Another Pietta horror story

[Missoura Don]

Well, went to cabelas 2 weeks ago and bought another 1860. And yes, I know, I should have checked out the entire function of the beauty, but I was in a hurry, so I took it out of the oil plastic bag, worked the action a few times, looked over the fit and finish, everything seemed fine.

So...I ran my errands, brought it home to start the dissassembly process, and then the nightmares began. The wedge was so tight, I had to litterly beat it out with a brass drift, thereby puckering the edge of the arbor slot. Then, the trigger, bolt spring screw was so tight I marred it up trying to remove that (and yes, I was using a proper sized hollw ground tip that fitted perfectlly). Thennnnn, I found out the milled channel for the innards was so full of burs,Im suprised the action even worked.

Buit wait...it gets worse....When I pulled the hammer out, the hand spring in the slot wasnt even connected, it was just slid in the slot...came right out!
So, by now, Im gettin pretty discouraged. So i put it all back together and planned on returning it. So now..its all assembled, and i check out the rammer. The rammer wouldnt even reach the cylinder, due to the very most rear "peg" on the rammer being over sized and not engaging the hole it was meant for. It simply wouldnt budge. So i sit there thinkin....Of all the Piettas I've purchased, this has got to be the worse. Some of the ones Ive bought, such as my 1851 in .44 has been flawless and dead on since day one, same as my other 1860. My 1851 in .36 had a minor timing issue when i bought it, but works like a charm now.

So...I'm lookin at this POS in front of me and think.....what a worthless, useless, waste of my hard earned money you are. Then it hit me...It wasnt the revolvers fault, it was human error, and then and there, I decided to keep that little beauty and give it the respect and TLC it needed to become fully functional and a welcomed addition to my small but ever growing collection. Sorry about the long post, but just want ya'll to know...these baby's may be far from perferct....but as lovers of the dark side that we are, we shouldnt blame the revolvers ,and just overlook that human error, and bring every revolver we purchase, good or bad, to its full and functional glory so that it can be enjoyed and admired, and used for many many years to come.

[olmontanaboy]

Don, take it back and get another one. Go over it really well, sounds like maybe a new employee at Pietta may have assembled that one. Whenever I buy a new one I make a real pain in the ass out of myself. But Cabela's employees have never givin me a hard time about examining them, ask them to bring several for you to pick from.

[madcratebuilder]

I like your attitude Don, way to go. I might return that gun, only because you can. I consider these Italian cap and ballers a semi-finished gun out of the box. It's been my experience that they all need some work to function correctly, some more work than others.

[Noz]

My experience with Cabela's is great. If something is not right, call them, send it back and go on from there.
All of my Piettas have been good from the box. Some of the things we do to them are not necessary for every day cowboy carry but make them work better for hard use.
Pietta does hire the Italian equivalent of "Bubba" the gorilla to tighten screws.

[Dingoboyx]

A shame the arbour slot got burred and the few scratches, but I too woul'd seriously think of returning that one. Make a call and see if they will take it back.... you should at least have a functioning gun out of the box, The wedge being in that tight from the factory wouldnt have done the gun a whole lot of good :eek:

Return it if you can...your best option IMO :cool:

Next time, do like Olmontana says, make an @ss of yourself and pull the wedge at the shop & inspect it thuroughly before you leave

[grymster2007]

I sent my '63 Pocket back to Cabela's and they made it real easy. However, they apparently disregarded my note instructing them to examine the replacement and it showed up with the same problem as the first one, just not quite so pronounced. I just kept it.

[ClemBert]

Geeeeze, send it back. Keeping it is just a false indicator to Pietta that they are doing a great job. Pietta needs to see what kind of crap is leaving the factory. Do us all a favor and please send it back!

[Nate1778]

I would send it back as well. I too had a problem with that trigger spring on both my 51 and 58, I think the guy gets paid to see how tight he can get them.

[Noz]

There is a story about a tour group from America visiting the Pietta factory. One of the members of the group asked to meet "the gorilla". When the factory personnel figured out what he was talking about, they were not amused.

[AdmiralB]

Pietta needs to see what kind of crap is leaving the factory.

They won't, even if he sends it back. Cabela's will gather up a month's worth of Pietta returns and issue a deduction against their account with Pietta. Pietta won't argue, because it'll cost them more to ship them back to Italy than the issue is worth.

[grymster2007]

Cabela's will gather up a month's worth of Pietta returns and issue a deduction against their account with Pietta. Pietta won't argue, because it'll cost them more to ship them back to Italy than the issue is worth. So Pietta could deduce from the amount of the deduction that they have some quality issues.

[AdmiralB]

Yep. Whether it's enough to make them spend the money to get the ship tight is another story, though.

[mrappe]

IMHO Cimmaron Farearms makes the best single actions today. I believe that they have the higest standards. I own or have owned Pietta,Cimmaron-Uburti,Uburti,EMF - Armi San Marco & a first generation Colt and the best ones as far as quality that i have seen were the Cimmaron-Uburti,Colt & Armi San Marco. Sorry to hear about your problem. I am thinking that my next purchase will be a Cimmaron-Uburti for C&B. All of the C&Bs that I have have been Pietta and they were OK but I am not sure that I want to continue in that line if they are putting out junk now and then.

[ClemBert]

Unfortunately, its not as though Uberti is without problems. Although it would seem that Pietta tends to have more quality problems just based on numerous threads I have read.

Uberti Problems (http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=349449)

[FrontierGander]

a mass email to the company, from members who are unhappy may help. I had 3 or 4 replacements ( i forget how many!!) sent to me by cabelas and they were all pieces of craps. Ive been wanting a 6 shooter but hell im to affraid of getting more lemons. May just go with a .54cal single shot.

[AdmiralB]

Yes, neither are Ubertis perfect. However, most of the Uberti problems I've seen have been relatively minor - yours included.

It's not rare to read about new Piettas, though, that are non-functional out of the box.

Like the man said above, all of these are really only semifinished. But my (limited) experience suggests that Uberti starts out with higher-quality 'building blocks'. However, you do pay for that.

[Gaucho Gringo]

A kind of off topic, but relates to this thread. I wonder what Cabelas does with all the junk guns that they get back if they don't send them back to Pietta?

[grymster2007]

I wonder what Cabelas does with all the junk guns that they get back if they don't send them back to Pietta? Maybe they get a hundred bucks apiece for them at gun buy-backs?

[Nate1778]

I would like to state the two Piettas I just received from Cabelas are fine specimens of firearms. Action is tight and thus far I have been happy. I am sorry to hear yours is not so.

I agree with the others here that you hear a lot of bad publicity about these guns, but not a whole lot of threads about the good ones. They are out there.

[AdmiralB]

I wonder what Cabelas does with all the junk guns that they get back if they don't send them back to Pietta?

They probably get destroyed.

If they're workable but just not perfect, they probably go into a local Bargain Cave. If they're truly junked, then Cabela's will request credit from Pietta, and Pietta can request the return of the guns. But most companies don't actually ask for the stuff back unless it's really high-value.

If the company doesn't take it back, the vendor destroys it. They no longer own it - they've been credited by the manufacturer - so selling it or otherwise releasing it would be illegal.

I've been in some Wal-Mart returns centers - where all the crap the stores get in returns that isn't resaleable ends up. Some manufacturers send reps to look through the stuff that's getting deducted to make sure it's on the up-and-up, but most just let the vendor junk it.

[darkgael]

What model is it? I'm curious.
Not everything to leave the factory is junk. I have had an 1858 .36 New Army Police for some years now and it has worked perfectly. Sorry to hear that they aren't all like that.
Pete

[Missoura Don]

I bought my first C&B revolver from Cabelas about 4 years ago, and being VERY green to to these types of revolvers, I bought one that was on sale, new in box.....a brass frame 1851 in .44, with a round barrel, Pieatta of course, and instead of buying the starter kit, I just bought some Remington #10 caps, a box of 100 .451 round balls, some Cabelas lubed wonder wads, a tube of bore butter, and a can of FFg pyrodex.

Now, I had done a small bit of research, you know, how to load, how to shoot, how to clean, etc., so I took it camping and loaded it, by the book, aimed at target...and Boom!!...Went to cock hammer for second shot, and it was completely froze up. I couldnt budge hammer or cylinder in any way. Needless to say...I was bummed. So, being as how I couldnt turn the cylinder.....I took it back to Cabelas.....caps on nipples and all.....I know..very stupid..but what could I do? Anyways, they were very professional about it, (not to mention very cautous about it), and told me to pick another one out, or take receipt to customer service for a refund...and I respected that.

I'm not bashing Cabela's in any way, for they were courtious enough about the situation, but it did hamper my enthuisiam for B&C revolvers. Anyway, I did trade it in for another (gasp) brass frame "51 Navy .44...and after repeating the same procedure as before...this one worked perfectlly. As far as mass emailing Pietta, Ive sent them 4 emails about their revolvers...and not one response was ever recieved. Anyways..I'll get off my soapbox about Pieatta now...I reckon its like buyin a car..Some are downright badass's..and some are just junk....but still...I'm not returning this revolver, I plan on trying my best to smooth out the rough edges and make her into a decent investment!

[madcratebuilder]

Two of my revolvers I bought as nib Pietta's, both came out of the box very nice revolvers. The 1858 did need some stoning to get rid of the trigger creep, the 51 brass .44 has been a great shooter, tight barrel gap and very smooth action. A nib Uberti Baby Dragoon was unshootable out of the box. It did give me several hours of enjoyment repairing it. One nib High Standard 51 needed a LOT of work to be right. A couple of 2nd and 3rd gen Colts that needed minor attention. All the manufacturers have bad ones slip by QC.

[Chris_B]

...err....haven't I been reading, on these very pages, how Pietta and Uberti are pretty even in terms of quality? I'm just curious about this "another" horror story about Pietta

I had thought we generally agreed that Piettas being junk was a misconception

[olmontanaboy]

I had thought we generally agreed that Piettas being junk was a misconception
I have several Piettas and several Ubertis and don't consider any of them junk, I think for the money thier a real bargain, but I think the quality does vary from revolver to revolver and some less then perfect specimens do hit the market. I tend to like the Ubertis a bit more but that is just a personal preference.

[CaptainCrossman]

OP- go out and buy a Ruger Old Army. When you pick it up, look at it, and cock it ONE TIME, you'll want to sell all those Italian pistols- and buy a 2nd Ruger.

The quality gap is vast, Ruger to Italian replica. The Italian replicas are neat, they have their place, but they are a cheap gun compared to a Ruger.

[madcratebuilder]

Quote:
I had thought we generally agreed that Piettas being junk was a misconception
I have several Piettas and several Ubertis and don't consider any of them junk, I think for the money thier a real bargain, but I think the quality does vary from revolver to revolver and some less then perfect specimens do hit the market. I tend to like the Ubertis a bit more but that is just a personal preference.

+1
Every manufacture has some bad revolvers on the market. It seems to be the luck of the draw on what you well get. The general consensus is Uberti is a little better than Pietta, that has not been my personal experience.

[olmontanaboy]

The general consensus is Uberti is a little better than Pietta, that has not been my personal experience.
Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that Uberti is better than Pietta. I like the Uberti a little better because of the way they stamp the barrels.

[Chris_B]

I'd get another Pietta. But I'm saving my money for a Colt ;)

[CaptainCrossman]

the Piettas seem to have a dry, harsh, rough action in the hammer/lock, not as smooth as Ubertis.

the imports are not a bad gun if viewed as a "gun kit" that you take apart, fix, and customize/build

problem is, they don't sell at kit prices. The guns should be around $100 if you have to rework them like that

not $250-$300

[Chris_B]

Hmm. I've said it before, and I will say it again-

I am the luckiest SOB that ever bought a gun. My P22 is 1200 rounds with zero failures to feed, two failures to extract, and two bent rounds, my Auto-Ordnance 1911A1 is nearly flawless in over 1,000 rounds, I can hit what I aim at with my 89 year old Colt M1903, and my c&b Pietta Colt repro (from the late '80s!) is great, never been apart and works like a dream. Everyone else seems to have trouble with those guns though

It's a product of my clean living and a humble god-fearing attitude, I tells ya! :D

[mykeal]

I had thought we generally agreed that Piettas being junk was a misconception
One incident should not influence that conclusion one way or the other. Making the judgment that the characterization of Piettas as not being junk was wrong on the basis of one report is making a very unwarranted generalization. You need to back off a bit and consider the broader picture.

[Blankwaffe]

I don't want to step on anybodys toes nor attempt to fracture the brand loyalty,but Ive personally had extremely bad luck with the Pietta 1860 Colts.Put alot of effort and extra money in the process of trying to own one too.
Yall might remember my first one that I cried,kicked and screamed about.It was a 2007 production per the date code and under the Traditions label.It had a loose arbor in the frame right out of the box,poorly timed to say the least,the barrel fit so tightly on the arbor it had to be driven apart.Made the huge mistake and sent it back to Traditions and they attempted to repair it rather than replace it.Make note that I said attempted.
Since that one I have made an attempt three different times in buying a Pietta 1860 Colt...all were 2008 manufacture.All had serious fit and function issues.
Now being that the revolers were from two different retailers and two different years of manufacture,I came to the conclusion it was not just bad luck on my part.To be honest the overall experience almost turned me away from wanting another cap-n-ball revolver.
I finally gave up on mail ordering a Pietta Colt after about two months of back and forth,and went to the local gunshop to eye ball in person.Ended up going home with a Uberti 1860 Army.
Now,I have a Uberti Walker,Whitneyville Dragoon and a 1860 Colt Army.All of which were perfect right out of the box and only needed some bolt and trigger spring adjustment.I may have gotten lucky with the Uberti's...but I'll take it.
Do I think Uberti is perfect?No,absolutely not.Ive seen a couple with minor issues as well.But I do think Uberti has much better quality control and materials overall.IMHO the steel Pietta uses in the Colt replica barrels and cylinders is fairly soft especially when compared to what is used by Uberti.
I can say without a doubt that my Pietta 1858 Rems were outstanding in everyway right out of the box,and continue to be.Can't say enough about Pietta in regards to the Remington replicas.I don't know how they can build the 1858 Remingtons so well and make such a mess out of some of the Colts,but that seems to be the case in my experience.
Again,I do not intend to offend anyone of flame anyone else with my opinion and personal experience.I own both Pietta and Uberti replicas and Im very fond of them all.But I do think Pietta can and should do much better with their Colt replicas...they owe it to their customers to pay a bit more attention to what they are turning out for sale and improve in that regard..
But thats my opinion.

[Dingoboyx]

I must be lucky SOB #2

I have had a great run with guns :D Mostly the ones the 'horror stories' are about.

I have a P22..... no issues
2x Pietta 1858's...... no issues
1x Euroarms of America 1858..... previous owner bastardised it, so issues, but not with manufacturer.
1x Uberti Colt Dragoon..... no issues
2x Stainless steel ROA's...... Absolutely no issues :D

I think Pietta & Uberti are on par, from what I have heard.... if you get a good one, it will be great (up to standard) If you get a lemon.... well, you got a lemon, if you buy it from a reputable dealer, take it back, that's what guarantee's are for. If I were buying another Pietta or Uberti, after hearing these horror stories, I would just be inspecting it thuroughly at the place of purchase before parting with the cash, rather than get one sent in the post or whatever, just to be sure there is nothing obviously wrong with it, then test it & if issues are found with its shooting, take it back again :D

[Andy Griffith]

Well, my first C&B revolver was a Pietta .44 brass frame that was given to me about 35 years ago. I still have it, but it's looser than...well, let's just say that too many full-loads went through it before I knew any better. :( I still have it and it's shootable- never had any problems out of it at all that weren't user inflicted.

I now have a good collection of C&B revolvers, the majority of which are Pietta manufacture and have never had any problems out of them other than losing parts I drop on the floor. :o

I hope to get some pictures this weekend of them all being out on the range.

I can certainly understand the frustration of buying a product and it not behaving the way it was intended.

[long rider]

HEY DINGO how you doing sport,:D
to say you live down under you got a butt load
of guns:confused: i thought you guys were
under a gun control.

[Dingoboyx]

Yup, down under

Yup, butt load of guns..... Our rules are strict, you have to have a purpose for guns (especially HG's) and SD or HD are not legitimate purposes. I shoot in 4 clubs (2 x Black powder clubs, CAS & with the local police (protective services pistol club).... so I have lots of purposes (for lots of HG's) :D

Read the thread below I posted a while back, it will fill you in, it is a long read but will answer most of your questions :D

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=344538&highlight=handguns+down+under

[Riot Earp]

I don't get it.

For years I've been reading on various boards that "Pietta is now right up there with Uberti," "Pietta has gotten their act together," "Piettas are the best bang for the buck," etc.

Every one that I've handled/purchased has had obvious problems, sometimes multiple obvious problems.

Maybe I've had a long stroke of bad luck. But as time goes on, and I see more and more bad ones, I think this less and less.

[long rider]

WELL some folks said that asm was trash? but i
have one a 58 its now 15 years old and still going
strong, so what the heck. i think we all agree that
there are lemons out there, and some guys get the
lemon now and again :rolleyes:

[Hawg Haggen]

I don't get it.

For years I've been reading on various boards that "Pietta is now right up there with Uberti," "Pietta has gotten their act together," "Piettas are the best bang for the buck," etc.

Every one that I've handled/purchased has had obvious problems, sometimes multiple obvious problems.

Maybe I've had a long stroke of bad luck. But as time goes on, and I see more and more bad ones, I think this less and less.

I've had two new ones and one used one and no problems with any of them.

[ClemBert]

Went over to my buddy's house today to directly compare my new Uberti 1858 Remmie from Buffalo Arms against his Pietta 1858 Remmie from Cabelas. Both revolvers were bought new in the last month or so.

It was pretty clear doing a side-by-side comparison of the two that the Uberti was superior in finish. The metal finish is much finer and nicer on the Uberti. The grip finish is also superior on the Uberti. The fit of the cylinder and relationship of the cylinder to the forcing cone shows the Uberti to have much tighter tolerances. In addition, the Uberti cylinder free spins like glass whereas the Pietta is almost sticky even though my buddy cleaned it and lubricated the cylinder pin. Also, on the Pietta, the hammer is peening the nipples whereas on the Uberti the hammer stops short of that happening.

Of course I paid $277 for mine and he got his on sale for $189. For the difference in price it is understandable why the Uberti is superior. After all, the Uberti is 46% more in price. Honestly, I don't mind paying the extra $88 in light of the difference between the two. Afterall, I expect to have this as a shooter for the rest of my life.

I can not comment on how the two compare as shooters. My buddy hasn't shot his yet. As for mine, it shoots very accurate. In the end I would say that it does not appear that he has a problem with his Pietta. Rather, the Pietta isn't made to the same quality IMHO. Lastly, we don't know what differences there may be in the metallurgy. Perhaps they are identical in this area.

[RRR]

My kit 36 Navy is tite shoots good.

[Ricklin]

Count me amongst the defective Pietta crowd. Traditions did replace the 1858 Remmie, but it was a hassle, multiple phone calls, etc.

The repl. pistol is great however.

[Hawg Haggen]

go out and buy a Ruger Old Army. When you pick it up, look at it, and cock it ONE TIME, you'll want to sell all those Italian pistols- and buy a 2nd Ruger.

Nah. I've had Rugers and they, especially the old army don't do anything for me. You couldn't give me a Ruger...............Well, you could but I'd sell it.:D

[crstrode]

Hawg Wrote:
Nah. I've had Rugers and they, especially the old army don't do anything for me. You couldn't give me a Ruger...............Well, you could but I'd sell it.

Yup -same here. A few months ago I was surfing Gunbroker. Saw a Ruger ROA offered for a low buy it now price.

Bought it.

Yes indeed - it was a very nice gun. The quality, craftsmanship , and value were obvious.

It was superior to all of my "replica" revolvers in fit, finish, metal quality, smoothness, etc. etc. etc.

However- like Hawg stated - it didn't do much for me.

It was seriously lacking in one vital category - CLASS!

No way could the high quality Ruger compete with my Italian Colts in the COOL department.

Sold the Ruger ROA. Bought another Italian Colt replica with the profit.

I'm happy and the fella that bought the ROA is happy.

[Noz]

All you 1860 Army Piettas bashers, send them to me I'll happily take them off your hands. Since they aren't worth anything to you I'd expect them to be free to me. I'd split the shipping.
And remember I have a pair of Ubertis for sale.