Pietta paterson

[MJN77]

Been thinking about getting one of these things. Anybody own/shoot one? What do you think of them?

[madcratebuilder]

The Paterson can be slow to load because many/most do not have a integral loading lever. You can use the end of the arbor or a loading stand.

Cleaning can be tedious because of all the parts not found on the Walker and newer Colts.

There is nothing else like it, when I shoot one of my Paterson's I'm transported back to the 1840's.

[pohill]

If it doesn't have an attached loading lever, make sure it comes with a loading lever tool - they can be pricey and hard to find.
17 more parts than a Walker, tough to reassemble the first time, but great shooters.
This is how it's loaded:

[MJN77]

Thank you both. I have been shooting BP revolvers and rifles for 14 years, and I am a history nut so I have read about these guns for years. I want to know specifically about the Pietta version. I am biased against Piettas because I bought three Pietta revolvers when I first got into BP and it seemed like I was always replacing springs. I had a "58" remington that just quit working on me. I have read for a few years that the quality has improved considerably. I owned a Pietta dance revolver a year ago that did seem pretty good. I guess I'm asking because I've read that the paterson is kind of fragile anyway, and wanted to know how the Pietta held up to a fair amount of use.

[pohill]

I wouldn't say they're fragile, just a little more complicated. Without an attached loading lever you obviously have to remove the barrel to load the cylinder, but once you get a rhythm going, it's pretty fast and easy to do. Mine jams up quickly and I found the best lube is the vegetable spray PAM. A little on the cylinder pin while you're loading goes a long way. I use .375 roundballs (.380 on all my other .36s), #10 caps, 15 gs of BP. With the long barrel they're pretty accurate.
Like I said, reassembling them the first time or two (or after not doing it for awhile) can be tricky but even that can be fun. If you can find one at a decent price, grab it. They're not everyday shooters, at least not for me, but it's one of my favorites.

[madcratebuilder]

Originally Posted by pohill

I wouldn't say they're fragile, just a little more complicated.

Bingo! I'm lucky to get mine out once a year so it's a learning experience every time!

Pietta went to CNC machines about ten years ago and saw a major improvement in quality.

[Slowhand]

I have one. Great little piece of work. Articap let me "steal" it from him at a great price. I disassembled it once....loads of "fun". I haven't had a chance to take it to the range. I'm afraid she's going to remain a Safe Queen for awhile.

Patersons , even the replicas are very hard to find and way over priced.

[MJN77]

Thanks fellas.