Uberti vs. Pietta new production -- worth extra $$?

[ArmedBear]

I'm thinking of getting an 1851 Navy. I have no Colt replicas, and figured that'd be a good start anyway.

Seems I can easily find a Pietta for $190, a Uberti for $237.

Now, after the money's gone, I'll remember the gun, not the 50 bucks.

But still, is the Uberti worth more?

I know they used to be. But word is, Pietta's quality has improved greatly.

Worth the extra 50 bucks, in the long run?

(I have some old replicas. The cheaper one doesn't really shoot any more. The expensive one shoots like a new gun. But again, rumor has it that things have changed.)

 

[bigbadgun]

I tell you what ArmedBear I own a 1851 colt navy in .44 steel frame I think it is a great piece of work I cannot answer about the Uberties but with this place you are gonna save more than $50 bucks. Here is the link I bought mine from.
http://possibleshop.com/cap-ball-closeout.htm
And again for $165 you cant go wrong.

 

[ArmedBear]

"Traditions" as a brand doesn't make me too confident. Are they any good?

 

[bigbadgun]

All traditions does is import Piettas.

 

[ATAShooter]

Get the Pietta. I have a Uberti '58. My brother has the Pietta '58. After I fire about 3 cylinder loads ( from Uberti) the cylinder pin gets gunk on it and the action tightens up real bad. Then getting the pin out so you can clean it is a pig. My brother's don't do it.

 

[ArmedBear]

What do you use for lube?

I just put about 75 rounds through a Remmie .44 (much more fouling prone than a Colt .36 AFAIK) and the cylinder pin just got gunked up at the very end.

I used canola oil from the kitchen, per what I read here. It worked great. The whole revolver was covered in gunk, and it still worked. It was hard to get the pin out at the end, but the cylinder still spun freely.

How long has your brother had his gun?

 

[Pancho]

I state this only as my opinion in my limited experience. The Ubertis I've bought were perfect and the only Pietta that I bought was terrible if you consider fit and finish. This is based on personal experience as recent as this January from BassPro .

 

[ArmedBear]

Hmmm...

I wonder if it's still true that Pietta will build you a really nice revolver, or a wallhanger, to your spec's.

I have certainly seen some really nice Piettas, with top-notch fit and finish. But those tended to be "branded" revolvers, e.g. Navy Arms, and relatively expensive.

That's why Traditions doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling. They seem to be a downmarket blisterpack sort of brand; they appear to offer the same low-grade kits that CVA did back in the day (when they also sold corrosive caps).



But maybe it's just the early 80's experiences I had, come back to haunt me. Maybe I'm wrong.

I hate to "throw away" money, but if I can place an order and know I will get what I wanted, I might just as soon pay extra for it.

I also don't intend to insult anyone's firearms. I've just BTDT and at this point I'd rather have one great gun than two POS'es I never use because they're unreliable, frustrating, inaccurate, or just don't feel right, even.

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

I don't know if this help's you or not but the Pietta New Model .44 Target Model (blued) I got had a real nice fit and finish. It's true that I'vd only shot it 18 times and then cleaned it and lubed it and put it away, but the action was smooth and the trigger pull broke clean and sharp, so no complaint's there. It seemed to handle 30 grains of Triple Seven (3fff) pretty good.
I know a total of 18 shots isn't just a whole hell of a lot of information but it's all I have....

 

[pohill]

Traditions, like Taylors, imports guns, they don't make them. And both companies are good people to deal with if you have a problem, no matter where you buy the (new) gun. Traditions and Taylors keep track of serial numbers so they know which guns they sold. Even if you buy a Pietta from Cabelas (for example), and there's a problem with it, contact Traditions (or Taylors for an Uberti). They will fix or replace the guns. As far as which is better, Pietta or Uberti...either can make a lemon. It's the customer service that counts. I have owned Ubertis with certain problems, and Piettas with other problems. I think that Ubertis are closer to the original guns (the 1862 Pocket Police .36 for example - Uberti's model is very close to the original while the Pietta is a chopped down 1861 Navy). I owned an Uberti Remington and a Pietta Remington - the Uberti was better made, inside and out, but the Pietta's grips are bigger and fit my hand better. Both were great shooters - the Piettas are cheaper.

 

[bigbadgun]

I tell you what ArmedBear If you Order the gun from the possible shop and dont get a good gun I would be very surprised.

 

[Chazz]

Though I never had a Uberti, I've got the 1851 Navy Pietta steel frame version in 36 cal. from cabelas last year. The fit and finish is great, only problem I've had with it was getting the barrel wedge out. Spare parts and all that is easy to find and cheaper than Uberti I think.

 

[ArmedBear]

I owned an Uberti Remington and a Pietta Remington - the Uberti was better made, inside and out, but the Pietta's grips are bigger and fit my hand better. Both were great shooters - the Piettas are cheaper.

Interesting.

I have an old Remmie replica, Armi Sport I think. Long defunct. Maybe Armi San Marco. No good marks on the thing. Anyway, the grips are notably small, with a smaller grip frame, compared to my recent Uberti Remmie.

But Pietta also makes a Remmie that has an intentionally oversized grip frame, or at least they have at some point, along with an original-size replica. Dixie has a variety of Piettas, including those, and one with progressive rifling for a lot more money. It does seem that not all the Piettas are created equal.

Or is it Piettae?

Anyway, now I'm even more confused. It may be well worth grabbing that gun from TPS while they have them for cheap.

WRT importers... I was under the impression that, while all of them do import guns, some importers are pickier than others (e.g. Taylor's, Cimarron, Navy Arms). I.e. some are not "just" importers, but act as final QC before they retail the gun. Is this not the case?

 

[pohill]

Most of the problems I've had with Ubertis involve dovetails, in which the sights or the loading lever latches slide out. This has happened on...let me see...at least 3 guns. Also, my 1862 (Uberti) Pocket Police, while one of the best looking guns, has some timing issues. Taylors missed these problems. On the other hand, my 1860 .44 Pietta (or is it Piettum) had some problems, (the arbor (cylinder pin) is uneven at the tip) but the gun's action is the smoothest out of the box of all I own. Also, the teeny weeny pin that holds the roller on the back of the hammer assembly fell out, and I called Traditions and told them, and not only did they send me a free pin but a free hammer assembly to go with it. I've received free...yes free (no shipping or handling) parts from Taylors and Traditions for new guns - hands, trigger/bolt springs, etc. Just call if something breaks in the first year and both will, or they used to, send out new parts, or offer to examine the gun and fix or replace it as needed. I never deal with the place that sold me the gun. Also, if given the choice between fixing or replacing, I would opt for the fix (if the problem isn't too bad), with the idea that a replacement gun might have a whole new set of issues to deal with.
So, Pietta or Uberti...it's kinda like Ginger or MaryAnn. Can't really go wrong with either.

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

I don't know if this is true or not but Cabela's told me one time that they inspected the firearms they received from whoever and that if they found one (or more) that looked poor they culled them out.
Like I said, I don't know if this is true or not but I suspect there's at least a certain amount of truth to it....
Well, I know that I myself buy from them with confidence....

 

[scrat]

I dont think this is true. if you look at the customer reviews from cabelas most of the problems people have had were straight from the box. However reading through them Cabelas did a find job replacing them. Its just when the box was opened the problem was there from the factory. Seems like they were not even inspected or tested from the factory. Just made boxed and sent out.

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Scrat, that may be true. Like I said, I don't know.
I can say that I'vd never had a problem with them or any of their merchandise and I'vd dealt with them exclusively for many a long year. I do think that a lot of the customer's problems is the customer's fault....
But back to the thread. I trust the hell out of my Uberti's just like I trust the hell out of my Nextel, but nowadays Pietta and Uberti are just like Sprint/Nextel. Separate but together....

 

[Pancho]

Pohil, I too had timing issues with the 62 Pocket Police I got from Taylor's. I sent it back and they retimed it for me and they were prompt about. I was even able to talk to their inhouse gunsmith and he explained that the pocket guns were prone to this when cocked hard and fast. I've not had a problem since. What I didn't ask him was if properly timed would it jump time if I continued to cock the gun hard and fast.

 

[Seafarer12]

I have a pietta 1858 and it is a fine gun. I traded for it. I don't think you could go wrong with either brand personally.

 

[sundance44s]

Just recieved a new 1858 from Cabelas yesterday ..Pietta ..I think I bought it just to see who Pietta was doing these days in the quality control dept ...I have to say the fit and finish is as nice as any Uberti I own ....The one problem I found and it was an easy find ..did they not cock the hammer in quality control ? the hammer spring was sprung to the extent that when I took the grips off the spring fell out ...so a 3 dollar problem no big deal , in fact I had a new spring for it anyway ...good thing . Goes to show that Cabelas does NOT open the box and check NOTHING ...if they would have just touched the hammer they would have known there was a problem . Looks like Pietta quality control , is doing better with the outside fit and finish ..the grips were even nice ...BUT the internals are still as rough as ever , I never bought a Uberti that was that clunky on the inside .

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Well, like I said, that may be true. I don't know.
I'm just stating that they told me that, and I can't say anything because my dealings with them has sure been satisfactory.
I do know this. The first gun I ever bought from them was the Walker and I told them on the phone that day that they better tell those people in the warehouse they had better send me a good gun. That was years ago. I told the customer service department that day that I wanted some notes placed in my customer record that I was heading into rough country and they better not send me a piece of s***. Those notes are still in my customer record and they see them every time they open up my account which is quite often because I'm alway's buying something from them. Have some stuff on the way now as a matter of fact. They have even sent me equipment to field test for them.
I'm sorry that some people have had a bad experience with them. I never have and I never expect to. I trust them and a few of them trust me to....
As far as the Pietta and the Uberti goes, I like both of them. My Uberti Remington .44 Cattleman's Carbine is extremely accurate and is one of the sweetest shooting little thing's I'vd ever had my hand's on. My Pietta Remington .44 New Model Target with the 8 inch barrel, well, I don't have much experience with it but it's very nice looking and seem's to shoot alright....

 

[DixieTexian]

I think nowadays, besides the historical accuracy issues with some guns, the biggest difference is in the proof markings. My Uberti walker I just received has very light stampings compared with the Pietta Remington I have. There are also a lot less markings. Now whether that is worth the extra $50 to you is up for you to decide.

 

[sundance44s]

Well ...Cabelas could have just opened the box and looked at it through the plastic bag , to make sure it was all there , and in order that way .
I know I could have called Cabelas and they would have taken it back , and shipped me out another gun ..quick ..I have a friend that did that , He said they were really quick to make it right .

 

[DuncanSA]

I don't think you can go far wrong with modern production from either Pietta
or Uberti. Its when buying second-hand that quality of Uberti seems better than Pietta among the older weapons. Just my opinion, there are guys on this forum with much greater experience than mine.

 

[Dithsoer]

Well I guess in the long run it comes down to accuracy and reliability. Anyone ever have one of each, the same model from Pietta and Uberti and compare them for accuracy and/or long term durability? I'm particualary interested in the Colt replicas in this matter. How accurate are Pietta Colts such as the (.36) 1851 Navy or (.44) 1860 Army?