Price of Uberti worth the expense?

[markmahaney]

Hello All, I own two Pietta revolvers, an 1851 Colt Navy and an 1860 Colt Army. Both are well made but they do have minor finish and assembly issues. I have noticed the retail for Comparable Uberti versions of these revolvers is consistently higher, sometimes by 50 to 100 dollars. Is the quality of Uberti that much better, or are they over priced? I don't mind spending more if I get a better product, but my guns are shooters, not collectors pieces. Any opinions welcome. Thanks.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I have both brands and like you I shoot them all. The uberti's are better finished but they work about the same, they both have issues that need to be fixed before they work as they should. I never pay retail for C&B revolvers, I buy them at auction or used at a gun show.

 

[phoenix511]

Uberti worth the extra cost? Both are generally good shooters, so its your call.

I have both. The Uberti have a nicer finish, and more consistent chamber diameters. Of my three Piettas, one had chamber diameters slightly under bore (that's "bore," not groove) diameter, which made for marginal accuracy. Some reamer work corrected this. The other two had chambers between bore and groove diameter, with chamber-to-chamber variance around 0.003"

Piettas all had rough forcing cones and nearly no crown on the muzzle. The Ubertis were nicely crowned with smooth, although short, forcing cones. Not a big job to smooth the Pietta if you have the right tools.

So who cares? If top-notch accuracy is important, either re-work the Pietta or buy a Uberti. If you want to just make smoke, your choice.

Cabelas often have good sale prices on Pietta, plus if you are close, you can handle one in-store. Their Uberti prices are higher than Cimarron or Midway and are still high even with their discount specials.

Either choice can be a lot of fun to shoot.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I have a couple of Uberti revolvers. The Piettas I have handled and owned, I never cared for. I didn't care for all of the stampings on the Piettas. The Ubertis are much cleaner in fit and finish.
The Pietta types remind me of a fairly nice looking car. Then you turn it over, or walk around the car and see a bunch of parking lot dents and a couple of good side swipes. Or the nice looking car has that one dented and slightly rusted hubcap... :idunno:
I'd rather spend the money on something that is pleasing to the eye and functions well. Fortunately for me, I've never had any problems with the Ubertis, and they run right out of the box.

 

[BruceB]

FWIW... I have an Uberti 51 Navy and 48 Baby Dragoon that I am quite happy with. On the other hand I just bought a Uberti 3rd Model Dragoon from Midway that is going back because the barrel isn't properly fitted and will not allow the gun to be cocked. So you pays your chances with C&B revolvers.

 

[arcticap]

Some of the Uberti Colts have short arbors that are noticeable enough to lead people to want to fix them.
While the more recently made Pietta Colts have been reported to have better fitting arbors right out of the box.
But many of the Uberti Colts seem to have other attributes that have contributed to their dedicated following including a nicer trigger pull, smoother actions, better accuracy and metal finish.
But in the end each individual gun has its own unique characteristics.

 

[markmahaney]

As I thought would be the case, seems to be opinions from experience on both gunmakers. I appreciate all the replies. I had not heard the trigger pull on Uberti's was a little nicer. That would be a big factor for me. Anyone else agree witht that?

 

[Mike Brooks]

I haven't found bad trigger pulls on either maker.

 

[Chilidog]

As to your original question, for me aesthetics are everything and the stampings all over the barrel on the Pietta's turn me off. The fit and finish on the Uberti's are generally good and I'm happy with my 51, 60 and 61 Colts. And the trigger pull is great on all three.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

What you ask is very subjective and to qualify and my answer is difficult and since no one else has tried I will just give you my experience. I owned and extensively used pistols from both firms. Both cartridge and C&B pistols needed work right out of the box to function to my standards, especially the triggers. Generally speaking, the Ubertis had lighter pulls but were creepy and inconsistent. The Piettas had heavier but crisper triggers. I compete with my pistols and they get a lot of use. Right now I use a pair of Uberti cartridge revolvers and a pair of Pietta C&B on a regular basis.

Internally, I have found both to be rough and in need of deburring and polishing. Externally the Ubertis were finished better. Are they hundred dollars better? No. Not to me. I bought Ubertis because they made the model of revolver I wanted not because they were Ubertis. I bought the Piettas because they were the models I wanted, they were cheaper and they functioned or dysfunctioned equal to any other manufactures’ guns. I can make my Piettas look better than any Uberti ever made if I choose to take the time to do so. But I like shooting them both, now that I have worked on them, and their appearance as they are is sufficient for my needs.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Pietta's quality has come way, way up in the past couple years. Insiders say it is due to them finally embracing the leap in technology to CAM/CAD. Whatever the reason, it shows.
The last Pietta I bought was a brasser 1851 Navy Colt Sheriff's model in .44....in short, a gun that never existed. This is, without a doubt, the most instinctive-pointing firearm I own, and can be quick-drawn at nearly twice the speed of my 8" Navy.(unloaded, of course!) :grin:
this is the only gun BP revolver I own that I have not felt obligated to do a trigger job on. It's perfect right out of the box. The bluing is deep, rich and even. My only complaint is that the wood-to-metal fit could be better. I paid $129.00 brand-new from Cabelas last summer! Try buying a Uberti for even twice that!
This being said, I own a Uberti Second Dragoon that is more a piece of art than a firearm.The quality and workmanship are exquisite, with beautiful CCH on the frame and flawless wood-to-metal fit. Nice trigger, too.
Point? The Uberti is more like a Jaguar. If you can be happy buying a Chevy at Chevy prices for everyday driving, save yourself a bunch of $$$, get the Pietta, and shoot the living hell out of it. If you drive a Jag or a Mercedes....well, you get my drift.

 

[Gatofeo]

Ubertis have slightly deeper rifling than Piettas: .010 compared to .008. This tends to shrug off fouling, for better accuracy.
Ubertis are, in the main, better fit and finish.
But Piettas have raised their quality control considerably in the past 6 or so years. They're nipping at the heels of Uberti sometimes, from what I've seen.
I shoot both brands but I prefer my Ubertis because they're better finished and tend to be more accurate.
One of the most accurate handguns I own -- modern ones included -- is an Uberti-made Remington Army .44. Loaded properly, it will put six Lee 200 gr. conicals or .454 inch balls into 1-1/2" at 25 yards, from a benchrest.
My Kimber Custom Classic Target .45 will do that, and probably better, but my 56-year-old eyes won't.

 

I own two five year old Pietta's and eight Uberti's. I have not handled recent Pietta pistols but comparing those I own and have used, Uberti has it all over them in every way. They are better fitted, better finished, they are smoother and need much less work. Uberti's from the last several years need very little smoothing to feel like butter on glass. My new 3rd Model Dragoon will need very, very little smoothing. Unless their quality has improved vastly over the last few years, I would not buy another Pietta. At least without doing a thorough inspection first.

 

[markmahaney]

Captain Kirk, I think your point is well taken. Often my purchase of any gun comes down to "what type of use...shooter or showpiece?"

 

[Hipshot]

As to your original question, for me aesthetics are everything and the stampings all over the barrel on the Pietta's turn me off. The fit and finish on the Uberti's are generally good and I'm happy with my 51, 60 and 61 Colts. And the trigger pull is great on all three.

I'm with you on all that BS lawyer printing on the side of the Pietta barrels, totaly screws up the looks which is just as important as to me as the other aspects. The Uberti pistols aren't perfect but are nicer in my opinion. I've had several of both but I kept only the Ubertis

 

[CaptainKirk]

Once the barrel is covered with powder soot and grease, you can't see the writing anyhow. :wink:

 

[M. De Land]

I have one Uberti Highwall that I overhauled and rust blued. They have made some really good design improvements on the firing pin. The best Highwall system I have ever seen, even surpassing the Mann Neidner conversions.
I like the Piettas because I know they will need working over and being a gun mechanic I can take advantage of all that is there.
In my opinion they have just as much accuracy and aesthetics potential as any other make in the right hands.
Uberti's are quite nice but I have seen one with bolt notches cut so deep that they were bulging out from chamber pressure from test loads in a .45 Colt.You could see it in each chamber viewed from the inside. That did not impress me! MD

 

[Hipshot]

Once the barrel is covered with powder soot and grease, you can't see the writing anyhow. :wink:

Well that might be true but I can't get past it. Sorta like the Don't drink this label on the Drain cleaner bottle :rotf:

 

[mb3]

I have a Pietta 1858 Remington and a Uberti 1848 2nd Model Dragoon. Both are fine pistols, but there is no way I could consider the Uberti as being better finished. The Pietta has a much more consistent dark blue finish. Their parts are equally well fitted and both operate smoothly, with well-timed actions and good triggers. The Uberti has a better overall feel- more solid in my hand. Some of the screw heads on my Pietta have proven to be soft and have to be replaced. Could not tell you which is a better value, both seem to be fine. Having said that it looks as though my next purchase is going to be a Pietta, as they seem to be the only manufacturer making a Griswold and Gunnison 36.

 

[mjulihn]

I think the Cap'n has it right. Functionally they probably shoot the same. Fit and finish differences may be in the eye of the beholder. so the real question is whether one is willing to pay more for Uberti (retail) than Pietta.