I'm Thinking of Getting a Single-Action...

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CajunBass

CajunBass

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Well, actually a brace of them.


IMG_20151112_110224364_zpsqubckjdu.gif

Normally I'm not a big fan of single-action revolvers. Well, not so much "not a fan" as I'm just A fan of double-action revolvers. However...

I was thinking I needed another 44 Special. I really like that cartridge. These had been hanging around at Ali-Babba's House O Guns. I had looked at them through the case without really thinking about them. Well, I finally asked to see them.

They are of course Uberti, copies? Clones? Reproductions? of the 1871/72 Colt cartridge revolver, in 44 Special. The rattlesnake inlay on the grips I'm told is from some Clint Eastwood movie or TV show. I have no idea if they came from the factory with that or not. They do appear to be lightly fired, if fired at all. I hate to admit it, but I'm not sure if they're five or six shot guns. Didn't think to count, or ask. The rear sight is TINY, and I mean tiny.

The guns are well made it seems to me. Fit and finish is excellent. I know they're not magnums, and have no intention of trying to turn them into magnums. I also know they're not safe to carry with a round under the hammer.

I was going to get one of them, but my wife threw a fit..."You can't break up the set." Well, they're not really a "set". They're two separate guns being sold separately....She didn't care.

So they're stuck away on layaway for three months. That should give me plenty of time to change my mind.
 
Uberti has made good guns for a long time... I have three. Two black powder and a 22/22 mag. The 22 we have had since the seventies and I replaced a flat spring - it is the design not the manufacturer. Simple cheap fix. They tend to be really nice! I would not mind getting one of their cartridge centerfires in a more normal cattleman configuration....

If the wife says go for it -who are WE to argue? :evil:
 
CajunBass, I bought one of those (without the snake) this past summer. It's a great gun. What sealed the deal for me is that the Uberti web site doesn't list .44 Specials anymore. Who knows when they will offer them again? Mine is a great shooter, accurate as the dickens with .44 Spl and .44 Russian.

A note of interest: The owner's manual has specific information about the wedge screw and its effect on cylinder gap. Also, there is a weird "safety" apparatus in the hammer that you'll want to know about. I don't use it - but you'll want to know about it. Lastly, I had to soften a couple of "corners" (yep, corners) on the firing pin's face because they were occasionally poking holes in primers.

All in all, mine is a wonderful gun. Fun to shoot, easy to clean, and beautifully built. With that and my 1873 Cattleman, I just had to buy a western rig with a crossdraw holster added. The set looks great. Enjoy.
 
I think I own 3 Urbertis:
Win 1885 clone in 30-30 I rebarreled to 257 Roberts Ackley rimmed.
Early Cattleman 45LC, marked Iver Johnson
Late Cattleman 45LC

The first two are well made and I have enjoyed them a lot.
Shot many times. Most of my guns I never get around to test firing, so they are major hits.

The third I have not shot yet.
 
They are 6 shot revolvers; you can count two visible cylinder notches at two o'clock and four o'clock, there will be two more on the opposite side, one more on top of the cylinder in front of the hammer nose, and the sixth is engaging the bolt in the water table.

The rattlesnake grips were actually used by Mr. Eastwood when he was on the TV series, "Rawhide", and then later seen in his spaghetti westerns when he played the "man with no name":

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/A_Fistful_of_Dollars#Single_Action_Army

If you decide you ever want to sell them, contact your nearest cowboy action shooting club...I'm sure there would be a lot of interest!

Watch for unusual wear in the cylinder notches and lead-ins. Sometimes Italian revolver makers don't fit the bolt to the notches very well. If you see peening on the notch edges, there are online instructions for addressing that problem. The flat hand springs and sear/bolt springs occasionally break, but replacements are normally available through such suppliers at VTI Gunparts.

You really should consider cowboy action shooting. You have made a great beginning!!
 
You really should consider cowboy action shooting. You have made a great beginning!!
Click to expand...

No thanks. I got bit by the IPSC bug many years ago, and the semi-pro bass fishing bug after that. I found when competition got involved, I started to take "it" too seriously and whatever it was I was doing, ceased to be fun and just became work. I promised myself, never again.

I'll stick to just punching holes in a piece of paper.

I have considered signing up for SASS, just to see if my name is available. :D
 
Warning...they are addictive.

I love single actions...nothing to do with the western thing...I like being able to carry a more powerful gun in a smaller and easier to carry package than is available in a DA.

I like the Rugers and have a bunch...but I LOVE the SAA clones...and they will do most of what one needs to do with a revolver.
 
Uberti makes decent revolvers. Those look like good ones. I am not a fan of the snakes but some like them, I prefer stag.

These revolvers are cut with 6 holes in the cylinder but like all of the cartridge Single Action clones, they are safest to carry with 5.

What kind of holster are you planning to use, Threepersons, Brill, halfbreed??

Kevin
 
CajunBass

Like the looks of the brace of Open Tops! I would be tempted to get a wooden display case for them, just to show them off when I wasn't using them.

When I first started buying handguns I think 5 of the first 6 that I bought were revolvers: a Charter Arms Undercover, Hawes Deputy Marshall, Ruger Single Six, Ruger Super Blackhawk, and a Webley Mk.IV. Definitely had a preference for single actions though.
 
Sweet pair of Open Tops! Particularly so in .44Colt or .44Spl, rather than .45Colt. These guns were Colt's first big bore cartridge revolver and were originally chambered in .44 rimfire. Bridging the gap between the percussion guns, cartridge conversions and the Single Action Army. I carried and shot mine extensively for several years before having it engraved and refinished. One of my favorite sixguns.

IMG_2281b.jpg
 
CraigC

Definitely one of the most stylish and great looking single action revolvers I have ever seen! Thanks for sharing!
 
A bit earlier than an 1871/72, these are my Richards Conversion models, both in 44 Colt.

Someday, they will have either stag or holly grips.

Kevin
 

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Hey Cajunbass, the Clint Eastwood character that used something resembling this was "The Man w/ No Name" aka Blondie in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". Can't recall exactly if he had the snake grips in Fistful of Dollars, or For a Few Dollars More.

You're welcome ;)
 
I'm not a revolver guy. But I have a lot of double action revolvers after being around them since I was a kid... and I'm not a single action guy either, but for some reason I just love playing with them! So... yeah... I saw a grungy looking .357 that appeared to be in pretty rough shape, on the bottom shelf at my favorite local gun store. It appeared to be some kind of Italian copy of an 1873 Colt. I knew nothing about them at the time, but it was cheap! It had a tight lock-up and the action was nice and smooth.

Well... after cleaning it up, I discovered that under all the goop it has a gorgeous case-hardened finish, the high luster blue is deep and flawless and it's a great shooter! It's a Pietta, which is the "other" Italian company and it's a direct copy of a Colt. I say go for it. It may have some issues down the line, but parts are available, it's pretty, and it's fun to play with. I just need Paladin's "Have Gun Will Travel" holster and I'll be good to go. Seriously though, it IS fun to shoot.

Don't change your mind! :)
 
Another fan of the Uberti SAAs here.

The quality is about as good as I've seen.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. ;)
Got 2 so far.
 
CajunBass said:
Well, actually a brace of them. ... I was going to get one of them, but my wife threw a fit..."You can't break up the set." Well, they're not really a "set". They're two separate guns being sold separately....She didn't care.
Click to expand...
Does she have a sister? I'm willing to get a divorce.

:cool:
 
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