Italian Paterson Maker

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soonerfan66

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20200804_161247[1].jpg 20200804_163249[1].jpg 20200804_161227[1].jpg 20200804_161247[1].jpg 20200804_163249[1].jpg 20200804_161227[1].jpg Recently picked up a Italian Paterson revolver but not sure who made it . Has the normal PN mark , cal 36 and says Morra on bottom of barrel . Can anyone help out . It seems in pretty good shape , it was made about 1970 from the XXVI stamp . I don't see any markings from the major makers of Italian black powder firearms . I don't see the normal black powder only anywhere , which is odd .
 
Uberti and Pietta both made Patersons. In 1971 there could have been another maker as well. Does it have any markings or symbols you haven't mentioned?

I'm sort of thinking Uberti given the date ..... but I could very easily be wrong.
 
Someone on another forum told me they thought MOFRA stood for Mainardi Official Fabrica of Republic Arms . But still looking for info on that .
 
Was told wrong it is Replica Arms not Republic . After a good checking over I took it to the range . There for a while I was a Texas Ranger shooting it out with some banditos !!! I always get a rush when shooting any of my guns whether it's something from WW2 or a flintlock frontstuffer . Love history and shooting . Can't imagine having to reload a Paterson while in combat , but guess that's why they carried 2 or more . Will get it out again an check for double overlapping diamond .
 
Every body has explained what we know about MOFRA beautifully. I will just add that they were the first to make an Italian replica of the Paterson. The highest serial number that I have found for a MOFRA marked Paterson is 1486 in 1970 so yours is one of the last ones made under that name. In 1971 Euromanufacture was making the same replica Paterson using the double interlocking diamond logo (for the two Mainardi brothers joining forces) but they restarted the serial numbering sequence for those.
 
For any manufacturer to make a Paterson is going to be a problem. It's a complicated gun to make, and in the end the performance is going to be unsatisfactory. This is the exact same problem that Colt faced in the 1840's, and that led to his bankruptcy. It's for good reason that Uberti and Pietta aren't making them any more. I guess they got tired of handling the complaints.
 
AlexanderA said:
For any manufacturer to make a Paterson is going to be a problem. It's a complicated gun to make, and in the end the performance is going to be unsatisfactory. This is the exact same problem that Colt faced in the 1840's, and that led to his bankruptcy. It's for good reason that Uberti and Pietta aren't making them any more. I guess they got tired of handling the complaints.
Click to expand...

Colt must have carried this tradition over to the Lightning and Thunderer, it's first double-action revolvers .... :evil:
 
Heir Kommt Die Sonne said:
But where can I find one for myself?
Click to expand...
Search Gun Broker and the other auction sites.
Search both "Paterson (the correct spelling) and Patterson as some folks have not seen the name in print!
They show up every week or so.
Usually they fetch around $600 alone or more in a cased set.
Ubertis with a loading lever attached go for a premium.
MOFRAs, Ubertis and Piettas all seem to command higher and higher prices since no one is currently making them.
Almost forgot Palmetto made one too but I have never seen one for sale.
I wonder if Palmetto's is the same tooling as the MOFRA/Euromanufacture ones since they bought them out in 1980???
Anybody have one?
 
Ephraim Kibbey said:
Search Gun Broker and the other auction sites.
Search both "Paterson (the correct spelling) and Patterson as some folks have not seen the name in print!
They show up every week or so.
Usually they fetch around $600 alone or more in a cased set.
Ubertis with a loading lever attached go for a premium.
MOFRAs, Ubertis and Piettas all seem to command higher and higher prices since no one is currently making them.
Almost forgot Palmetto made one too but I have never seen one for sale.
I wonder if Palmetto's is the same tooling as the MOFRA/Euromanufacture ones since they bought them out in 1980???
Anybody have one?
Click to expand...

A few weeks ago I looked at a box that had a picture of a Paterson on it, and I realized in that moment how beautiful the Paterson is.
Definitely would be enjoyable, but then again we keep telling ourselves "one last gun!"
 
I've heard stories that the last run of Pietta Patersons left the factory with all sorts of quality control issues: burrs, machining debris left in the action, rust, etc. When owners tried to take them apart to clean them up, they had trouble putting them back together.

Off and on, I've wanted a Paterson. Then I've come to my senses.
 
Ephraim Kibbey said:
No one has bid on this one yet as of 3:20 pm est 8/7/2020:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/875721155
Click to expand...

Nice looking gun. I think the price is right on from what the picture on GB shows. Of course I might be a little prejudiced since I own 11 of them with no two being exactly the same. Most are cased sets. This gun is not for the BP shooter but more for the collector. They are somewhat fragile and if all one whats to do is burn powder there are many other pieces far better suited for that and for a lot less $$$. I have been away from this forum for a number of years and hearing Pietta is no longer making them there is a good chance the price of a nice Paterson will not be going down anytime soon. This is the first one I ever bought and still among my favorites. GUNz53-_0694.jpg
 
Yes I will probably not shoot it a great deal just for like you said they are getting harder to come by and are more prone to breaking . But I get that rush shooting something from history even if it's a reproduction .. I got plenty of others to shoot and get my fix from . The one you showed in picture is pretty swanking guessing it's a reproduction being so clean . The cased sets you got I am curious about what all came with them , especially the original ones .
 
All my Patersons are reproductions. Original Patersons can go way up into the six figure atmosphere and anyone who owns one and fires it must be leaking
franklins. What is in a cased set varies on who put the set together and which model Paterson. This one of mine.

hrgun.jpg
 

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Since your cased Paterson has a loading lever, it doesn't need the unique Paterson loading tool, that fits into the slot in the arbor. This loading tool is the most problematic of the reproduction Paterson accessories. (It's notorious for breaking.)

Another unique Paterson accessory is the 5-spout powder flask. The reproductions are not internally authentic, and they don't work well either.

Your bullet mold, cleaning rod, and capper all look good.
 
Nice !! I have been kicking it around about maybe getting a case and start picking up items for it . The 5 spout loading flask / ball dispenser is pretty cool cause back then it was considered a speed loader .
 
Looks like a pipe dream . The few places I remembered seeing 5 spout flask and stuff show discontinued . Will just need to keep what on auction sites .
 
In the last year, I have seen two of the 5 spout flasks on Ebay and one combination tool. The flasks go for around $100 and the tools for a bit less. If you set up a search on ebay, you need two, one for Paterson spelled correctly and one for it misspelled as "Patterson." You also may want a search for just "Black Powder" in Sporting Goods/Hunting as some sellers do not know the part is for a Paterson replica. That's when you might catch a deal.
 
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