Armi San Marco dragoon.....any good?

[fireman1]

What is the quality on these? Any good or wall hanger?

Parts available for repair? Do they take any of the good aftermarket nipples?

I might be picking one up.

thanks

 

[necchi]

The only supplier out there is VTI parts, they list many of the common items as using, "Subtitute Uberti" and make fit.
Here's their list;
ASM 2nd Model Dragoon - VTIGunparts.com Online Store

 

[Phil Coffins]

Look at MOST replicas as kit guns, some take nearly no effort to work well others will challenge you. Even the same model of the same brand can be that way. San Marco was no exception. I would buy it but I’m somewhat of tinkerer.

 

[Whitworth]

I have one, a Third Model. I've shot it, seemed OK. Fit and finish is good.

 

[M. De Land]

What is the quality on these? Any good or wall hanger?

Parts available for repair? Do they take any of the good aftermarket nipples?

I might be picking one up.

thanks

I can't say about a Dragoon but I have worked on a couple of they're cartridge conversion guns that look like a monkey assembled them and took a heck of an effort to make them run properly. Could have been made on a Friday late in the day I suppose but I was not impressed with the quality at all !
And the guy laid down over 7 C notes for each one. He is a good friend and I felt sorry for him but did the best I could with what I had to work with.
I think a lot of times it depends on the model they are reproducing , start fritzing around with original design specs and muck things up !
I'd stick with Pietta , Uberti or Pedersoli as everything will be there to tune into a fine match gun without much trouble. One mans opinion.

 

[Crow Choker]

I've heard both good and bad reports. Some say the quality of Armi's varied from good to terrible workmanship that required alot of tinkering. Have heard of too soft of steel in parts that led to excessive wear and poor timing. Then ya read of someone who has one and says no problems with it. Me, myself, and I will stay away from one.

 

[M. De Land]

I've heard both good and bad reports. Some say the quality of Armi's varied from good to terrible workmanship that required alot of tinkering. Have heard of too soft of steel in parts that led to excessive wear and poor timing. Then ya read of someone who has one and says no problems with it. Me, myself, and I will stay away from one.

I even ran into the soft steel on my 80's Pietta having to mill out and heat treat a new trigger of O-1 tool steel. I tried to infuse carbon 3 times with Kasenit on the original trigger and it still would not hold a fine let off edge so I milled out a new one and it has held it's edge.
Some of the early wedges were not hard or thick enough either so have had to make several of them as well over the years. Still I can't complain much for the relative inexpensiveness of the reproduction guns in general as they can be made into fine shooters with a little elbow grease and training .

 

[springfield art]

I've had an San Marco Navy and Army, and both were real nice quality, mfg. around 1991 or so.