Bought an 1860 Army; need some info

[RWMC]

Two days ago, I bought an 1860 Army, .44 cal. bp replica. Here is the kicker: It was made in 1979 (AE) and it has not been fired...yet. It was some new-old stock that the local gunshop was selling off. It has no box or accessories; just the revolver by itself. It has a very nicely finished barrel (8") and a steel, color case-hardened frame. The backstrap though, is brass, as is the trigger guard. The grip is a nice one-piece european walnut. The cylinder has a navy battle scene on it. Is that correct? The barrel/cylinder gap is very tight, and the lock-up on the cylinder is rock solid. The hammer is a little clunky looking; not like the newer Uberti or Pietta guns. The manufacturer logo is the letters D,G and G intertwinded, with a circle surrounding them. It was imported by EMF. I paid $220 plus tax. Sorry I don't have pics yet. Are any of you familiar with that DGG company? Did I pay too much for what it is? Thanks for any info.

 

[mykeal]

DGG is (now) Euroarms, a well known and respected manufacturer. $220 is a good buy, a bit below market for an unfired specimen without box or papers. The battle scene on the cylinder is correct.

DGG are the initials of the firm's founders, Doninelli, Grassi, and Gazzola. It was originally Armi San Paolo.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

At that time period, it would have been Armi San Paolo.

I have a Remington 1858 Replica that I bought around 1975. It has Euroarms stamped on the barrel, but it has the DGG in a circle on the underside of the barrel. At that time, DGG was the mark for Euroarms.

Look down towards the bottom of this site:

http://www.powderhombre.com/mbpproofmarks.pdf

 

[RWMC]

Thank-you very much for the information. I really appreciate it. So, should I go ahead and fire the 1860? It isn't nothing special since it hasn't been shot yet, is it? Is it true that Pedersoli bought Euroarms? Thanks again for hollerin back soon!

 

[arcticap]

It's something special due to being unfired after all of these years but it's not so valuable as to not shoot it and enjoy it.
Euroarms either stopped making or importing their 1860 long before they went out of business. Meanwhile they continued to make and import their Remington 1858's.
It was reported here that Pedersoli bought Euroarms.
But we haven't heard about any future plans and can only speculate.
BTW, Winchester Sutler lists parts for the Euroarms Colt 1860 near the very bottom of this page:

http://winchestersutler.com/Part.html

Home page:

http://winchestersutler.com/

 

[J-Bar]

You bought a nice gun at a nice price. Shoot the hell out of it!

If you want to collect safe queens and bet on increase in value, go with Colt Pythons, Ruger Old Armies, Purdey side by sides, etc.

 

[RWMC]

Thanks again for all the advice and info!

 

[YumaKid]

J-Bar; You might want to add S&W K-frame .357's to the list.
"They don't make 'em no mo' "... at least not in anything stouter than .38 Spcl, and good clean used .357 models are going for old Python prices. I "went in halvies" with my son-in-law on a used 4" Mdl 66-2 because my daughter wanted "one just like Mom's" for her birthday this year.
1/2 the purchase price was $10 more than the total cost I paid for the wife's nickle Mdl 13 - new!