Any Piettas to avoid

[Ropes4u]

I was cruising the local gun trader board, waiting for my flintlock supplies to arrive, and fished out an offer for "two pietta pistols, balls, primers, powder tablets, primer loader tool and a carrying case" for $300..

I mean for $150 each I can't go wrong right?

 

[George T.]

I read your post then went to the Dixie site and read some reviews. They seem overall positive for a modestly priced pistol. It would be a way kill a couple of hours anyway! Geo. T.

 

[Zonie]

If one or both of the pistols you saw advertized was a brass framed revolver or had been mistreated by its former owner, IMO $150 each might be too much to pay.

There was a time when the guns made by Pietta were rather mediocure. Not bad but nothing to write home about.

I always considered them better than guns made by Palmetto but no where close to Uberti.

In the last few years that has changed and although I still rate Uberti at the top, Pietta has done a good job of narrowing the gap.

They have

 

[bobthemotorcycle]

I have read reviews where the old ones where ok but not great, they had some quality control issues. The stuff they make now is good quality from all reviews I have read.

My Confederate 1851 Navy in .44 it is very tight, no slack in the action and a really good trigger. No creep and it breaks like it has a so called hair pin trigger. The machining on mine is quality with no mill marks or any flashing left over. The edges line up well and the grips fit as nice as any revolver I have owned and a little better then a Ubirti 1873 I owned years ago.

You can get a new Confederate 1851 Navy in .44 for $179 at Cabalas.

Go check it out, if the action is tight and bore looks good then take a chance. Ask lots of questions and see if you can find out if there is anything wrong with them.
$150 is a little much to me unless it has never been shot but considering it comes with a bunch of stuff you may of walked into a bargain.

 

[Ropes4u]

Both are brass framed, maybe I will wai. Was really looking for one on the case color hardened guns, I believe it's fake but eh Iike the look.

 

[F.G. Ford]

A looong time ago, my first cap&ball was a 1849 baby dragoon by Navy Arms.
I believe the inside parts were made of zinc, they were that soft.
I have no idea who made that piece of junk, but the revolver was new ( 1970 vintage )as years went by, I found out, the only repro revolvers to buy were the Uberti brand. Their fit and finish, also the working parts were properly hardened.
Through years of use the Uberti revolvers are still good and tight.
I have never seen a brass framed cap & ball that was worth any more than $ 10, even that was too much.
I suppose a brass framed gun would be good enough for a one time use.....whatever that would be. Probably to shoot myself in the foot, for being so stupid, for buying it in the first place.
Old Ford

 

[F.G. Ford]

Ropes, ya got me cranked!
Buying a brass framed revolver, is like buying a Chinese socket set, just to say that you have one.
You know it won't work, but you do have all the sizes.
So maybe nothing will break!
Does that give you confidence?
Fred

 

[FishDFly]

There for a while Pietta was putting the nipples in the cylinders and then blueing the cylinder and nipples as an assembly. Getting the nipples out was nearly impossible.

I will not buy a used percussion gun unless the owner will guarantee that the nipples can be removed with no problems.

r

 

[cynthialee]

I have one of them Pietta brass frame 1851 .44's and I think it is a good gun.
Now granted Uberti makes better guns as a general rule, but Pietta has been closeing the gap. A new Pietta made in the last few years is not the same as a Pietta made a decade or longer ago.

 

[Black Jack]

This overstates the case against the brass framed guns as many of them give very good service. A more serious reply to Ropes question would be that it all depends on the condition of the guns. This is always one of my concerns when considering a black powder gun on an auction site. If there is a way to examine the guns first or if the selling party has a return policy that allows returns, that would give me more confidence. Obviously, I would prefer a steel frame if I intended to give it heavy use with heavy loads (those brass frames sure are purty, though)!

 

[necchi]

I think the Pietta's are just fine.
It's the condition of the used revolvers that's the key issue.
Bobby Guapo said it, Go take a look at'm

It seems in this case the seller is clueless because he said this is part of the package;

powder tablets,

:hmm:
Take a good look at the cylinders, if they're covered with scratches from the bolt and/or the hand cogs are beat up, forget it.
Point is, if you have to buy new internals to get them functioning properly, it's not a good deal.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

I recommend avoiding any Piettas that have been Proof stamped BN or earlier (BM, BL, BK, etc.)

 

[Ropes4u]

I will pass.

The truth is I really want a color case hardened revolver, with matching rifle, and maybe shotgun

 

[mjulihn]

I recommend avoiding any Piettas that have been Proof stamped BN or earlier (BM, BL, BK, etc.)

Why? What makes these years less serviceable?

 

[Bon Sauvage]

I recommend avoiding any Piettas that have been Proof stamped BN or earlier (BM, BL, BK, etc.)

Why? What makes these years less serviceable?

It is a recommendation only. You may find one of those pistols very serviceable for your needs.

For my needs I require a pistol made after they started using CNC machines which took place about the year 2000.

The quality of their products started to improve vastly then.

 

[dledinger]

I recently purchased 2 Pietta 1858s, proofed BH. I have no experience with BP revolvers, however they seem well made to and shoot quite well. The hand in both is slightly worn, and that is something I wish I knew to inspect before buying them. As they get gummy, or when a cap wedges itself between he frame and cylinder, its easy to see how the hand could be damaged.

Otherwise, I picked them up at a good price and I'm very happy. I already plan to buy more revolvers....this definitely turns addictive.

 

[David13]

I have two Piettas, and they seem to do just fine.
I did pass on the brass tho'.
But I have heard they are ok if you keep the load light, 20 or so, or under, is what some say.
Even with my steel frames I don't see any reason to load more than about 25.
dc

 

[tpelle]

I have a Pietta 1860 that is date stamped BH. The major issue with it is that the cylinder arbor is slightly short, making it possible to wedge the barrel back against the cylinder.

I'm thinking about using it as a test mule to try to defarb it, and I may just try building up the end of the arbor with braze, or, heck, maybe even JB Weld, then dressing it down to get proper fit.

I have another 1860 that is dated with a CH, and it has a lot better fit an finish.

 

My first two Pietta's are about 7yrs old and they're a little rough around the edges. Definite finish issues but not bad guns for the money. I've always considered Uberti to be much better. However, after hearing so many good things about the newer Pietta's, I decided to take the chance and ordered an 1851 London model. I'm very impressed. It is at least as good as any of my Uberti's on the outside and the action is actually fairly smooth. Seems to me a very good sixgun for $300 and if my example is typical, they are definitely giving Uberti a run for their money. I wouldn't hesitate to order another.

 

[M. De Land]

Both of my Pietta's are 25 years old and both needed some work to bring them up to match speed. Some of the parts were not fit as well as could be and on one of them,the 60, I had to make a new trigger out of 0-1 tool steel as it would not take on carbon from Kasnite enough to hold the edge.
I have seen some Uberti's also that had issues. One was a .45 Colt that bulged the bolt knocks in the cylinder because it was to thin there.
Two San Marco conversion pistols I worked on were really lousy and cheaply made and sold for 6-700.00 dollars new.
I generally agree on the pecking order of quality though as described.
I have seen some bad Uberti rifles as well. Mainly the barrels were not of top quality. MD