull. Several that they had in stock were unacceptable to me because their triggers did not have a crisp release and were very gritty.
But I was fortunate on these two occasions to find a Remington on the shelf that did have a fine crisp trigger release. So a person does take their chances when ordering through the mail which can result in receiving a production gun that's chosen totally at random.
If I were to buy a .36 Remington and I really wanted a stainless one then I would need to buy an Uberti, or a used or leftover Euroarms stainless .36.
I don't think that there's anything wrong with buying any Uberti or Pietta Remington as long as the particular gun does not have important defects built into it during assembly.
But I think that the quality with either company's Remingtons are hit and miss for any individual gun.
If someone really wants a forged frame, or a dovetailed front sight that's drift adjustable, or some other feature like grip size, twist rate etc..., and you're willing to pay the extra price for it then buy an Uberti and the chances are that you will be very satisfied.
But since the price of the gun and extra cylinders are a main concern for many of us, then I think that the standard production Pietta Remingtons offer the best bang for the buck, especially if purchased from Cabela's when they're on sale.
 
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Frankly, I have no experience with Uberti's, all of my BP revolvers, except the ROA, are from Pietta. I've been pleased with them all. They range from various 1860 Armys to several Remingtons. I've found I prefer the open top of the Colt replicas as it seems the Remington replicas suffer from cylinder binding after far fewer rounds.
 
Uberti is closer to the historically correct dimensions, and Pietta is significantly larger.
Click to expand...

That is incorrect. Uberti replicas of the 1858 Remington are slightly over size, the Pietta replica more closely duplicates the original size. I have one of each.

Personally, I believe that Uberti quality is slightly better than Pietta. Nothing to do with hardness of the metal or anything else, it is the lack of attention paid by Pietta to the finish quality of the gun. Too many burrs that should have been removed on the pair of Pietta 1860s that I bought a few years ago. I should have paid a few more dollars and bought Colts.

But that's just me.
 
I like the Pietta renditions, myself. I'll even throw out the "best bang for the buck" pun; because, well... they are great for the price, even the Uberti price! A little stone work (not much and definitely NOT TOO MUCH) will clean up the trigger pull "grit" without changing the pull weight.

As for the perennial discussion on the grip shape/size; I prefer the feel of the Pietta grips and frame. I've only gotten to shoot one Uberti, ONE cylinder full; and it felt like I was "choking up" on the narrower top of the Uberti grips. Not so with either of my Piettas. My hands aren't very large at all, but I have longer fingers; and the Pietta grips offer enough purchase for my ring finger and those 'below' it.

But I'm also the guy who stuck a big honkin' Hogue Monogrip (in pau ferro wood) on a square butt S&W 629, because I had the exact same problem with the factory "Target" grips; sometimes leading to bruising between the first and second knuckles on my ring finger - from being 'slapped' by the back of the trigger guard with mildly warm factory loads!

So, "Your Mileage May Vary" and all that. :rolleyes:
 
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"How about a Ruger Old Army? Nothing like the feel of 100% made in the USA."

I certainly would if one in good condition came along at a reasonable price. I'd prefer an American gun. Especially with the quality that comes with it.
 
I own 4 Piettas, 1 ASM, one "no-name" and two ASP's. I've bought reworked and sold a few more ASM's as well. My son owns a Uberti Navy (.36) and my buddy owned (and just sold) a Uberti New Army. While the Uberti is a fine gun, I don't feel it is worth the extra $, but the biggest reason I wouldadvocate is that the quality is really there these days. They are well-built and the bluing is superior to Uberti's IMHO. The fact that you can save a hundred bucks on the deal is icing on the cake.
 
I agree the Ruger's are getting up there in price, but there are still plenty around and they can be had in the 3-5 hundred range... They are worth every penny.

Loaded properly they are a tack driver... I have shot deer at 60 yards with mine and had them drop.

I suspect Ruger will bring them back at some point as demand over runs supply.

Now back to your regular scheduled program... sorry for the side track.
 
Pietta.

I own 1858 Buffalo Yank, steel frame, 12'' barrel..and Colt Navy 1861.

Both are well made and accurate. I shoot mostly RB, but Lee connicals and Kaido bullets are equaly accurate as RB, to my amazement.

My choice was not related with the price.
 
Regarding the .36 Uberti verses .36 Pietta, many have said that the Uberti chambers need .380 balls while the Pietta uses the factory .375's.
There aren't any factory made .380 balls so that means buying cast .380 balls through the mail or casting them yourself.
Most folks would like to be able to buy balls right off the shelf locally if possible.

Also, the Pietta takes .451 balls as well as .454's.
I don't know if .451 balls will fit the Uberti or not, but hopefully the Uberti owners will tell us.
However Pietta's chamber specifications seem to accept a wider range of balls that may be more readily available locally.
Ammo availability is part of making the choice about which brand to buy and not necessarily only the initial cost of each gun.

VTI charges $100 plus shipping for a spare Uberti cylinder.
Cabela's charges $60 plus shipping when they're not on sale. And when they're on sale they're even less expensive.
I don't know who said or proved that the Uberti cylinders are harder than Pietta's. Maybe that's being confused with the Uberti forged frames verses the Pietta cast. However the ROA also has a cast frame. But I don't believe that the Pietta cylinders won't last as long or are less safe than Uberti's due to being softer. That issue sounds like a red herring.
 
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I've often heard that Uberti's fit and finish, especially on the internals, is often better.

As for projectiles, I'd prefer to try to use .457" as my ROA does so as not to need several sizes. I like simplicity and multi-purpose.

As for price difference, I often see it being minimal ($25-50 or so), such as on Dixie's site where I can easily do a comparison. Look at Taylor's vs Cabelas and you get a different picture.

I believe Ubertis states their .44's use .454" RB's.

I'd certainly prefer a short ROA, but the availability and cost difference would likely dictate otherwise when the time comes. One thing I must say about the Italian guns is that I can buy several extra cylinders and such anywhere for a much more reasonable price. And the cost difference could likely pay for it with money left over for powder, balls, and caps.
 
I'd certainly prefer a short ROA, but the availability and cost difference would likely dictate otherwise when the time comes. One thing I must say about the Italian guns is that I can buy several extra cylinders and such anywhere for a much more reasonable price. And the cost difference could likely pay for it with money left over for powder, balls, and caps.
Click to expand...

I wanted a short ROA for a while, but it costs real money. I picked up the 5.5" Pietta Remmy last year on sale for 179. The thing is not QUITE the shooter the ROA is, but it'll put a full cylinder into 3" off a rest at 25 yards using 30 grains equiv. pyrodex and .454 round ball, corn meal filler. It shoots to POA, too, something my ROA doesn't do even with the sight screwed down all the way to the bottom. It will shoot .457 ball, too, just shaves a bit more lead on loading. I'm very satisfied with the short Remmy and it is lighter, easier to carry afield. It is a quality piece and didn't cost NEAR what an ROA of any barrel length does now days.
 
Pietta. Good enough and cheaper. They both work, why pay more for a crap shoot as to whether you get a good one or not?

Spend the difference on caps, balls, powder, and or other accessories.

-kBob
 
6.5x55swedish said:
I agree the Ruger's are getting up there in price, but there are still plenty around and they can be had in the 3-5 hundred range... They are worth every penny.

Loaded properly they are a tack driver... I have shot deer at 60 yards with mine and had them drop.

I suspect Ruger will bring them back at some point as demand over runs supply.

Now back to your regular scheduled program... sorry for the side track.
Click to expand...
I won't hold my breath for Ruger to reintorduce the ROA. Folks have been asking for the Hawkeye to be reintorduced for years and it's fallen on deaf ears.
 
I prefer the feel of the Pietta grip in my hand, the Uberti was too small to feel confident in the grip. I wear a size 10.5 glove. (glove size is usually same as shoe size) Consider that men were commonly smaller 155 years ago than today. You might prefer the smaller grip of the Uberti and you would be better off in the long run if you can try both.
 
I'm going to need to try them all if I can find them. I would guess the smaller grip of the Uberti would be what I'd need, but it seems Pietta's can be found almost everywhere. And naturally I'd go with the reduced cost all things being equal.

Can anyone give a size comparison to an Old Army grip?

I felt mine was a little large and sanded the inside of the grips a little. It's doubtful I did much though.
 
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