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What makes the Pietta Colts unappealing to me is the "Pietta tail"/oddly shaped grip frame on their 1851 and 1860 revolvers, and maybe others. I do not know if they are still made like that or have been corrected.
 
What makes the Pietta Colts unappealing to me is the "Pietta tail"/oddly shaped grip frame on their 1851 and 1860 revolvers, and maybe others. I do not know if they are still made like that or have been corrected.
What do you mean by "Pietta tail" of the grip frame ? I do note the grip frame on my 80's version 60 Pietta is much larger than is the new 51 Pietta grip but seems like similar in profile.
 
Not wanting to step on BP Arn, but he’s correct. There is a bizarre “flare” on the rear grip frame (looking sideways) where it juts out instead of angling down. Makes it look like a trombone muzzle.
 

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Pietta's "flare" on their Colt repo's is a subject that has been hashed over for years. Some like it, some don't, some are indifferent. Me, I'm indifferent. Of the several Pietta Colts I have I never think about it when shooting them, looking at them-just enjoy when I'm snapping caps with them. Read a post years ago on the web by some "period correct" whiner that another participate at a CAS shoot was carrying and shooting Pietta's with "not period correct" grips, nor were his holsters. I generally tell those guys to suck in some oxygen and clear their minds to dwell on more important things in life.
 
Not wanting to step on BP Arn, but he’s correct. There is a bizarre “flare” on the rear grip frame (looking sideways) where it juts out instead of angling down. Makes it look like a trombone muzzle.
Oh, OK now I know what your referring to. Never gave it a though before this thread. Thanks for teaching me something I never noticed before. I was noticing both flair forward on the front side a bit as well.
I am familiar with the term "round butt" but never heard "Pietta tail" before.
I've lead a sheltered life. 😄
 
I don't know if all Pietta models were like that, and I don't know if the new ones are still being made like that.

I was able to remove the tail from one, and curved the grip frame to the rear, like the original G&G revolvers. I made new grips for it, since the old ones no longer fit. The old grips were very bland, so I used Mexican Ironwood for these. This is an older model from the 70's that needed some work. I later smoothed the steel and re-blued it.

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What makes the Pietta Colts unappealing to me is the "Pietta tail"/oddly shaped grip frame on their 1851 and 1860 revolvers, and maybe others. I do not know if they are still made like that or have been corrected.
The loading lever (1860) and the hump behind the recoil shield are all wrong.
 
So do original Colts have this as well to some extent and Pietta exaggerated the profile ? Perhaps I could google up a picture and see for myself?
Well from the original frame profile picture I found it does look like Colt put in a hint of reverse angle on the butt and Pietta put in a bit more...
Pietta had the shape wrong for a long time, and maybe still does.
 
So do original Colts have this as well to some extent and Pietta exaggerated the profile ? Perhaps I could google up a picture and see for myself?
Well from the original frame profile picture I found it does look like Colt put in a hint of reverse angle on the butt and Pietta put in a bit more.
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There are differences from year to year variations I guess you’d say.
 
There are differences from year to year variations I guess you’d say.
I'd bet there is more variations from wither it was made on Monday or Friday and wither or not the inspector had a hang over or wanted to get finished so as to join the boys at the local watering hole to begin another week end!
Weird how once you know it's there you notice it more by feel than sight.
I'm thinking it was probably an attempt in subtle profile shaping to keep from dipping the muzzle when squeezing off a shot with heel pressure.
 
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