another "Who made the pistola" thread

wogpotter · May 2, 2010, 11:57 AM

OK I was at a gunshow over the weekend & had an opportunity at a great offer, maybe.
Someone, somewhere stripped down a .44 percussion replica, we think with the intentions of defarbing it for re-enacting. Unfortunately after removing all finish & markings he can't figure out how to put it back together, so he sold it stripped, markless & in a baggie.

I've been offered this whatever replica of a '58 Remington for a song, but it comes as-is. so how can I tell, or can I tell who made it?

My '58 remmy is an Uberti, this one has a few subtle differences. The front sight seems to be screwed, or press fitted to the barrel, mine is a dovetail, for example.

So do I buy & pray. Mod to fit, or just pass??? (If I can only rescue the cylinder & have it as a spare I'll break slightly ahead of the deal.)

kwhi43 · May 2, 2010, 12:19 PM

Buy, Buy!!

Hawg · May 2, 2010, 01:53 PM

If it's cheap enough I'd but it and not care who made it. Wouldn't count on the cylinder fitting your Uberti tho.

HuntAndFish · May 2, 2010, 02:48 PM

Unless you have a really good plan, Pass. You'll just wind up with a baggie full of junk.

Hawg · May 2, 2010, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Unless you have a really good plan, Pass. You'll just wind up with a baggie full of junk.

Says who?

wogpotter · May 2, 2010, 03:17 PM

Well, that's really definitive, thanks guys!

madcratebuilder · May 2, 2010, 04:56 PM

Quote:

I've been offered this whatever replica of a '58 Remington for a song, but it comes as-is. so how can I tell, or can I tell who made it?

Who cares, buy it, put it together and shoot it.

kodiakbeer · May 2, 2010, 04:58 PM

What's a great offer for a bag of gun parts? $25? $100?

Kind of hard to give advice without knowing what the "great offer" is.

It sounds suspiciously like somebody tried to create an "antique" to rip off the unwary, and then gave up.

If it's cheap enough, why not buy it and finish the job - not to rip anybody off, but just to have an authentic looking replica for yourself.

Hawg · May 2, 2010, 05:20 PM

Quote:

It sounds suspiciously like somebody tried to create an "antique" to rip off the unwary, and then gave up.

People have their own reasons for defarbing and not all of them are dishonest.
I've done it. Still own the gun too. It's not for sale either

wogpotter · May 3, 2010, 08:07 AM

$50.00 with what seems to be a complete parts set minus nipples.
It also comes with a spare set of faux ivory grips that look like they may fit my Uberti also.
I was thinking if the parts either fit, or can be tweaked to fit that it would be worth the price for the spare cylinder, a spares kit & the grips. I had no intention of building it up for any reason, that was why the attempt at ID was important to me.

madcratebuilder · May 3, 2010, 08:23 AM

Quote:

$50.00 with what seems to be a complete parts set minus nipples.
It also comes with a spare set of faux ivory grips that look like they may fit my Uberti also.
I was thinking if the parts either fit, or can be tweaked to fit that it would be worth the price for the spare cylinder, a spares kit & the grips. I had no intention of building it up for any reason, that was why the attempt at ID was important to me.

If you don't want it I'll take it sight unseen.

Quote:

It sounds suspiciously like somebody tried to create an "antique" to rip off the unwary, and then gave up.

People have their own reasons for defarbing and not all of them are dishonest.
I've done it. Still own the gun too. It's not for sale either

Right on Hawg, a defarbed Italian replica is still obviously an Italian revolver. I have defarbed several to make them look better to MY eye. They sure would not fool anyone with any knowledge of the originals.

I can't recall anyone defrabing a revolver and attempting to pass it off as an original. People with that skill set and tooling have better things to do with their time. I have seen people buy a defrabed revolver and then try and pass it off as an original, but they would not know an original if it bit them.

Hawg · May 3, 2010, 08:45 AM

Quote:

I was thinking if the parts either fit, or can be tweaked to fit that it would be worth the price for the spare cylinder, a spares kit & the grips

Unless the gun is a Uberti it's doubtful the cylinder will fit. The grips will have to be fitted. Grips on all Italian clones are fitted before final finish so grips fitted to one revolver probably wont fit another revolver of same make. Internal parts will be touch and go also. If you're just wanting it for spares let it go.

kodiakbeer · May 3, 2010, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Right on Hawg, a defarbed Italian replica is still obviously an Italian revolver. I have defarbed several to make them look better to MY eye. They sure would not fool anyone with any knowledge of the originals.

Saw an Antiques Roadshow a while back where some poor schmuck had bought several fake Confederate revolvers for some crazy amount of money. The big money is in Confederate revolvers, most of which were copies of Colts made in little more than blacksmith shops, so they don't look right anyway - easier to fool a buyer even if he a little knowledge. They're worth 10X what a Colt would be worth.
It's the same with swords - they imported a lot of English and French swords and then just re-stamped them CSA, or with various unit or state markings. Pretty easy to fake with a genuine period English sword you can pick up for a few hundred dollars. A CSA sword is worth 10k and up.

I'm sure you're right though, that most "antiqued" weapons are made by reenactors or people who just want a stylish looking "old" revolver.

May 2, 2010, 11:57 AM	#1
wogpotter Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2004 Posts: 4,811	another "Who made the pistola" thread OK I was at a gunshow over the weekend & had an opportunity at a great offer, maybe. Someone, somewhere stripped down a .44 percussion replica, we think with the intentions of defarbing it for re-enacting. Unfortunately after removing all finish & markings he can't figure out how to put it back together, so he sold it stripped, markless & in a baggie. I've been offered this whatever replica of a '58 Remington for a song, but it comes as-is. so how can I tell, or can I tell who made it? My '58 remmy is an Uberti, this one has a few subtle differences. The front sight seems to be screwed, or press fitted to the barrel, mine is a dovetail, for example. So do I buy & pray. Mod to fit, or just pass??? (If I can only rescue the cylinder & have it as a spare I'll break slightly ahead of the deal.)

May 2, 2010, 02:48 PM	#4
HuntAndFish Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2006 Location: Kansas City, MO. Posts: 580	Unless you have a really good plan, Pass. You'll just wind up with a baggie full of junk. __________________ NRA Benefactor MSSA Life Member

May 2, 2010, 12:19 PM	#2
kwhi43 Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2008 Location: Kansas City Posts: 1,393	Buy, Buy!!

May 2, 2010, 01:53 PM	#3
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,190	If it's cheap enough I'd but it and not care who made it. Wouldn't count on the cylinder fitting your Uberti tho.

May 2, 2010, 03:17 PM	#6
wogpotter Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2004 Posts: 4,811	Well, that's really definitive, thanks guys!

May 2, 2010, 04:58 PM	#8
kodiakbeer Junior member Join Date: April 10, 2010 Location: Kodiak, Alaska Posts: 791	What's a great offer for a bag of gun parts? $25? $100? Kind of hard to give advice without knowing what the "great offer" is. It sounds suspiciously like somebody tried to create an "antique" to rip off the unwary, and then gave up. If it's cheap enough, why not buy it and finish the job - not to rip anybody off, but just to have an authentic looking replica for yourself.

May 3, 2010, 08:07 AM	#10
wogpotter Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2004 Posts: 4,811	$50.00 with what seems to be a complete parts set minus nipples. It also comes with a spare set of faux ivory grips that look like they may fit my Uberti also. I was thinking if the parts either fit, or can be tweaked to fit that it would be worth the price for the spare cylinder, a spares kit & the grips. I had no intention of building it up for any reason, that was why the attempt at ID was important to me.