The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

azsixgun · April 9, 2010, 12:11 AM

Wow! I'm pretty disappointed to see those pictures! I'm not really surprised by the uneven topstrap because I do expect these reprocuctions to be slightly closer to kits than say, a Smith and Wesson. I am, however, surprised by the rough finish found on the inside of the top and bottom strap. The chips of metal left in the hole for the rear sight speak to the lack of care that went into making this "top of the line" model. The saving grace is that with a stainless finish, it's easy for a prospective purchaser to finish the finishing job - that would not be the case with a blued model (short of a re-blue).

The fit of the front sight is a travesty that would annoy me to no end! Personally, I wouldn't worry about corrosion of barrel or sight due to the gap, but would clean it with a tooth brush and oil it after each use. I see two options for the gap: 1. re-cut the dovetail so the sight sits lower, or 2. maybe fill the gap with JB Weld. It's not the optimal repair, but it's grey, so it would probably blend with the stainless steel.

As one who is on the verge of making a purchase, I think I will personally rule out a blind purchase of a model with adjustable sights. I'd reconsider if I could personally inspect, but that gap would be a deal breaker for me.

One thing I noticed when I inspected two blued 1858 Remintons mfg'd by Uberti at a local dealer. One was new, old stock (didn't check the date code, but was told they'd had it for some time) and the other was recently placed in inventory. I'm not quite sure how to describe this, but the radius of the arc of the frame immediately ahead of the cylinder was deeper on the new revolver, therefore about four threads of the barrel were exposed. On the older revolver, the radius was shallower so only about two threads of the rear of the barrel showed. I haven't noticed if this is something that often varies on this model, but spotted it because I was comparing the two side by side.

I will say that looking at these pictures does have a chilling effect on my enthusiasm to purchase. My interest was in paying the premium Uberti commands to get away from annoying manufacturing imperfections that are commonly found with the lower priced manufacturers. Perhaps Uberti has increased their quality since 2008 so that a buyer would profit by purchasing a newly manufactured model?

April 9, 2010, 12:11 AM	#50
azsixgun Member Join Date: April 2, 2010 Location: Arizona Posts: 21	Wow! I'm pretty disappointed to see those pictures! I'm not really surprised by the uneven topstrap because I do expect these reprocuctions to be slightly closer to kits than say, a Smith and Wesson. I am, however, surprised by the rough finish found on the inside of the top and bottom strap. The chips of metal left in the hole for the rear sight speak to the lack of care that went into making this "top of the line" model. The saving grace is that with a stainless finish, it's easy for a prospective purchaser to finish the finishing job - that would not be the case with a blued model (short of a re-blue). The fit of the front sight is a travesty that would annoy me to no end! Personally, I wouldn't worry about corrosion of barrel or sight due to the gap, but would clean it with a tooth brush and oil it after each use. I see two options for the gap: 1. re-cut the dovetail so the sight sits lower, or 2. maybe fill the gap with JB Weld. It's not the optimal repair, but it's grey, so it would probably blend with the stainless steel. As one who is on the verge of making a purchase, I think I will personally rule out a blind purchase of a model with adjustable sights. I'd reconsider if I could personally inspect, but that gap would be a deal breaker for me. One thing I noticed when I inspected two blued 1858 Remintons mfg'd by Uberti at a local dealer. One was new, old stock (didn't check the date code, but was told they'd had it for some time) and the other was recently placed in inventory. I'm not quite sure how to describe this, but the radius of the arc of the frame immediately ahead of the cylinder was deeper on the new revolver, therefore about four threads of the barrel were exposed. On the older revolver, the radius was shallower so only about two threads of the rear of the barrel showed. I haven't noticed if this is something that often varies on this model, but spotted it because I was comparing the two side by side. I will say that looking at these pictures does have a chilling effect on my enthusiasm to purchase. My interest was in paying the premium Uberti commands to get away from annoying manufacturing imperfections that are commonly found with the lower priced manufacturers. Perhaps Uberti has increased their quality since 2008 so that a buyer would profit by purchasing a newly manufactured model?