New Uberti 1861 Navy from Midway. Buyer Beware!

[SPQR70AD]

If it were me, I'd be on the phone demanding a return, if the operator plays the corporate 'no return' play line, I'd demand to talk to her boss, maybe even up to Larry Potterfield himself. No excuse for sending a buyer something in that condition if it is rust. As 'Sam' posted, sure it isn't red grease? I bought a new Pietta 44 US Marshall from EMF not long ago and there appeared to be rust in two of the cylinders. Called the California office as I didn't want to tear down and void any warranty. Guy at EMF advised to check if it was loose material as sometimes when the factory polish's the cylinders, they don't get all of the red rouge out. He advised to call back if rust. Checked, sure enough, dried red rouge material, cleaned up, cylinder was bright and shiny.

the heck with going to Larry I would go to the king of England

 

[Secesh]

No offense- is that rust, or red grease?

Alas, we will never know

 

[SwampBilly]

If it were me, I'd be on the phone demanding a return, if the operator plays the corporate 'no return' play line, I'd demand to talk to her boss, maybe even up to Larry Potterfield himself. No excuse for sending a buyer something in that condition if it is rust. As 'Sam' posted, sure it isn't red grease? I bought a new Pietta 44 US Marshall from EMF not long ago and there appeared to be rust in two of the cylinders. Called the California office as I didn't want to tear down and void any warranty. Guy at EMF advised to check if it was loose material as sometimes when the factory polish's the cylinders, they don't get all of the red rouge out. He advised to call back if rust. Checked, sure enough, dried red rouge material, cleaned up, cylinder was bright and shiny.

I just purchased a pietta 1858 from Midway it is a very nice gun. I too had that sort of red grease I was thinking was rust around the nipples.

I removed the nipples and cleaned it and found out that it was indeed some sort of Grease.

And I'm not disputing that it may be rust on the OP's gun by my comment....

A friend of mine recently purchased an uberti 1858 in stainless steel and it is a fine piece of machinery. It came from Midway.

I also recently purchased my 1863 pocket model from muzzleloaders.com and it is a pietta and I'm happy with everything except for the fact that the loading lever latch is a bit loose. It doesn't drop when firing but it just irritates me a bit that it doesn't sit tightly. I removed the trigger guard and 2023 is laser printed inside

 

[PastorB]

Alas, we will never know

A detailed reading of my subsequent posts will indeed reveal that it is rust, with photographic evidence. Rust and grease, red or otherwise, have very dissimilar physical characteristics and are easily distinguished. Some of the nipples, cones for you purists, were rusted in place and difficult to remove. A heavy nipple wrench and PB Blaster remedied that situation. I disassembled the gun, cleaned it up, and polished the surfaces, it is now fine. I just did Uberti's and Midway's QC for them. A quick search of the serial number revealed that it was produced in July 2020, in the very height of the Plandemic. Just cast 400+ .380 roundball, (WARNING!!! Don't do this with the Missus around on the kitchen stove) and will see how it performs as compared to .375. It has been my observations that Uberti's of any caliber generally need a larger ball size (insert sophomoric humor) than Pietta's.

 

[TrophyGuy]

I've purchased five C&B revolvers from Midway in the last seven years with identical results. Boxes, both Pietta and Uberti, are not up to standards we are used to, i.e. Smith & Wesson blue boxes with metal reinforced corners. Foreign packagers and shippers do not enjoy the same high standard of paper we have in cheap abundance. Moisture and oil rapidly deteriorate both Pietta and Uberti boxes. Look at boxes from Indonesia for shoddy quality. That said, all five were wrapped in a plastic sleeve inside the flimsy box, doused in a strange smelling light grade oil. None had the slightest hint of corrosion damage. You have shipping damage or a returned item that was resold. Midway doesn't represent they do any QC or dealer prep. Your description of the cylinder charge holes makes me wonder how the "remnants of a spent cap" got in a charge hole. what are you looking at? All this is moot now that you've firrd the piece.

 

[Old-Duckman]

All this is moot now that you've firrd the piece.

As Judge Judy says, "You ate the steak."

The OP seems happy and that is Okay with me but to me it is a cautionary post. I have ordered from Midway with no extremely negative issues but I never did like their "no return" policy. And as we have seen here, that can be overlooked if need be.

And, like I and others have noted...pay with a credit card and then you have someone who has your back!

Many of us on this forum would rather take care of the issues with an Italian replica vs sending it back...I have done so and the firearm in question (Pietta) came from Midway.

Issues, Okay but used, no!! then I want a used price!!

 

[tucosink]

I’ve purchased over 20 revolvers from Midway, never had an issue.

 

[SGB65]

That is straight up rust. Forgot to attach of pic of the barrel end, but it was quite rusty also. The gun was very dry except in nooks and crannies. Every other revolver i have ever purchased was slathered in oil inside of the plastic wrap. The 1862 Police Model I got from Midway some years back had the cylinder rusted in place, and the barrel was pitted. Took me 7 months to get my money back that time, but it did not end there. Since Midway had my debit card number, they took money out of my bank account without authorization of any kind, and issued me "Midway Bucks" in the amount of the refund I had previously been given. Yippee. Finally months later after many hours on the phone, I got those thieves to give me my money back. Should have learned my lesson, but was just hoping it was an isolated incident. Apparently not. I now use a pre-paid debit card for all on-line purchases, so I don't get "Midwayed" again.

I've had merchant disputes before like this. As a banker, I just call Visa or Mastercard and explain. Then the purchase is charged back to the merchant (i.e., Midway) and credited to me after the merchant has a chance to respond to whether they tried to honestly resolve and were within their own terms of sale. For modest size transactions ($500 or less) with large merchants/big box stores, the chargeback is usually immediate and the merchant has no recourse. Just part of the merchant contract. It can br based on your average transaction size. If you never spend more than a $100, or so, and you want credit for more than $500, you may not get immediate credit and VISA/MC will let the appeal process play out. Especially if you have a pattern of disputes.

 

[SGB65]

The no return policy is geared to the buyers that change their mind but not to defective or damaged ones. I had one with stuck nipples and small blemish on the finish, I called and complained. Was told to send it back for a refund or exchange. The condition you got that gun in is completely unacceptable and a replacement or refund is warranted.
If for some remote reason Midway won’t do the right thing then file a complaint with the CC company for a refund.

...I would go to the doctor for stuck nipples...

 

[Two Elks]

I'd threathen them with turning it over to the ICC and Post Office. Yo did buy that thru the mail and it was interstate commerce.

 

[Smokerr]

The OP has repeatedly stated he knew what he was doing when he decided to deal with the gun himself.

I don't get what an opinion of what anyone else would do is intended.

He wrote up what he found and then what he did with it. Its good info. Anyone can take that and make an informed decision to buy from Midway and how they want to or not want to deal with issues such as he found.

 

[PastorB]

The OP has repeatedly stated he knew what he was doing when he decided to deal with the gun himself.

I don't get what an opinion of what anyone else would do is intended.

He wrote up what he found and then what he did with it. Its good info. Anyone can take that and make an informed decision to buy from Midway and how they want to or not want to deal with issues such as he found.

DUH!!!! THANK YOU!!!! Posted for the benefit of others, not to get life advice from strangers! I think I can handle my finances, business dealings, and determine for myself what battles are worth fighting in my sixties. Additionally, I know the difference between "red grease" and rust, I know what a spent percussion cap looks like, and I am certainly not "too passive" when it comes to issues and events that matter. This info was posted so that the reader could make an informed decision about who they will or will not purchase products from. It was my experience, and I was not looking for unsolicited answers from angry fellows as to how I should have dealt with the situation. For those who have had good dealings with Midway, Bully for You! Please share your experiences with others so they can make an informed decision. Busted some more caps thru it today with some .380 roundball I cast this morning. Tightened the group up considerably at 50 yards. Cheers!

 

[Fossilsn]

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it can be cleaned up or you can get a refund. I wouldn't say this is ubiquitous to Midway though. I bought the same model Uberti 1861 Navy from Midway in late January and the box and pistol arrived in great condition. There appeared to be some rust in a few of the chambers, but it cleaned up easily and was likely red grease as others have pointed out. Took quite a bit of effort to get the barrel off the first time, but after a little polishing of the arbor and de-burring some rough areas scratching the hammer it goes together smoothly and functions well. Sounds more like luck of the draw than anything.

 

[Robert Jeannotte]

I've ordered two hanguns from Midway and have experienced no problems. Both were obviously brand new and I was satisfied. Not doubting you or your troubles, though.

 

[Secesh]

Never buy a gun on sale or at a discount price without a hands on inspection

 

[Ballshooter]

I got it cleaned up and put 4 cylinders of round ball thru it. Did alright with 23 grains of Pyro P and .375 round balls at a distance of 50 yards, which is the exact distance from my back deck rail to the fence. No, the dog (not mine, don't know where she came from) was not by my target when I shot. Couple of flyers, me, but overall not bad for an open top Colt and my old can't see a rear sight eyes.View attachment 303246

Good shooting in all honesty its going to get rusty eventually the rust on it should clean up just fine. To me they look better used than new an pretty. I took off all the finish on my 1851 looks better.

 

[SDSmlf]

I will clean and polish it up. Hopefully it will shoot well. Haven't had the barrel off yet to see if it rusted or pitted, crossing my fingers. Just a shout out to let folks know my now two time experience with Midway, and the Uberti's they sell.

Believe that @PastorB was clear that his was a FYI warning post, not a what to do I need help post. Even the thread title made it clear. Appears to have been handled well lessons learned noted. Good sermon.

New Uberti 1861 Navy from Midway. Buyer Beware!​

On the Buyer Beware topic, I’m not a fan of how Midway generally packs things. I had backed down on what I ordered from them over time, primarily because of poor packing, though I was sucked in when I caught one of their Blem sales not that long ago and ordered a few thousand of those little copper things with lead on the inside. Package arrived looking like it had been air dropped on a steep rock cliff with no parachute. There was a trail of the shinny copper things from the curb, down the driveway, across the front walk, and all the way up the porch stairs to front door. It was a slow rainy cold day so for entertainment I called Midway CS and provided photographs as evidence. They asked if I counted how many items were missing, and I said no, and I had no intention of opening the package. Told CS I wanted an RA and a pickup from my porch set up. They asked for an estimate of missing product, and I told them to count the number of items in the photographs I provided, one from the carrier, the others that I took. Appeared to be about 20 or so scattered over 8’ of porch. Guessed 250 or so in the last 100’ down the driveway….. They then asked if I would securely seal the box up for return shipment…. Told them I would leave it exactly as they shipped it, plus I didn’t have any packing tape, and unless they were to provide packing supplies…. I was really being a Richard at this point. After a few minutes of listening to exciting repeating elevator music, I was told a replacement shipment was on the way. I then informed them that while on hold I initiated a dispute through my CC. The individual on the other end of the line said don’t worry about it, the replacement was on the way, and asked if there was there anything else they could do for me. I thanked them and the call ended. The replacement shipment arrive in a couple of days. My credit card was fully credited for the cost of the purchase. I have not ordered anything since, but would think I am on a special list if I were to attempt to order anything in the future, but in reality, doubt anyone at Midway really cares what I do. Maybe Midway will be merging with Cabelas/BassPro at some point in the future?

 

[Blackpowderart]

Good shooting in all honesty its going to get rusty eventually the rust on it should clean up just fine. To me they look better used than new an pretty. I took off all the finish on my 1851 looks better.

How do you do that?

 

[Old-Duckman]

its going to get rusty eventually

With proper care, rusting is not inevitable.

 

[Coinneach]

That’s a real shame @PastorB. Glad I’m not looking for any more revolvers these days.

Isnt it great to have spent all our working productive lives......hoarding !

Hey I'm am avid hoarder and totally reject all the new age hype about "liberating ouselves" of posessions; "you will have nothing and be happy" is a deliberate strategy to beggar us all.