Help Me Pick!

[Smokey Plainsman]

Haven’t checked Pietta’s current spec, but the Pietta 1861 Navy Sheriffs I own have 5-1/2” barrels, and the 1851s have 7-1/2” barrels. Here is a photograph of few of them.
View attachment 17880
And just for comparison, Pietta 1860 Army next to their 1861 Navy Sheriff. As I said earlier, the 61 is kind of like a scaled down 60.
View attachment 17881

The Sherrif’s aren’t historical so never interested me much, but I bet they’d make a handy field revolver. Yes the other Piettas are offered in the correct original barrel lengths, but for reasons unknown they make the 1861 Navy with an 8” barrel. Uberti makes a ‘61 with correct 7 1/2” but just no... I’m still upset from the horrible Pocket Navy of there’s I had to sent back last week.

The Piettas accept the common and cheap .375” balls. Ubertis really work best with .380” balls, which can be bought but are harder to find and more expensive across the board. Also there’s the arbor length issue with the Ubertis. The Pocket Navy had a horrible arbor setup. Pietta actually gets that area correct. Last, IMHO the Ubertis come with too light a mainspring. This is not good for the open top Colt’s.

These issues are steering me away from them and towards Pietta.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Based on your recent comments, Smokey, the choice is for the London Colt.

 

[SDSmlf]

The Sherrif’s aren’t historical so never interested me much, but I bet they’d make a handy field revolver. Yes the other Piettas are offered in the correct original barrel lengths, but for reasons unknown they make the 1861 Navy with an 8” barrel. Uberti makes a ‘61 with correct 7 1/2” but just no... I’m still upset from the horrible Pocket Navy of there’s I had to sent back last week.

The Piettas accept the common and cheap .375” balls. Ubertis really work best with .380” balls, which can be bought but are harder to find and more expensive across the board. Also there’s the arbor length issue with the Ubertis. The Pocket Navy had a horrible arbor setup. Pietta actually gets that area correct. Last, IMHO the Ubertis come with too light a mainspring. This is not good for the open top Colt’s.

These issues are steering me away from them and towards Pietta.

Never looked into if the Pietta Sheriffs were, HC, but for me they shot where I looked and pointed, so I wasn’t concerned.

Agree with Uberti opinion. Have not seen or owned one that had the arbor correct without some gunsmithing. Last Uberti Walker I got was great looking gun. It’s arbor was over .115” short. Until lengthened, whether it would cock and rotate the cylinder depended on how far you drove the wedge in. Also, the rifling grooves are way deeper than they need to be.

 

[flinter1977]

I have an old armi san marco square back . i like the looks but it is small for my finger . I personally like the London model. The uberti has the more correct grip frame . but in the end choose what one you like . as long as it shoots black powder it's good.

 

[Rat]

Sorry about the Uberti, I have three and they are all rock solid well built guns. My Navy Remington was a demo gun that Uberti's daughter brought over here when she was the sales rep, gave it to a friend of mine, who was a friend of hers, and he sold it to me years later, still new-in-the-box and never fired. That thing is really a gem.

Maybe Tony in quality control has been sick, and Pedersoli sent the drunk monkeys over to Uberti to fill in for a while. The same ones that do the fore-ends on the Charlie Moore pistols. ?? That however, is just speculation.

London, London, London.

 

[Blogman]

and the 1851s have 7-1/2” barrels

Had to look at my pair, 7-1/2" here.

 

[L Rupp]

SDS, thanks for your reply. I see now how using a copper or brass extension would make loading these short barreled revolvers a big help.

 

[SDSmlf]

SDS, thanks for your reply. I see now how using a copper or brass extension would make loading these short barreled revolvers a big help.

Used 1/2” schedule M copper pipe. Drilled a hole in an endcap and soldered to one end, with the hole providing a place for a leather thong if desired. They darkened up nice rather quickly with use. Probably not HC, but don’t believe gun is HC either. Thinking about it, remember I gave up or traded the helpers I had. Easy to make though. Just need copper pipe, caps, solder a torch.

 

[bang]

One thing I’m noticing is the Pietta squareback’s triggerguard looks way to large compared to the originals, the perportions are way off...

That difference all depends on hand size. My hams are big so the larger would be in my favor.

 

[bang]

SDSmlf, I have always wondered what it is like to load these revolvers with that shorten up loading lever? Seems it would be kinda hard to seat the ball with a lever that short.

Can be a bit tough. A cheater or at least a leather glove to protect hand. Next time I load mine in 44 I'm going to see if a 451 will fit tight enough. 454 takes some doing.

 

[Bad Karma]

SDSmlf, I have always wondered what it is like to load these revolvers with that shorten up loading lever? Seems it would be kinda hard to seat the ball with a lever that short.

This is one of my favorite hunting handguns.

It’s an Uberti made for Navy Arms in Army caliber. I usually load 30 grains of 3f Swiss followed by a .457 round ball. It’s not difficult to ram with the stock rammer, or maybe, since I started doing it 50 years ago when I was a stout young lad, I just never expected it to be difficult. No, it’s really not that difficult.

 

[Bad Karma]