I have found that when it comes to BP revolvers, there is so much "whining" about them that it is hard to hear your self think? It is the only venue I know of where people expect a hand fitted, polished and tested revolver for$300 bucks or so?. Not happening, now or ever. Cimarron pays for certain "period correct" markings and for certain "finishes". Their firearms are not fitted any better than any other reputable retailers (Taylors) firearms, that I am aware of. Back int he day the biggest complaint with Italian BP firearms was the "soft" steel ,especially in screws and internal pieces. That has apparently improved quite a bit, but I still believe the screws are one step over "garbage" being way to soft for any kind of heavy usage. The Italians know how to make fine quality firearms. Beretta is the oldest firearms maker in existence and no one ever said a Perazzi was a poor shotgun. What we get in a BP firearm is purely a matter of price point. IMHO.
Soft steel indeed; the pair of Remington replicas I bought from Navy Arms in 1968 each self-destructed after less than 50 rounds, loading-lever latches pulled out of their dovetails and the barrel/cylinder gaps nearly quadrupled. Since then -- with but one recent exception -- I have (correctly) assumed that any Italian ML that is not a sidelock single-shot or double-barrel model is junk: I gambled once more on allegedly "much-improved" Uberti replicas of the Colt Third Model Dragoon revolver in 1990, but these self-destructed as quickly as the '68-vintage Remingtons; fortunately the merchant was DGW, which took them on return and gave me maximum refunds against a pair of Ruger Old Armies, one of which, loaded with maximum charges of 4F Goex, turned out to be the most accurate revolver I've ever owned, 1/2-inch six-round groups off the sandbags at 25 yards and dependably able to hit water-filled gallon jugs or cans at 100 yards whether with .457 swaged balls or 220-gr. home-cast Lee conicals, the latter an almost comical BOOM..............thwap interval between report and impact. Significantly, penetration tests showed the Lee conical when cast of wheel-weights equalled the cast-bullet performance of maximum Ruger-Blackhawk .45-Colt loads at bear-emergency ranges. My two OAs were absolutely reliable, too; never had a misfire, hang-fire or cap-jam with either one.
In decided contrast to the Italian revolvers, one of the two Pedersoli shotguns I've owned, a 10-gauge I bought from Dixie in 1990, was my best shotgun ever, Winchester M24, Fox and Ugartechea unmentionables included, both in reliability and game-getting accuracy; the second Pedersoli, a 12-gauge I bought during the pandemic, I have not yet been able to fire due to physical disability -- arthritic crippling -- that makes my 82-year-old presence too slow-moving to inflict on fellow shooters at the Tacoma Sportsmen's Club range, never mind I am a life member.
Likewise the Pedersoli Kentucky pistols I've owned, a pair of percussion models I bought from Navy Arms and shot frequently during the late '60s, were accurate, reliable and unfazed by repeated use, even with maximum charges. These days the two flintlock Pedersoli Kentucky pistols and the percussion Howdah pistol I built from kits during the pandemic quarantine appear to be perfectly functional but remain unfired for the same reason the 12-ga. Pedersoli is still virginal.
Yes the Italian screws leave much to be desired, but Track of the Wolf has excellent U.S. made replacements, though you'll need to blue or brown them yourselves.
After reading a bunch of laudatory reviews, I gambled on purchasing Uberti's percussionized model of its M1873 Colt SA from Midway, supposedly built of the same steels as its smokeless powder model. United Parcel Service slapped an indefinite hold on delivery -- here in now-fanatically-anti-gunowner Washington state, UPS apparently is allowed to "instant check" any shipment from any firearms-related dealer, which under state regulations has no time limit and now typically runs at least 30 days -- but Midway's customer service, which is among the best in the U.S., came to my rescue and stopped the hold, though the original packaging had been destructively opened and the revolver itself drenched with some sticky substance that required Ballistol to remove, as if a vengeful UPS employee had poured a soft drink on it. But after cleaning, the revolver seems perfect; timing is spot-on, trigger pull is 3.00 pounds, crisp, absolutely no creep, and the factory finish is durable enough whatever was poured on it did no damage. Though again it is unfired for the above reason.
Apart from the Pedersoli side-lock guns, I remain sold on Ruger OAs, T/C sidelocks -- over the years had Hawkens, Renegades and New Englanders (including a New Englander 12 gauge) -- and Parker-Hale artillery carbines as the best of the lot, at least within my always somewhat limited price range.
