ARMI SAN MARCO???

[torn moc]

any one know if ARMI SAN MARCO pistols are.Italian or spanish? Also...HOW IS THE QUALITY?
fit and finish etc??? I need to know quick..
all responses are very welcome...I remember someone saying they are junk....???

 

[Rebel]

Unless someone is going to GIVE you one, don't bother. Even then i would think twice before taking it. They are JUNK. I have bought a few of them and everyone of them had serious problems. Loose cylinder pin, loading lever catch fell off as i took one out of the box, balls would not stay in the chambers on one of them, even when they shaved lead loading them, timing way off, etc. Buy a Pietta or an Uberti. The Uberti's cost more, but are well made.

 

[torn moc]

wow....was that one used and tinkered with?
or did ya buy it new?

 

[Rebel]

I bought them All new, and they all had problems. I think maybe that is why they went out of business.

 

[Don]

Although i haven't had the problems Rebel had with his my ASM when compared to the Piettas I own it is clearly an inferior gun. Main spring is some what weak and will only fire Remington caps reliably. Cut out where ball rotates under rammer is too small and overall workmanship is rough. When I have Remington caps on hand it shoots reliably and reasonably accurate too for a colt repro. If I had it to do over I'd go with the Pietta guns.

Don

 

[torn moc]

were the san marcos Italian? I was lookin at a baby dragoon .31 but it has what looks like a 7" barrel..... I thought the baby dragoon had 5" barrel? it all seems wrong....

 

[Rebel]

Italian and still all wrong. I wouldn't buy it but who knows, you may be lucky and get a good one. If you can check it out good before buying it you might be ok. Good luck.

 

[torn moc]

CANT check it out...it is auction...
dang.....
but thanks for your experience....!
it is listed as great condition....
but ya know how that goes....

 

[Rebel]

There are a few on auction arms and gunbroker. There is a guy that has a few on AA mostly Euroarms. An 1861 Navy, an 1860 Army, an 1851 .44 cal Navy, and an 1858 target Remington. I just bought an Uberti 1862 Police from him. It is in real good shape. All of them have starting bids of $145 and that is what they have been for a while.

 

[Homesteader]

I've got no doubt that just about everyone on this forum is more knowledgeable than me, but I had to respond to this one. I've got an ASM '60 Colt Army .44 repro (fluted cylinder) that I bought back in '79 or '80. Admitedly I've got to tinker with it a bit - I've had to file a new hand about every two years to keep the timing right - but with the exception of a few replacement springs it's blown smoke and punched paper (and a few other things) faithfully since then. In fact, I took it out last week and was just as happy with it as I was back in the day. Maybe more so. (Like an old pal, y'know?)

 

[torn moc]

THAT IS THE OTHER THING THAT WORRIES ME...
i check out dixie, and they dont carry parts for the baby dragoon 31....
where else could I look???

 

[Homesteader]

Scalper, the most recent place I bought parts was on the web, from S & S. (Before that I knew a period merchant who got all my odds and ends for me. Out of business and - sadly - off the planet now.) I was pleased with the parts I got.

Here's the web-site:
[url] http://www.ssfirearms.com/Gun parts1.htm[/url]

I think! You may have to browse a bit.

 

[torn moc]

Thank ye kindly Homesteader....I will check it out.
AND thank all ya other fellas as well fer helpin me make up my mind.....
I am going to go on and git it just cause it is a Dragoon.31 peashooter......price was good...
maybe I will get lucky.....
maybe you will see me Complaining here on the forum...I dont know...
just feel like takin a Risk.
The first bp pistol I ever had was in 1976...I was 18 and New to the sport....I remember it was a san marco., it never gave me any problems....but I didnt get to shoot much and then it was stolen.
thanks again!!

 

[manyirons]

Gotta borrow a term from MEC who posts around tha forums, ARMY SAN BARFO.

Tried one, wassa great piece fer how NOT ta build a revolver.

Ya MIGHT get lucky and finda good one, think slot machine odds er better though!

 

[torn moc]

well manyirons, what did ya find to ne wrong with the one you had?
I am startin to think I had not get one....more negative posts than positive....
but...onve again..what was wrong with yers?

 

[manyirons]

Oh, little things really, timing, chambers all differnt sizes an directions, no forcin cone, hammer at ful cock hadda trigger pull that CAMMED tha hammer further back, ya know, little things like that.

Wassa nice wall hanger!

 

[torn moc]

thats enough fer me to understand...I just told the seller that I didnt want it....
I guess I will save some more and buy an Uberti.
aint gonna risk buying a piece of junk...
thanks fer all your advice...I think it saved me from makin a BIG Mistake.......

 

[manyirons]

Jus like tha other guys, happy ta lend a hand ifin i can!

 

[mec]

ASM Dragoon
very pretty metal work fit and finish with apparent bone color case hardening:
1. the locking bolt had been dropped in with no attempt at fitting. the timing was off and the bolt was scoring the cylinder.
2. every chamber throat a different size. It was necessary to ream them out to a consistent diameter

VIT may have some of the parts not. One long term percussion revolver dealer said that he had never seen an asm that was well done. Added that they ordered parts from multiple sources and none of them were consistent in size. You had to order parts from about the same lot as your gun came from to get close to a fit.
for a time, they marketed a nice looking light-actioned single action army copy that had turnbull or turnbull quality finish. Unfortunately the mechanics of these revolvers were rotten to the core. It was about this time that they went broke -a circumstance that may have been related to the saa clone.

 

[TN.Frank]

That is the best thing you can do, save up and get a Uberti, they are true works of art. I had a pair of '51's and a 3rd Model Dragoon that were Uberti and they worked flawlessly. :thumbsup: