What has happened to Uberti?

[Coyote Hunter]

Hi folks, new to THR, but old to B.P. sports. Anyway, what has happened to Uberti? I used to find they were the BEST reproductions, but not now. I sold two Pietta '58 Remmies to buy a new Uberti '51 navy and a good period holster for my Circuit Riding Preacher reenactment. I have a Uberti Dragoon that is an excellent gun, pefectly timed from the factory, wood to metal finish perfect. I love that gun. The Remmies were nice guns, but I just wanted a change. I ordered the navy from Texas Jacks. Nice people. The Uberti was $61.00 cheaper than the "cimarron" version. I was told the only difference was some makings on the gun. When the gun arrived, the gun's grips did not fit correctly. They are extending past the rear bottom of the butt in sharp points. ( not sanded) I took the wedge out to wipe the gun down so I could fire it. The wedge will NOT go back in straight as the slots do not line up. If i put the wedge in with a mallet, the barrel jams up the cylinder. I have to take a dremel tool to sand down the wedge on one side to free up the barrel.
Now, the nipples are too big for the #11 remington Caps I have, and the mainspring is too light to set off the caps reliably. The brass under the grips are not finished (they are on my dragoon) and the works are full of metal machining chips. Texas Jacks does not take returns on firearms, so now I will be stuck with gunsmith bill to get it to work.

Has Uberti stopped any type of Qualtiy control? The Piettas seem to be better guns now and a lot less. Has anyone else had the problem with the new Uberti's? I really messed up on selling those Remmies if This is what I got. I was such a fan of the Uberties, but I really changed my mind. :banghead:

 

[Plastic Cowboy]

Well I bought a Uberti Walker Colt a few months ago and it seems to be pretty good fit and finish wise. After firing it a few dozen times I began to get scratches on the cyclinder where it dragged on the frame during disassembly- other than that it seems very well built.

Perhaps you just got a bad one but that one sounds especially poor and probably should not have made it past quality control. You should contact the American Uberti distributor and exchange it for a new one.

 

[Tommygunn]

I bought a Uberti Colt 1851 London version recently and it was as well made as any Uberti I bought 12-14 years ago.
CH, you must just have got a bad example. That's too bad. I'm not sure I'd do business with a company that wouldn't replace a defective gun like that.
In my experience, Pietta has also been a very reliable manufacturer. There used to be a company called Armi San Marco which produced some duds, and that has gone out of business, apparantly to be replaced by Palmetto, which while makes OK guns has also made duds.

 

[Old Fuff]

At one time Uberti made different grades of guns, which they sold to various importers. This partly explains why some guns from certain companies cost more or less then what another gun that looks the same costs from a different company. Thus I'm not sure that a gun from Texas Jack is truly identical to one of the same kind from Cimarron Firearms. I can't say when it comes to Texas Jack because I haven't purchased any guns from them, but I have been well satisfied with the ones I've bought from Cimarron. I have noticed that as a rule Texas Jack's prices seem lower then Cimarron's, and I suspect there is a reason for that.

 

[pohill]

Call Taylors and see what they'll do for you (they import the Ubertis and usually warranty their guns for a year). I called them about a problem I had with a new Uberti last year - they asked for the serial number (I did not buy it from them) and said, "Yep, it's one of ours," and sent me new parts, no charge. They offered to take it back and fix/replace it.
Last week I called Traditions about buying a broken trigger/bolt spring for my Pietta 1860 .44 (two years old) and they said they'd send it out to me right away, no charge.
It's worth a try with Taylors on the Uberti.

 

[Plink]

Cimmaron Arms supplies the Uberti's to Texas Jack. They'd be the place to contact for warrantee issues. Sounds like they'd probably just replace your gun.

 

[Coyote Hunter]

Thanks Ya'll...I always liked Uberti for their good copies....I'll try your suggestions...

 

[mec]

Quality control is difficult to trust over time. The replacement of one single responsible employee with a time server can turn good to bad overnight.

I hope they keep up quality control. My Uberties since the association with the owners of Beretta have had few and relatively simple quality problems. Recently though, I bought a lever mounted Paterson that had a number of issues. One long standing problem with them is that the window in the frame has to be widened before a ball will travel under the loading lever. Mine also has issues with insufficient headspace- cylinder to barrel and I have to shem the bottom front of the frame to get it to function. Also had to relieve the spacer portion of the grips where it impinged on the main spring. It's still not exactly right.

 

[Old Fuff]

I often wonder if they have a stockpile of less popular models, and what is currently shipped might have been made some time ago. More popular guns are shipped from recent production because there is no stockpile as such. We don't hear many complaints about 1851 Navies and 1860 Army's these days.

 

[mec]

could be. Generally when you buy a uberti, the gun has the current years cartouche on it. I tried to get a paterson from cimarron but they were out of stock. The one I got from midway was marked CA for 2006.
Pietta seems a bit more prone to support some of their models than others. The lemat lock parts and those for the Starr have to be ordered from Italy while VTI seems able to keep the more common colt/remington parts in domestic supply.

 

[Franco2shoot]

Uberti versus Pietta

I have a Remington 1858 Uberti, and the 1860 Pietta Colt. With them side by side, I must say the Uberti is much finer, but its all in the close inspection. At a glance they both look great, but look close and the triggers on each jump out. The Uberti, has a clean steel modern look while the Pietta seems to be stamped out. Pull the trigger on each and the Uberti feels tight and well machined, while the Pietta feels loose and sloppy. The pull pressure on the Uberti is higher, but when the hammer falls its a surprise. The pull presssure on the Pietta is less and it too is a surprise when it breaks, but it just doesn't feel as nice.

What I would really like to find would be a Uberti Remington that used the conversion piece at the back so that 45 cartridges could be used.

KKKKFL

 

[mainmech48]

I'd agree that yours is likely an exception rather than a new rule. The last Uberti that I bought was a "Millenium" series 1858 replica from a Cabela's close-out flyer. Even though it was their most "basic" and inexpensive line (finish is "blue" over a finely bead blasted surface) the fit and function is every bit as good as it is on my other more expensive Ubertis.

I'd ditto the idea of contacting Cimmaron and/or Beretta-USA (now owner of Uberti) and see what they'll do. The only potential problem that I can see is that you attempted to correct the wedge problem DIY. Most companies specify that any attempt at repair or modification not done by themselves will void the warranty. Under the circumstances, I don't think they'd use it as an excuse, but you'll only find out if you ask.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

In all of my reading of Uberti vs Pietta quality I bought a Pietta 1858 Remington expecting to find some small thing wrong with it. To my surprise the fit and finish is a lot better than I led to expect. Granted one example does not mean the rest are as good but this one is mine and I am very happy with it. At this point I would buy another Pietta.

 

[dwave]

I have two piettas, one 1851 Navy and one 1858 Army Target. Both are fine guns. I have had no problems with quality from Pietta.

 

[mec]

a lot of people are having good luck with Piettas - particularly the new ones. I bought a this years remington pocket model that is well set up. found the same quality in a couple of LeMats. It appears that both companies have improved their quality assurance in recent years. I hope this is not a temporary thing.

 

[arcticap]

By reading so many posts about this very subject over time, I've come to realize the importance of buying from a reputable company that has a no hassle return policy.
No modern gun maker is 100% perfect, so it doesn't really even matter what company's guns you buy, there will always be quality issues and lemons. Who hasn't bought a less than perfect gun in the past, or will [again] at some point in the future?
So it's up to all of us to try to protect ourselves the best that we can when we select a company to do business with. Buyers Beware!

 

[Plink]

Pietta has made improvements to their quality in the last few years. Uberti has always had a pretty good grip on quality. I'm hearing that they're pretty close now, quality wise. I still choose to buy Uberti because I've always had good experiences with them and have had some bad ones with Pietta. Though if Pietta was making a gun I wanted and Uberti didn't, I'd buy without too much worry.