Pietta and Uberti

[madcratebuilder]

I don't understand why Uberti insists on using that orange stain.

That's easy Hawg, so you can find it if it falls out of your holster when in the deep woods.


Isn't that stuff hideous, beyond ugly, approaching fugly.

[Hawg]

approaching fugly.

It's beyond fugly.

[Model-P]

Do they still do that? I always wondered the same thing. Is it possible to sand down past the stain without making the grips too small? I assume there is some nice walnut under that orange gunk.

[Hawg]

Get some paint stripper instead of sanding.

[Hardy]

I don't think you need to mess w/the ubertie grips. Now the Piettas, yo might want to take a little time looking at the wood and then decide if you want to put an extra finishing touch w/ very very light sanding. Or if you like them that way I would suggest linseed oil. That's what we used on guitars back in the 70's But guitar slingers and gun slingers may be different--but probably not a whole lot

[Hawg]

I don't think you need to mess w/the ubertie grips. Now the Piettas, yo might want to take a little time looking at the wood and then decide if you want to put an extra finishing touch w/ very very light sanding.

I don't understand that statement.

Uberti grips


Pietta grips.

[Hardy]

Um, I see your point there. Interesting grips on that Ubertie. My Pietta 1860 Army has grips that could use a little more finish. The brassers could also. That's my assessment. All I was trying to say is that the Uberties grips are more heavily coated. Did you refinish that grip or did it come that way?

[madcratebuilder]

Do they still do that? I always wondered the same thing. Is it possible to sand down past the stain without making the grips too small? I assume there is some nice walnut under that orange gunk.

Use stripper to get the clear coat off the wood. It may take three or more coats to get it all. After they dry you can lightly sand them, most are walnut, sometimes nice looking.

[Hawg]

Did you refinish that grip or did it come that way?

They all came that way.

[Hardy]

Hawg, do you like that ubertie grip?

[Hawg]

Hawg, do you like that ubertie grip?

Not even a little bit. Always planned on refinishing it but it got stolen before I got around to it.

[Hardy]

You know, when I started on my little adventure last March I was told Ubertie was the cadilac and pietta was the Vega. What happened? Uberties are still more expensive -even their parts. Do they know that Piettas are now more in demand. Italy was on vacation-all August. I'm having trouble getting Ubertie parts. I'm not gonna order any more of their guns unless a customer wants a special order:mad

[Noz]

This is a hold over from the past. the new Piettas have better internals. The Old Ubertis have better fit and finish. I buy Piettas because my guns get a lot of hard work and minimal care.

I just refinished the fore end and stock of an Uberti 1866 carbine. The underlying wood is rather attractive rather than the Uberti orange. Stripped it and coated it with Tru Oil. Nice.

[Smokin_Gun]

Here's a Pietta 1860 Army Colt [BH] 1996 ... notice the <fap> and stampings how small they were at that date...
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ttaBH1996d.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ttaBH1996e.jpg



This is the one with the Peso front site i can't miss with


This 1860 Pietta has had locating pins sheared off, hand made new ones...has a beer can shim between the barrel and arbor, I bottomed the arbor with washers, it survived Triple Se7en ... still clickin' and a hittin' ... I can say Piettas have been good to me.

And come to think about it that's my last Pietta ... ooops no it ain't I have an 1863 STARR Single Action Army .44 also.

[madcratebuilder]

Y

ou know, when I started on my little adventure last March I was told Ubertie was the cadilac and pietta was the Vega. What happened

?

That was true 15-20 years ago. About 2005 Pietta installed new cnc machines and their quality has gone way up.

I have read many times about the poor quality of ASM. I sure don't see it. The four ASM's I own are as good or better than Pietta or Uberti. YMMV.

[Hawg]

About 2005 Pietta installed new cnc machines

Was thinkin it was around 99 or 2000. I had a Pietta 58 Remington made in 2000 and it was top notch.

[Hardy]

In 1974 I got an authenic c/b revolver from a roadside shop on my way to Statesboro,Ga. I received that, a can of BP in an old colgate tooth powder can and some caps and balls. I had no idea what to do w/it but loaded and fired it anyway. It had Gunnison stamped on it and realized when I sold it a year later that I had sold something very valuable for $100.00. In 1979 I bought some kit guns and shot them and there was a magazine you cold buy anywhere called "Black Powder." They never emphasized how much powder to put in the chambers and even suggested that you can't overload one of these--so never worried I had never shot one of these again since last March of 09 when someone stirred up my (very limited knowledge) interest in these again. So, after talking w/ some dealers across USA, I was told that Ubertie was so much better than Pietta. Now after 6or 7 months I believe Pietta is the better product---but why was I told only then that Piettas were bad. 7 mo's ago were they bad? I have 2 44 pietta "Lawmakers" steel frame w/black grips. Are thery good? I don't see them in any catelogues -

WBH

[Hawg]

Pietta's quality used to be hit or miss. Uberti's quality was much better. Somewhere around 2000 (I believe) Pietta acquired new CNC machinery and their quality went way up. From what I've heard in CAS circles Uberti's quality has dropped. Now a lot of folks remember Pietta's bad rep and continue to spread it around. Some say the fit and finish of Uberti is better but Pietta internals are better. I've had two new Pietta's and one made in 2000. All of them have been top notch in my book with the newer ones having slightly better triggers than the older one.

I don't think you can find fault with the fit or finish on this one.


Or this one. It has the lightest hammer spring of any 58 I've ever handled.


Or this one made in 2000.



Pietta's 58's also now have taller front sights than originals so don't shoot high like older ones do.

[Hardy]

I gathered some info most of you might already know.

Mckeal was right about hammerhand assemblies--the swissman was wrong and I was wrong about weak parts causing the cylinder to rotate too hard to the right breaking hammer hand springs.

Your last cock on a lot of piettas will feel a little rough. Those are burrs on the frame of each side of the hammer. they have to be polished. If the hammer is too loose within frame then thin brass bushings have to be inserted on each sides of hammer attached to inner frame. Also, the channel has to be polished. And, cocking the hammer back too hard like maybe fanning will also break that spring. So, polish inside of your Pietta frames and check the feel of final cock to make sure it is smooth.
WDH

[Smokin_Gun]

Well said there Hardy...

(I wish I had that Gunnison :O)

[TomADC]

I'm looking for a set of holsters now:

[grymster2007]

Too bad Pietta doesn't have a CNC barrel aligning machine. One of mine has the sight lined up a couple degrees past 12 o'clock and the other one's barrel points off to the right by a couple degrees. Both have smooth actions and shoot straight though. ... and for a couple hundred dollars, what more could one expect?

[Hardy]

I guess you're right grm. I think the Roy Rogers/Gene Autry looking 1860 Pietta Army w/ nichol and gold cylinder is a great gun but too fancy. I wish they made the other guns as smooth. You're right--you can get these Piettas for next to nothing and everyone has one---but they break
The Twin

[Hardy]

Let me reiterate---everyone that comes in our store with a c/b pistol has never brought in anything but the cheapest Pietta (The unscrolled brass Reb Navy 44)----None will buy a higher quality or even bring one in to show. Our good ones are collecting so much dust

[kwhi43]