Finest quality percussion revolvers?

[45D]

A dressed up 2nd Gen!! Cool ( and I bet they still have short arbors!! ).

Mike

 

[TDM]

Still would love to own them, but too many irons in the fire.

 

[Notchy Bob]

I replied to Notchy Bob's post as he like me didn't know USFA actually made 1851's. Beautiful pair of pistols for less than a pair of non matched Colt gen 2 pistols sell for.

Thank you, @Hawk54 !

I did not know USFA had actually made any percussion revolvers at all. I knew they were planning to, but never knew that they got any of them out the door.

Thanks for showing those. They are beauties. A little over my budget, but it's good to know a few of them out there.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

 

[45D]

According to the info, they were built from 2nd Gens . . .

Mike

 

[Hawk54]

According to what I have been able to dig up USFA made very few percussion revolvers. And they did make an 1860, 1861, 3rd model. dragoon, and 1849. Just made a very limited quantity of each. One source said the estimated number was around 500 total. Might explain why you almost never see one for sale.

As 45D said they were made from Colt 2nd generation parts in the Hartford Colt plant. Stamped, fitted, and finished in the old Colt plant by USFA workers. Pretty much exactly the same as the Colt 2nd gens were just in far smaller numbers.

My guess would be they did a trial run of percussion pistols to see if they sold as well as the cartridge pistols. But quit making them as they were quite expensive and the average shooter was happy paying the price of the regular Italian pistols and didn't want to fork out the extra cash for one of the USFA percussion pistols.

USFA was the last company to produce firearms in the old Hartfort, CT Colt plant.

 

[jimhallam]

According to what I have been able to dig up USFA made very few percussion revolvers. And they did make an 1860, 1861, 3rd model. dragoon, and 1849. Just made a very limited quantity of each. One source said the estimated number was around 500 total. Might explain why you almost never see one for sale.

As 45D said they were made from Colt 2nd generation parts in the Hartford Colt plant. Stamped, fitted, and finished in the old Colt plant by USFA workers. Pretty much exactly the same as the Colt 2nd gens were just in far smaller numbers.

My guess would be they did a trial run of percussion pistols to see if they sold as well as the cartridge pistols. But quit making them as they were quite expensive and the average shooter was happy paying the price of the regular Italian pistols and didn't want to fork out the extra cash for one of the USFA percussion pistols.

USFA was the last company to produce firearms in the old Hartfort, CT Colt plant.

Lou Imperato was a VERY good businessman -- - he managed to get so many people to believe that the revolvers were MANUFACTURED in the USA -- - when they were actually "fettled" from Italian parts ;-)

 

[SPQR70AD]

how come all the guys here complaining about cheap C&B guns are not buying this pair?

 

[Hawk54]

how come all the guys here complaining about cheap C&B guns are not buying this pair?

They sold with the Buy Now option almost immediately.

 

[SPQR70AD]

I can see that but were the guys from this site I wonder? if it was they will be showing them off

 

[Stantheman86]

If USFA had actually manufactured those , I'd have bought them or at least tried to , unless someone else beat me to the Buy Now button

They're basically just blinged up Ubertis , my C series 2nd Gen 1851 is most likely on par with those but USFAs are collectible in any form

 

[nkbj]

I love the 1851's.
Even with the engraving that makes one too pretty to get smoked up.
Wouldn't seem right to wear it on my hip without mother of pearl cufflinks.

 

[GYJ]

I could be wrong but I have my doubts that USFA used 2nd generation Colt's. There's really no reason to. They were already in bed with Uberti and a Uberti completed by USFA would be a better sixgun than the 2nd and 3rd generation Colt's.

I'll say it again, if you want a premium Colt type percussion or cartridge conversion, buy a Uberti, have 45D slick it up and then let Turnbull refinish it.

 

[Stantheman86]

Ruger has a new Old Army for the 2023 SHOT show.......

Maybe they see the $$ in cheaper to shoot, paperwork free cap and ballers as regular catalog items

 

[TFoley]

Ruger has a new Old Army for the 2023 SHOT show.......

Do tell!

 

[Stantheman86]

I could be wrong but I have my doubts that USFA used 2nd generation Colt's. There's really no reason to. They were already in bed with Uberti and a Uberti completed by USFA would be a better sixgun than the 2nd and 3rd generation Colt's.

I'll say it again, if you want a premium Colt type percussion or cartridge conversion, buy a Uberti, have 45D slick it up and then let Turnbull refinish it.

My thing is, no one can change the soft, mild steel used to make Piettas and Ubertis

Having them slicked up or worked leaves you with a slicked up and worked Pietta or Uberti made with a non-heat treated barrel, relatively soft internals and a steel frame that dents from mild contact with a punch . The most you can do with them is correct the arbor fit, stop cap jams, and get them to run for a full day without cleaning. All of which I've already done. I'm sure I'll get many 1000s of rounds out of them

I have the mechanical skills of a semi-trained monkey and I can slick up my own cap and ballers, and achieve total reliability myself. They're very easy to work on

Like the guy in Young Guns said, "you stroke a gun like that it's like strokin a man's woman" I'm fully capable of finessing my own guns and getting the satisfaction of making them work 100%.

I just set the b/c gap on 2 Piettas with a bastard file then took them out and ran 100 rounds through them, they both ran perfectly with nothing but a drop of lube on the arbor in front of the cylinder after 30 rounds and I shot them "dry" , no wads or over ball lube

 

[Stantheman86]

Do tell!

I guess the SHOT show already happened but I saw a video online showing a "new TALO edition engraved Ruger Old Army" at the 2023 SHOT show

They did make a run for Davidson's 4 years ago or so which sold out instantly

Ruger tends to sneak out little runs of things that we all thought were long discontinued . I bought a brand new 4" fixed sight stainless .38 Special GP100 off Davidson's a couple years ago and they haven't made those in 20 years

 

[45D]

My thing is, no one can change the soft, mild steel used to make Piettas and Ubertis

The most you can do with them is correct the arbor fit, stop cap jams, and get them to run for a full day without cleaning. All of which I've already done.

I have the mechanical skills of a semi-trained monkey and I can slick up my own cap and ballers, and achieve total reliability myself. They're very easy to work on

First off, you don't need to change the metallurgy on Uberti's to be able to fire Ruger only loads with an appropriate cylinder. I do it all the time ( and that's with jacketed bullets).

Second, that's all YOU can do with them ( I'm not a trained monkey).

Mike

 

[GYJ]

I understand the metallurgy issue. I noticed this with my first pair of Pietta 1860's, when the bolt started smearing the bolt notch leedes. It's one of the things that I like about the factory conversions, that they are made with the same alloys and heat treatment (presumably) as the other cartridge guns. However, seeing how this testing is working out with the Kirst .45ACP conversion, which runs at 21,000psi, I really wouldn't worry about it. However, you could also talk to Turnbull about hardening the frame, not just coloring it. That 'may' be an option.

 

[Stantheman86]

I understand the metallurgy issue. I noticed this with my first pair of Pietta 1860's, when the bolt started smearing the bolt notch leedes. It's one of the things that I like about the factory conversions, that they are made with the same alloys and heat treatment (presumably) as the other cartridge guns. However, seeing how this testing is working out with the Kirst .45ACP conversion, which runs at 21,000psi, I really wouldn't worry about it. However, you could also talk to Turnbull about hardening the frame, not just coloring it. That 'may' be an option.

My Uberti .38 Richards-Mason is an absolutely beautiful gun and it does have the better steel to meet SAAMI specs. I had always wished they'd just make a "high end" line of cap and ballers with the same steel as their conversions

All of my repro cap and ballers end up breaking in to themselves, after the bolts and stop notches have "mated" to each other and the internals get nice and slick. I own so many I don't think I'll wear any out and if I do, I get to play around with making them work again

The originals were Iron so I guess we're a little ahead of the game even with soft modern steel

If $$ is no object I'm sure there are plenty of guys like Bowen, Cylinder & Slide etc that would happily take a chunk of coin to harden up frames and fit new , harder cylinders and a new barrel. The cost would be considerable but there's always options in the gun world