Question on where & which to buy.

I've a tendency to be a bit manic so take that into consideration.

WHERE: Just read and article which stated the 'box store' eg. Cabela's & such were more apt to have less quality control (ill fitting grips etc.) than the folks like EMF, Dixie and Cutlers having better.
Any truth there? I've a Cabela's & a Scheels an hour away but...

WHICH: For my first BP I think the 1858 with the 8" barrel .36 or .44 would be great, just love the looks of the 1851 & 1860s. Pietta or Uberti?
Got it figured out in three months I'll be able to afford another but would really like to start off with a winner.

I buy from Taylor's, Uberti.

Remington 1858, either .44 or. 36, prefer .36 in 8".

I prefer the Colts. And while I have .36’s, I prefer .44’s so make mine Uberti 1860’s if you please.

I'll just say the biggest seller in history (in the original days) was Colt's Navy in .36", model 1851, in steel, not brass frame. It sold so many because it was so loved. Colt still sold it (and only it) after cartridge revolvers were invented for a few years.

If I owned a gunstore and someone came in asking to look at the cap and balls, I would hand them that one first to look at.

Discussing Remington VS. Colt is like discussing Ford VS. Chevy, they are all fun and each have their good points.

uberti not a pietta, the 1851 navy in 36 will serve you well. again not a pietta but a uberti.

several years back I bought a Pietta 1858 remmington .44cal. with target sights from cabela's
it was perfect as far as condition goes and the trigger was more than super. everyone likes the trigger pull.
wish I had bough the extra cylinder as it was on sale as part of the deal.

Your original question was quality control at big box stores. My own guess is if you buy say, a 1858 Remington new sealed in the box made by Pietta at Cabelas the general quality will be the same as a new sealed in the box Pietta from your local gun shop or another big box seller. The exception would be if Cabelas was selling a "specially marked" gun just made for them. Pietta doesn't want there to be a quality difference depending on the seller. They would want consistent quality regardless. Again, Pietta may make a special high quality run for a particular seller and it would probably be marketed as such.

Now, Pietta or Uberti may have a bad one slip out the door now and then, but we are more apt so say we got a bad gun from Cabelas simply because we buys so many more of them there. We don't hear about the bad one someone purchased at Joe's Gun Shop.

Years ago I worked in an automotive exhaust system plant and we made and labeled parts for a number of vendors. I heard people say you should only buy that part with the manufacturer's label or NAPA and never at Sears. Well, the truth is the only difference in the part was the label. I was there only 3 years and in all that time we only made one part that wasn't identical across the board. We made one run for a vender to be marketed by them as a loss leader to get people into the store. It's number didn't match any other part number.

THANKS GENTLEMEN! Just ordered a Pietta 1858 Target Model from Cabela's (they didn't have one in stock) for $319 no shipping, and will pick up the 1851 by Uberti or Pietta in .36 steel next month. Don't know why I'm so anxious to get back into shooting at this time, it's too cold here for the range to open in town about 1/2 mile from my house. Maybe dotage is creepin' in. Having experience with center fire only I'm grateful for this forum.

Paul Aguayo said:

THANKS GENTLEMEN! Just ordered a Pietta 1858 Target Model from Cabela's (they didn't have one in stock) for $319 no shipping, and will pick up the 1851 by Uberti or Pietta in .36 steel next month. Don't know why I'm so anxious to get back into shooting at this time, it's too cold here for the range to open in town about 1/2 mile from my house. Maybe dotage is creepin' in. Having experience with center fire only I'm grateful for this forum.

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Making up for lost time?? Good luck with the black powder fever...

36 in colt. Easier on open tops. Rem 1858 is a good zero issue for starters. I'm fond of the Peitta target model. It's my belief it is made to better tolerances, at least the barrel. It works well with any of their spare cylinders. It will put round on round inside diameter of a door knob at 25 ft right out of the box. Windage adjust will put it inline. My 2 only had to have windage centered to the barrel to be inline, no off to side stuff. It uses the standard lesser 1858 innerds. 20g powder and a 454 ball will get er done. Open tops I suggest to go for a Dragoon. They are tough and can shoot 44cal up to 50g powder. A Walker will put them down range up to 60g powder but are one mass of iron. Both usually go with 457 ball. I use a size that provides easy ramming with most ring cut. The more ring cut you get the longer the rifling contact surface on the ball.
Pietta or Uberti. Which ever. Ive been shooting Piettas for more moons I want to count. Always done well for me. I just purchased a Dragoon, it will be the first Uberti for me.
Stick with steel frames.

bang said:

36 in colt. Easier on open tops. Rem 1858 is a good zero issue for starters. I'm fond of the Peitta target model. It's my belief it is made to better tolerances, at least the barrel. It works well with any of their spare cylinders. It will put round on round inside diameter of a door knob at 25 ft right out of the box. Windage adjust will put it inline. My 2 only had to have windage centered to the barrel to be inline, no off to side stuff. It uses the standard lesser 1858 innerds. 20g powder and a 454 ball will get er done. Open tops I suggest to go for a Dragoon. They are tough and can shoot 44cal up to 50g powder. A Walker will put them down range up to 60g powder but are one mass of iron. Both usually go with 457 ball. I use a size that provides easy ramming with most ring cut. The more ring cut you get the longer the rifling contact surface on the ball.
Pietta or Uberti. Which ever. Ive been shooting Piettas for more moons I want to count. Always done well for me. I just purchased a Dragoon, it will be the first Uberti for me.
Stick with steel frames.

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Say Bang, on the .36 colt, is the 1851 the only open top that comes in .36? I'll check out the internet to find out more about the dragoon, but if the grip is far larger than the Remington it may be too large for my mitts.

I have a rem 1858 5.5" in 36.
Haven't handled a Dragoon but just from looking at them it doesn't look like the grips are bigger than the rem. Might be a bit but if so not much. Even the walker I have is not too much more than the rem. But I got hams and all of them could be a bit bigger for me.

Paul Aguayo said:

Say Bang, on the .36 colt, is the 1851 the only open top that comes in .36? I'll check out the internet to find out more about the dragoon, but if the grip is far larger than the Remington it may be too large for my mitts.

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The Police models were .36 caliber 5 shooters...

The last Pietta 1861 Navy I bought was steel triggerguard and had side screws for a stock attachment. Very annoying. I removed them and now have a couple of holes in my revolver. My other Pietta has brass triggerguard and doesn't have the annoying stock screws.

Pietta's lettering is kinda hidden beneath the barrel, which I like. I don't know about Uberti.

I like Pietta's have have 6 of them. I give them all a little fluff and buff.

Pietta - Colt 1860 Army - Dixie Gun Works
Pietta - Colt 1860 Army - Gunbroker
Pietta - Remington 1858 NMA - FC Sutler
Pietta - Remington 1858 Sheriff NMA - Cabela's
Pietta - Colt 1851 Navy 36 - Cabela's
Pietta - Fantasy Colt 1851 Army 44 - Cabela's

My favorites to shoot right now are the pair of 1860 Army revolvers and the 1851 Navy.

Woodnbow said:

The Police models were .36 caliber 5 shooters...

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Mine is 6

bang said:

Mine is 6

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Hi bang - Yours is a shortened 1861. Pietta markets them as "Police" on the Navy and later 1860 Army frame. Original Colt's police were on the .31 frame with a rebated cylinder. Yours is simiflutted with a Navy cylinder, correct? Nice guns, those.