Pietta vs Uberti 1860 Army?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Panzerschwein

Panzerschwein

member
Joined
Nov 19, 2011
Messages
8,122
Location
Desert
Hello all!

I've been shopping for a Colt's 1860 Army .44 for a while now. I am seeing that the Pietta 1860 is on sale at Cabelas for $199.00 right now. Of all the Ubertis I found for sale, the cheapest price I've found is $295.00. These are both for the steel varieties with 8" barrels in standard blue, not the brass frames which are not historically accurate. I don't want those.

What I am asking guys, is which is the better revolver. Which one is finished nicer, which one looks the part, which one is the more likely to come with the least amount of problems? I've only owned one gun from each company. My Pietta made Spiller and Burr was not a good gun. Very roughly finished and almost crude. My Uberti (Cimarron) 1851 Navy however, is absolutely gorgeous. It looks like it should cost twice as much as I bought it for.

I can afford either of these guns, but if the Pietta is the better gun, I'll buy it especially since it's much cheaper.

So again, which one of these is the better built and better looking gun? Also, which one is most faithful to the original Colt design?

Thanks all!
 
Last edited:
They're both faithful to the design, they're the same thing just made buy different companies. You can spend the extra $100 on the Uberti and your chances of getting a lemon are the same as a Pietta because these are made by imperfect creatures called humans and everybody makes mistakes.

I have a '58 Remington made by Pietta, it's great and leaves nothing more to be desired. My next c&b revolver will be a Uberti because they're the only ones that make the 1862 Police. Now, if someone else started making the same gun, I'd still get a Uberti because they have guys with more experience making it.

I'll put it this way: if you can part with the $100 without it bothering you in any way and makes you feel better, then do it. There are worse things you can blow a hundred bucks on, belee dat.
 
They both CAN make really nice products but... The most important thing to remember is to buy from a company that will let you return it if you are not happy.
 
I bought the Pietta 1860 with extra cylinder from Cabela's last year before Christmas on sale for $235 and it is not only beautiful but also very smooth.

I am just an occasional shooter so I have not put many rounds through it but it seems to hit where I point it.

I definitely have not strained any of its internals with my limited use so I can not speak to durability.

I have not shot an Uberti 1860.
 
Uberti-vs Pietta

First things first: The 1860 Army is Gorgeous, I can't imagine you won't be happy once you have one on the range in your hand!!!

As a novice, I've handled a number of Pietta's at Calebas, and have picked up several Uberti's.

The Pietta 1860 Army I handled seemed a little stiff and in need of a reasonable to good bit of work with the action parts. Other than that it seemed to be good quality.

As it turns out the 1860 Uberti I have looked at and handled looked better than the Pietta at first, but seems to need the same reasonable to good bit of work to get it operating at it's best. The Uberti did not seem to be as highly differentiated from the Pietta based on quality as I hoped it would be.

One reason that still sits with me on a Pietta vs Uberti purchase is which firearm is closer to the original in size and dimensions. Other than that, I think it's a toss-up. For the 1860, I don't know if there is a difference.

I do not have experience in which ones if any shoot better out of the box or if the parts in one are more robust or manufactured better than the other. I think regardless of which choice is made, to get the best from one, the owner needs to be willing to "tinker" with the actions and fitment of parts, or be ready to spend $150-$250 with a gunsmith like Dragoon that has experience with black powder firearms
 
Last edited:
Hey Cooldill!
I believe the Uberti is the better of the two. Even though they refuse to admit there's an arbor problem, I still think apples to apples, Uberti's are the better product for the long haul. After all, its no secret where the parts came from for the Colt bp series and, the famos USFA '73 copies.

I also think Piettas are a good product and especially for the price!! And, they at least get the arbor pretty much right ( I still have to "adjust" them as well, just not as much.). I also like the engraved models they have (I have a customers in my gallery! Saweeet Dark Angel type gun!!) Either one will "fit the bill" but, the question was which one is better. I say the Uberti.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks
 
I agree with Goon on this.

In the past 15 years I have owned two Colt Second Generation 1860s, two Colt Second Generation 1851s, two Pietta 1851s, four Pietta 1860s, two Pietta 1861s, and four Uberti 1851s.

I kept two of the Uberti 1851s as the best of all those above. Yes, Colt fans, these were better made and finished inside and out than the Colts.

Besides, the Uberti grip shape looks better.
 
Pietta vs. Uberti

+1 on the grips.

The Uberti grips on the 1860 Army more closely match the originals than does the Pietta. Finish has a much higher sheen also.

I have both manufacturer's products, and has far as shooting goes, they both expose my lack of ability with a revolver. The guns are fine shooters so really it amounts to which feels best in your hand.

Personally, I go with the Uberti, perhaps illogically.
 
Thanks so much guys. I'm getting quite a few nods to the Uberti. Still haven't made up my mind yet though. I just need an 1860 Army, I don't have a .44 cal black powder revolver yet!
 
Here is a thought:

If both will need work, buy the Pietta and apply the $100 difference to 45 Dragoon's Tune Up charges!!!
 
Swathdiver,
I agree as far as appearance but some of the worst actions I've delt with have been in the 2nd/3rd gen Colts. It seems to run the gamut. Of course they were done some time ago and the parts back then seem to all be "get by" parts. The current parts in the Uberti's are some of the best ! That's part of why the Uberti gets the nod from me as well.
Now, if Pietta would put good parts in and Uberti would fit arbors better, it might be a dead heat!! Hmmmm . . . an Ubetta maybe?

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks
 
I have 8 Pietta's and 9 Uberti's. Ten years ago, I would've said Uberti hands down, Pietta's were rough and Uberti was obviously better made. However, Pietta made huge improvements in their manufacturing a few years ago and now, they give up nothing to Uberti. Cabela's has some great deals on their laser engraved Pietta's and I'm thinking about ordering an 1860 myself.

IMG_5608b.jpg
 
I agree as far as appearance but some of the worst actions I've delt with have been in the 2nd/3rd gen Colts.
Click to expand...
The Colt's are nicer finished on the outside but they weren't exactly made at a time when Colt quality was at its best. I spent more time stoning the innards on my New Frontier than any replica I've ever owned. It was terrible. Since the Colt guns are Uberti's anyway, for a swankier shooter, I'd rather buy a modern Uberti and have Doug Turnbull refinish it.
 
Can't speak to Uberti...

Never owned a Uberti, would like to change that. Have four Piettas' . Two 1858 models, one 1851, one 1860.

My Pietta 1860 is my favorite after 33 years a shootist and recently into BP. I don't think you will go wrong with either. Me? I would buy the Pietta for 100 less, but that's just me. For a difference of 50 bucks, I would probably pop for the Uberti just on reputation but have to tell you, I have no complaints with my 1860 and wouldn't be afraid to head off into the hills for a long walk with the 1860 as my only firearm. ( Southern Appalachian type here... ).

I originally bought mine because it was on sale and I just wanted it for a display piece. Never thought I would actually like shooting it, but there is something about those Colt designs in the hand, they point well and generally inspire confidence for me.

Either way you will end up with a nice replica and you do need a .44... However once you have one you'll want another.. maybe both? :D

1860cl_zpst0jeup7g.jpg

1860_zps5ry14yw5.jpg
 
I've had both a Pietta and a Uberti 1860 Army, and the Uberti was better. This was a few years ago. I've heard that Pietta has recently improved its quality. Still, personally, I would pay the price differential for the Uberti.

Note that the accessory shoulder stocks are not interchangeable between the two brands.
 
I have a Uberti 1860 Army and it is sweet. But the last C&B revolvers I got were Pietta Remington 1858s and they were as good as the Uberti in fit, finish and action. I have one of the Pietta 1860s coming next week. If it is as good as their Remingtons, it should be just fine, especially for the sale price. I'll put the savings into round ball and caps. (If I can find any caps.)

When I want the most accuracy in a C&B, I use an ROA. But the Rugers are in their own category.

Jeff
 
Does anyone know which one is most correct to the real Colt 1860 in terms of dimensions and parts commonality? Thanks!
 
Cooldill,

While this is not a direct answer to your question.

I brought a Pietta 1858 Remington C&B a couple of years ago. It is well made and finished. However it had a large sharp burr on the inside of the slot on the recoil shield that the hand rides through. This burr rubbed against the side of the hand along with creating a rough action when cocking.

Disassembly and reassembly of C&B's is simple. I removed the burr with careful patient filing with a flat metal hobby file.

I have a 1851 Navy on my wish list. It likely will be a Pietta. My point is when buying another Pietta I will not be surprised if the action and slot the hand rides in will have some burrs will need to be removed with some careful filing and cleaning. I will completely disassemble and inspect it before shooting it. I have the proper fitting screwdrivers and small files to make this a easy task.

However I am willing to accept the possibility of needing to do some minor gunsmithing for the cost savings over a Uberti. If I found Uberti Navy on sale at a low enough price I would buy one mainly to see how the quality compares to Pietta.
 
My Uberti (Cimarron) 1851 Navy however, is absolutely gorgeous. It looks like it should cost twice as much as I bought it for.
Click to expand...

If you had good luck with Cimarron with your 51 Navy then buy the 1860 Army from them. Why change.
 
When I needed a new bolt block for a Pietta and a few other small parts, I ordered both Uberti and Pietta parts, I think it was from Numrich, the Uberti replacement parts were better quality so I used the Uberti bolt to repair the Pietta.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
1860 army co.
Replies
2
Views
526
scrat
S
D
  • Locked
Colt 1860 Army - Worth $25 to get Uberti over Pietta?
Replies
16
Views
4K
Fingers McGee
Fingers McGee
D
  • Locked
1861 pietta or uberti
Replies
18
Views
2K
RecoilRob
R
CraigC
  • Locked
Colt replicas
Replies
12
Views
2K
Armored farmer
Armored farmer
B
  • Locked
I did it this time, uberti 1860
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
ClemBert
ClemBert
Back
Top