Which old .44 repro should I go for?

[SirFrancis]

I recently purchased an antique .31 Colt and when I disassembled it, discovered the frame pin was broken, and one of the nipples shattered. The shop owner felt bad and said he’d give me an old 1860 .44 repro as compensation. Sounds fair to me! He has a Palmetto from the early 80s with fluted cylinder, with the bluing either worn off or (probably) deliberately polished to look old, and a Pietta Navy Arms from, I think, 1978 new in box.

Now, I’m hard-pressed to find a single good word about Palmetto anywhere on the whole internet (though there’s not much on them, period) but this gun doesn’t seem bad and has some rather pretty walnut grips. Except for the fluted cylinder, it actually seems like a nice match for the (original) 1860 Colt I bought a little while ago.

The Pietta is uglier (because it’s still slathered in grease) but has an undeniably better reputation… but at the same time we’re not talking about a 2024, CNC example, but a gun nearly 50 years old.

If you were given the choice as a shooter, also minded to pick the more historically correct example (if there’s a difference) which would you choose?

 

[springfield art]

I recently purchased an antique .31 Colt and when I disassembled it, discovered the frame pin was broken, and one of the nipples shattered. The shop owner felt bad and said he’d give me an old 1860 .44 repro as compensation. Sounds fair to me! He has a Palmetto from the early 80s with fluted cylinder, with the bluing either worn off or (probably) deliberately polished to look old, and a Pietta Navy Arms from, I think, 1978 new in box.

Now, I’m hard-pressed to find a single good word about Palmetto anywhere on the whole internet (though there’s not much on them, period) but this gun doesn’t seem bad and has some rather pretty walnut grips. Except for the fluted cylinder, it actually seems like a nice match for the (original) 1860 Colt I bought a little while ago.

The Pietta is uglier (because it’s still slathered in grease) but has an undeniably better reputation… but at the same time we’re not talking about a 2024, CNC example, but a gun nearly 50 years old.

If you were given the choice as a shooter, also minded to pick the more historically correct example (if there’s a difference) which would you choose?

Oh, come on! You must be kidding. A gun still 'slathered in grease', and you're torn between that and an old Palmetto? You're playing us!

 

[SirFrancis]

Oh, come on! You must be kidding. A gun still 'slathered in grease', and you're torn between that and an old Palmetto? You're playing us!

Heh -that’s a pretty decisive vote for the old Pietta, I take it!

 

[SirFrancis]

Here’s some pics. Kind of a time capsule!

 

[SirFrancis]

And here’s the Palmetto.

The Pietta loading lever seems to ratchet… it’s like there are a number of stops as it depresses. The Palmetto’s is smooth.

 

[Jappo]

Here’s some pics. Kind of a time capsule!

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This is a collector item now. The box is the transition from Replica Arms to Navy Arms. Both were importers. It should have the manufacturer's stamp somewhere. It might not be a Pietta. They were usually Armi San Marco. I could be wrong though.

 

[Jappo]

And here’s the Palmetto.

The Pietta loading lever seems to ratchet… it’s like there are a number of stops as it depresses. The Palmetto’s is smooth.


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FYI The wedge is in from the wrong side.

 

[SirFrancis]

This is a collector item now. The box is the transition from Replica Arms to Navy Arms. Both were importers. It should have the manufacturer's stamp somewhere. It might not be a Pietta. They were usually Armi San Marco. I could be wrong though.

This one is definitely marked Pietta (F.lli Pietta, I believe) along the right hand side of the barrel. The top of the barrel is marked Navy Arms, Ridgefield, NJ

 

[Jappo]

This one is definitely marked Pietta (F.lli Pietta, I believe) along the right hand side of the barrel. The top of the barrel is marked Navy Arms, Ridgefield, NJ

Ok, I tried zooming in but its too fuzzy. I looked it up and found they imported Uberti, Pietta and ASM.

 

[Jappo]

You can check it out here. Very informative site:
https://www.capandballrevolvers.com/MAKERS_AND_IMPORTERS

 

[ZUG]

If it was my choice, I would take the new in box revolver hands down!

 

[Jappo]

If it was my choice, I would take the new in box revolver hands down!

Yeppers, something like that doesn't come around too often.

 

[Jappo]

And here’s the Palmetto.

The Pietta loading lever seems to ratchet… it’s like there are a number of stops as it depresses. The Palmetto’s is smooth.


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They both are 1860s and both have the ratchet loading lever. The Pietta is probably stiffer because its new.

 

[Jappo]

Palmetto Arms had its foundation in Mainardi Officina Fabrica Replica Armi, or MOFRA. They outsourced parts from other companies to make their products.