Uberti vs Pieta

[45 Dragoon]

The extra cost for the Uberti can be found inside. The action parts are very nice and correct to design whereas the Pietta parts are just copy's of 1990's made with modern processes which means they're too thick and require heavy springs for function. The arbor correction is an easy fix and the faster rifling (1/18) is excellent for 45C conversions.

Get an Uberti 1860 and you just bought an arbor problem.
Post CNC Piettas are top quality.

As is the case with ALL the reproductions ever made including Colt 2nd gens and SIG's and any older Pietta offerings. The arbor fix is easy.
So the point is you get what you pay for. Everybody wants a $1,000 gun for $150. Ain't gonna happen. Buy an Uberti, fix the arbor and enjoy a revolver that has nice contours, a nice action and pick from pocket guns, belt guns or horse pistols.

Pietta's are nice enough but definitely can use help in the action Dept. As harsh as it sounds, they're a "one trick pony" with their open top offerings but actually that's a good thing. It makes the company profitable and the revolvers are like legos for grown ups!! I have a pair that can be snubies for carry or mount longer barrels for target. You can have the Navy look or the Army look (the Army with Navy stocks is a "looker" to me!). And!!! Thank goodness Pietta makes the cylinders slightly longer than Uberti does!! Why?? Because 45C Kirst gated conversion cyls accept factory length rounds, Uberti cyls are a reloader only affair. So, the Pietta conversion cyl in the Uberti Army allows factory length ammo with the appropriate rifling twist !! An awesome revolver!!
So, there's a need for both to stay around !

Mike

 

[SSBN617b]

Thanks Mike, that is a lot of good information.

 

[Blackpowderwarrior]

Here are recent Piettas and my only Uberti. The Uberti is stainless but all of them are superb. The mose accurate straight out of the box is the 1851 44"Navy"

 

[lagerratrobe]

I own one of each, both Remington clones. The 1858 is a Pietta, the 1875 is an Uberti and I don't really think one is better than the other. I have a slight preference for the Pietta 1858, but the Uberti 1875 is crazy accurate and a good shooter as well. I find the grips on the 1875 to be a shade small, and combined with the long barrel, I tend to find the 1858 more to my liking. But the fit and finish on both is exceptionally good and I have not had the problems with soft screws that others have mentioned. I admit to being anal retentive about using screwdrivers with proper fitting tips though.



I have fired the Uberti with full BP cartridge loads and had no problems with it. In the Pietta 1858 I tend to use a Howell conversion cylinder and have shot it with both BP handloads and with off-the-shelf Cowboy .45 rounds. I find that the Uberti gets gummed up with powder fouling more quickly than the Pietta, but I think this is a function of the design difference in the guns, not the manufacturer.

At the end of the day, I tend to choose the Pietta 1858 if I'm going out to the field, mostly because it is built like a tank and I feel like it is absolutely reliable. The Uberti is a beautiful gun and I shoot it at the range all the time, but I find it to be a bit fiddly in comparison. I have no real complaints with it though and would recommend it without hesitation if you're looking for that 1875 design.

 

[Jimster]

I’m a Uberti guy. And every one I buy will go to Goons for the full treatment. Just feels good having the best possible refinement process applied to my cap n ball revolvers. No billboards on the side of the barrel is also a plus. To each his own.

 

[Don Van Winkle]

I cannot say anything about the Colt BP revolvers, but my "58 Remington is a Pietta and the quality is amazing to say the least. I was gifted this by a personal friend back in 2019 and it was never shot by him. I have put this one through the ringer so to speak and it has held up like a tank. I do have another friend who has the Uberti model and has had many problems that I have not experienced. I talk with him and it is always about the quality of the workmanship. He is very adept at gunsmith work and is going to soon go through the gun from stem to stern to get it working smooth. My two cents worth here.

 

[Zulch]

Neither is of the quality we expect from centerfire revolvers - which, considering the prices, should be expected. Guns from both brands almost certainly will need some work before they are everything they should be.

I personally prefer Uberti, partly because I have more experience fixing them than fixing Piettas, but mostly because Uberti is better at not putting so much writing on the barrels.

Sir, I am with you on that. Is it regulations requiring that now? If so, will Uberti follow suit and tattoo more scribing on their irons? Rhetorical questions I know. Thanks.

 

[Zulch]

Here are recent Piettas and my only Uberti. The Uberti is stainless but all of them are superb. The mose accurate straight out of the box is the 1851 44"Navy"

Hey BPW. thanks for posting that picture. I haven't seen them all at once. Very Nice!! That stainless 1858 is mighty purty too.

 

[CraigC]

20yrs ago, Pietta's were rough as a cob. Today, they are A LOT better. I have two guns from the dark age (2005) and several from the last 10yrs. The newer guns are really, really nice. Of course, the newer Uberti's are too. So it's really a tough decision to screw up.

 

[.38 Special]

Sir, I am with you on that. Is it regulations requiring that now? If so, will Uberti follow suit and tattoo more scribing on their irons? Rhetorical questions I know. Thanks.

I kind of doubt it. Pietta has been doing it forever and presumably could stop any time they like, at least for American guns.

 

[hawg]

Pietta just wants you to damn well know who made it. Uberti is not open to suggestions on how to make them better. Uberti has been informed about the short arbor many, many times but they wont listen. They say the arbor is short to adjust the cylinder gap. That's their story and they're sticking to it. Pietta somewhat listens but makes changes in the wrong direction. That's why they have such obese grips and skyscrapers for front sights. I have a Pietta .36 Remington made in 76 and it is an excellent gun but I bought it used and somebody ringed the cylinder. It has nice slender grips without all the proud wood they have now. The front sight is taller than an original but not the skyscraper on newer guns. Uberti is a little more historically oriented. They made some brass navies early on but don't make any brass framed guns now. Most of them are guns that were actually made back in the day. The exception is the Remingtons with adjustable sights. Pietta on the other hand doesn't give a dead rats butt about history. They will make any kind of franken gun that will make them a buck.

 

[Paul R Zartman]

Pietta on the other hand doesn't give a dead rats butt about history. They will make any kind of franken gun that will make them a buck.

Hi everyone, Hawg, enjoy all your posts...but,, are we getting a bit finicky about history and cool guns? Correct me if I'm wrong, but we are talking about a modern day "REPRODUCTION" of a gun "ORIGINALLY" made in the USA that is being manufactured overseas by the "ITALIANS" and then imported into the USA so we can get our gun itch scratched...
I have a few 1800 era guns that I try my very best to keep original and shoot able, but these reproductions are just that....fun lookalikes
Now, I have both a BP Pietta 51 Brasser 44 and a Uberti 45 SASS PRO, both have beautiful fit and finish and I am happy the Italians are scratching my itch...

Oh MY...just noticed the BILLBOARD on my Uberti.... and no...don't plan on abusing my brasser...

 

[Lyle]

Thanks Somebody........,not often mentioned Pietta has shallower rifling.

Is shallower rifling an advantage or disadvantage?

 

[Paul R Zartman]

Is shallower rifling an advantage or disadvantage?

Uh oh...you may have just opened up a large can of worms...

 

[white smoke]

I’m thinking how wonderful that we live in a time and place where we have these choices. The competition benefits us all.

 

[45 Dragoon]

Wow!! Cabin fever is running amuck!! Lol!

Is it "correct" to call something a "reproduction" that never existed? If it didn't exist it's NOT a reproduction . . . it's just an assembly of parts . . . a "what if" or a new model.

So, Uberti for the most part makes correct sized models of cap guns that pretty much mirror an original. Like Colt built.
Pietta makes all cap guns on one platform and calls them different models. Like Colt didn't build.

The" SASS PRO" is a Model designation for a competition revolver for a modern activity . . . a copy yes but not a "reproduction" (they didn't have a SASS PRO in the 19th century).
I had an El Patron Competition that was a very nice modern version of a Mod.P but it wasn't a "reproduction".

I agree, "BLACKPOWDER ONLY " and " FLLIPIETTA - MADE IN ITALY " isn't very attractive but that's what ya get!!

There's plenty to nit pick on both sides!

The clincher is the "made in Italy" thing lol!!! If they didn't make them, we wouldn't have them!! Who would line up to buy American made reproductions at $900.00+ per lol!!!

Just an observation . . .

Mike

 

[mjsdwash]

i don't have an 1860, but do have an 1858. The Pietta is just about as good quality wise as my Uberti.
No timing issues, decent trigger, works fine. Probably around 800 shots through it total. Which is a fairly high number for CB.
Will probably put a few hundred more in this spring.
My particular Pietta 1858 has a purple tint. Its from the casting metallurgy. I've never seen another with that, but its always possible. Its fairly common on Rugers. I don't think you would get that on an Uberti. I don't mind it.

 

[Paul R Zartman]

. . . a copy yes but not a "reproduction" (they didn't have a SASS PRO in the 19th century).

Yes, its really cold here in Florida, 45 this morning, so cabin fever is having its way among us...
Dictionary...
re·pro·duc·tion
/ˌrēprəˈdəkSH(ə)n/
Learn to pronounce

noun

1. the action or process of making a copy of something.

I like both and am not afraid to buy a Uberti or a Pietta, but I also like the pretty brass frames, original or not, and the 44, original or not...but they still look like a copy of the old ones

 

[45 Dragoon]

Yes, its really cold here in Florida, 45 this morning, so cabin fever is having its way among us...
Dictionary...
re·pro·duc·tion
/ˌrēprəˈdəkSH(ə)n/
Learn to pronounce

noun

1. the action or process of making a copy of something.

I like both and am not afraid to buy a Uberti or a Pietta, but I also like the pretty brass frames, original or not, and the 44, original or not...but they still look like a copy of the old ones

Right, a "copy" of something. Ya can't "copy" something that never was . . . but hey!!! They're all fun - repro or not!! (I work on all of um!!! Lol)


As far as cold in Fla. I here ya! Cold is relevant to "norm"! My oldest is a Floridian!!

Mike

 

[44 Dave]

It got up to +10 yesterday. I shot my ASM Pocket, but I loaded in it inside then went out to fire it.
Mike, that is the one with the Uberti hand.

 

[Dark Skies]

I've got Ubertis and Piettas and all of therm required some fettling on moving part areas to smooth them off and remove drag against the hammer with the frame. I prefer the latter due to their grips being a tad larger for my farmer's hands.
Spare part kits are more readily available and cheaper than Uberti.
I've had really generous assistance from Pietta on a twenty-fire year old model - they gave me a free trigger, guard, backstrap, and grips due to changes they made later that made later triggers touch the rear of the guard, THAT'S customer service.

I've never had issues with screws though. I use proper gunsmiths screw bits which properly fit and fill the slots. Drape a thin gun patch over the screw head place the driver in good and snug and turn.if all you have are regular drivers - fills up the slot for a better purchase and if you slip you don't chisel scratches into your frame.