A REAL let-down!

[ZVP]

I just recieved a Piettia .36 Remington revolver and what a POS it is!
Won't cock, the cylinder won't lock-up and theaction won't lock and is more gravelly than a Kit Gun!
It's going back and I am through with Piettia!
How dare they charge $280 through Cabelas for such junk!!!
Dangerous too because the thumb could slip off and accidentally
let the revolver discharge unintentionally!
I'm sticking with Uberti!
BPDave

[g.willikers]

It must be the luck of the draw.
My "Pietta" is excellent.
But what can you really expect with it coming from a place where they have wine for lunch?
Must be an AM vs PM build kind of thing, eh wot?

[wogpotter]

Lunch heck, they have wine (or better) for breakfast.

[bedbugbilly]

As mentioned . . . luck of the draw?

I have a Pietta .36 Remmie and it's a great gun - shoots fantastic and was beautiful out of the box.

Before you give up on Pietta . . . just remember that any manufacturer can have a problem. I own two Uberti revolvers - a '51 Navy and I just got a .357 Bisley - both are very nice. But a few years ago, I walked away from two different Ubertis - a 1849 Pocket and a '51 Navy - they were pretty much the same as how you describe the Pietta you got.

Any mfg. can have a problem - I love Rugers but I've seen some problems there, I love S & W but have seen problems there . . . the key to it is to purchase it "in person" so you can inspect it. If it's not up to your liking . . . then refuse it. Obviously the Pietta you got was far from "perfect" . . . but as they say . . . "don't judge all horses by the one you ride."

[jeager106]

What's been said.
Any maker can make a lemon now & then.
I have 5 Piettas and no issue with any of them.
I don't blame you one bit for being upset tho.
I'd be upset also!

[North East Redneck]

Any manufacturer, of anything, can have bad examples of their product. Things happen. Don't give up on Pietta. I have a few (one is 40 years old), they all work fine.
I understand your frustration, but don't allow your experience with this one keep you away from the brand.

[hartcreek]

Never order a cap n ball that Cabellas keeps in stock.

There is nothing wrong with Pietta. There very well may be something wrong with yours but since you bought it from the C store you should have done what I did when I picked up my Uberti Walker. I simply asked the sales person to bring out five or six and together we would open the boxes and I would pick the one I liked best.

Even with Uberti I had to go through three to find one had good wood grain that would not split with harsh use.

Since these BP revolvers are made on modern equipment it matters little if the lathe operator drunk a bottle for breckfast.....as long as he can turn on the switch the parts should turn out fine. Now you may have to do some final fitting if you are not smart enough to pick from several at the store but considering the cost neither is a big deal.

[NateKirk]

my pietta is fine

[4V50 Gary]

Take it back to Cabelas and exchange it for a good one.

I'd be happy to pick it up at a very reduced price. I'll fix it myself.

[mykeal]

I've had similar problems, more than once, with 4 different manufacturers. That is, until I opened them up and cleaned and polished the internal parts. All my guns get the same treatment before they're fired, and all respond very well. Many people will say that one shouldn't have to clean and polish a new gun, but that fails to understand that you're getting what you pay for: an inexpensive firearm can't logically be compared to a new Ruger or S&W that costs 2 to 3 times as much. And to characterize all products of a manufacturer on the basis of one example is simply illogical, whether that example is good or bad.

[kwhi43]

Sounds logical to me!

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I bought a pair of Pietta 1860 Armys when they were on sale at Cabellas a few years ago. Here is a photo of one, the other is pretty much the same.





I have said many times that I wish I had spent a little bit more for a pair of Ubertis, but that is only because the Piettas had some superficial blemishes to the finish that I did not like. Mechanically, there was nothing wrong with them.

So I suspect you simply got a lemon, I doubt if many more were that bad.

I will add though, that I have heard many times that although Piettas cartridge revolvers have greatly improved over the last few years, their C&B guns have not. I have even read that they use a better steel for their cartridge revolvers, but I have no actual proof of that. As far as I am concerned, Pietta C&B revolvers still rate second to Uberti, but not really by all that much.

P.S. A friend in the gun industry once told me that it only costs about $100 to completely build and ship an Italian revolver to the US. Cartridge or C&B. The rest is import duties and mark up. I have no proof of this either, but that is what he said.

[robhof]

Price is probably right, in the 80's I priced a few C&B revolvers in Italy and retail was about $50 then, but I had no way to legally ship them back or I would have gone broke over there!

[Beagle333]

Definitely return it. I have bought a dozen Piettas from Cabelas (all mail order) and the only trouble I had was one with a crooked triggerguard. Somehow the hole got drilled off center... but they sent me a new one, no questions, no shipping either way.

[4V50 Gary]

Off centered hole in the trigger guard? You'd think they'd have a jig to keep their holes straight. That's how Calico (the 50 round magazine 9mm) made their stuff. Everything was done on jigs at their factory.

[Beagle333]

It was an off centered hole and the edges of the triggerguard toward the muzzle were sticking out to one side of the frame and inset on the other. I disassembled it and put in some screws from some others I have, just to make sure it wasn't a bent screw, but it was still the same. I have no idea how it got built that way.
The replaced it without question though. I only had it one day. I played with it a few hours, trying different screws and tightening sequences, trying to mate it up squarely and then called them that night and they gave me the okay to use the return slip and UPS showed back up to claim it the next morning.

That 'puter crashed last Spring and I don't have the pics anymore.
But it was only one bad one and it was righted quickly.

[ZVP]

Naw, I have 4 other Pietias but my Uberti Navy has the BEST action I have ever felt on any gun! It embarasses my 'Smiths and Rugers!
I know there are sometimes problems, my Vaquero had a BUNCH! and they fix em.
I just have a BAD gut feeling about these newer Piettias, so it's going
back for a refund.
I have a Piettia Colt Police which is real nice ( and a whole lot lighter!).
.36 is an intresting caliber. shoots easy, very accurate, andhas very high velocity and a flat trajectory too!
Thanks for the comments and help
Ha-ha a Friday, after lunch, Italin revolver, what a curse!

[maillemaker]

It's a small sample size, but I've got 5 BP revolvers, 4 Piettas and 1 Uberti. The Uberti is the most accurate and by far had the best trigger.

I'm about sold on Ubertis.

Steve

[FrankenMauser]

I've had similar problems, more than once, with 4 different manufacturers. That is, until I opened them up and cleaned and polished the internal parts. All my guns get the same treatment before they're fired, and all respond very well. Many people will say that one shouldn't have to clean and polish a new gun, but that fails to understand that you're getting what you pay for: an inexpensive firearm can't logically be compared to a new Ruger or S&W that costs 2 to 3 times as much. And to characterize all products of a manufacturer on the basis of one example is simply illogical, whether that example is good or bad.

Exactly....
It's a revolver.
There is very little that separates a BP revolver from a smokeless powder revolver. And any arguments about heat-treated being more costly can be negated by the additional machining required on most BP revolvers.

Go find a $280 centerfire revolver, and see what kind of quality you get....

[campingnights]

Simply the luck of the draw. Don't give up on Pietta. I recently bought a Pietta Remington 45 and I couldn't be happier with fit, finish,and operation. Go back and gripe to the manager at Cabellas.