Uberti -V- Pietta

[bigted]

ok so im moving beyond the 62 colt debunkle. I ordered a Pietta mod-61 sheriff w/ 5.5 inch barrel yesterday and as I contemplate my choice I wonder what if any is the choice revolver between the two Italian manufacturers.

so thought id ask here to see what you all think is the finest made revolver built and why... given the choice between the Uberti and the Pietta.

my best thinking gained me a nice looking colt but a non shooting POS that separated me from 400 + dollars. so thought id ask before I get hip deep into another money pit or a revolver that is going to nickel me to death ... already got 1 of these.

thankyou for your indulgence and advise.

Ted

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Wow...I went back and read your post again about the 1861 Navy. I hope you get it running.

As for the Italian copies, I happen to prefer Uberti over the Pietta. I have owned both. I think the fit and finish is much better on the Uberti products. The Uberti models fit me better also. Just my two cents.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Yep I'd say that depending on who ordered the handgun from Uberti..., as they will make and price the handgun based on the importer's specs..., for example an Uberti from Cimarron may be of better fit and finish than one from a different importer..., but Uberti tends to be better finished than Pietta, but you pay more too. :wink:

LD

 

[ZUG]

I have the 61 Pietta 5-1/2" model same as yours and I like it. It shoots good but I had to put the barrel in a lathe and square up the muzzle in relation to the bore - the barrel was cut at an angle after that issue it performs well. I also have other Piettas that are good to go as I bought them. I have Ubertis also and I think the fit and finish is a bit better. The Ubertis that I have were purchased in the 80's, 90's and I just purchased a 1849 that was made this year. It's workmanship is very good but it did have a burr on the recoil shield that I knocked off with a stone. One issue that I did not like was one of the trigger guard screw threads was "buggered" because the assembler started it crooked and cross threaded the screw. I will have to replace that screw even though the cross thread screw does work I don't like it. I dissembled it to check for burrs and other issues but it was fine other than that one screw. Here is a picture of the gun.

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[ZUG]

Here are the other Piettas and Ubertis - I left out the two Ruger Old Armies as they did not pertain to this thread. The Remington 1858 .44 is a Navy Arms from the early 70's

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[Don]

I own several Piettas and one Uberti. The Uberti is the only one that has given me trouble.

Don

 

[Coot]

Sadly, it seems possible to get a "thrown together Friday at quitting time" gun that should not have made it past final inspection from any of the manufacturers. Not that long ago, Uberti was the only import that I would have considered. Pietta has improved their quality control recently & some now consider their current guns on a par with Uberti - but the Spiller & Burr that they make is not. Hopefully they will get that model cleaned up or Uberti will introduce a steel frame Whitney as I would like to get a (nice) one (or even one of each :wink: ) . In a perfect world, the individual gun should be seen in person prior to purchase.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

I'm with Don on this, I have had plenty of both but I have only had trouble with the Ubertis. Fit and finish is good but I rather have a gun that works all the time.

 

[Billnpatti]

I've owned both and my personal opinion is that the Uberti has a bit better fit and finish but both have been good guns. If you have a choice, I'd personally recommend the Uberti over the Pietta. :2

 

[AZbpBurner]

All my Remingtons are Pietta, and all my Colts are Uberti. Maybe 30 years ago there could have been a difference between the two, but anymore, they all use the same state-of-the-art machining.

And they BOTH sober up Granny on Wednesdays and kick her out to the goat pen out back to fire up the foot-pedal grinding wheel to make up a batch of inconsistently dimensioned nipples..

A couple of Piettas needed the bolt smoothed up a little for flawless functioning, and sometimes the wood falling off the the scrap cart winding its' way thru town is less than great, but overall machining is first rate.

On the other hand, my Uberti Walker needed some fine fitting to be rid of the gap between steel frame and brass triggerguard. My 1862 Colt New Police looks beautiful, but the nipples were too short for the hammer strike to set off the caps. The Wedge was also too loose, requiring some tightening just to keep in place. There's also a small high spot on the cylinder where it rubs up against the frame. The front sight isn't suited for actual use, since it's short enough to print about 3' high at 50 feet. Once I determine if its' press fit or screwed in, it will be a simple mater to build a proper height sight for it; the Pietta 1858's all have sufficient front sight to be able to adjust for elevation.

I also have 2 Uberti Colts made in the mid to late 60's. Both have excellent exterior fit and finish, but both appear to have the inside of the frames chiseled out by hand; the surface is rough enough to catch fuzz and fiber from cleaning rags and flannel patches. At least the newer ones have smooth finish inside and out.

Based on my experience, I'd be more likely to buy Pietta over Uberti.

 

[M. De Land]

If you can overhaul a pistol than the Pietta is the better buy because everything is there to make a finely accurate gun, it just needs some working over and tuning up.
Actually the 62 police I picked up a few months ago needed some extensive work and it was made by Uberti for Navy Arms.
Glad to here the Pietta's are coming up in the world as they certainly are cheaper to buy than the Uberti's.

 

Used to be clear-cut in favor of Uberti but Pietta has greatly improved their guns in the last few years. I don't know exactly when the change happened but my six month old Pietta 1851 is a VASTLY better gun than my 7yr old 1860's. Easily on par with new Uberti's.

 

[bigted]

thanks all. I am indeed lucky to have found this forum a few years ago.

the difference is what I expected and ill rest easy with my new purchase... at least till it gets here...LOL.

im a tinkerer anyway and this Pietta didn't cost the bank so ill gladly tinker if I have ta.

Ted

 

[George T.]

I have a 1860 Cimarron by Uberti That is finished better than my Colt Python! Shoots very well as well. Geo. T.

 

[FishDFly]

Ditto.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Used to be clear-cut in favor of Uberti but Pietta has greatly improved their guns in the last few years. I don't know exactly when the change happened but my six month old Pietta 1851 is a VASTLY better gun than my 7yr old 1860's. Easily on par with new Uberti's.

This probably took place a few years back when Pietta decided to tighten up their routine in response to the Cowboy Action Shooting crowd who were buying a lot of their cartridge revolvers for their sport. Fortunately for us, Pietta seems to have done the same for their total production.

 

[jaxenro]

Cimarron/Uberti - if you buy a new one their in house gunsmith will repair any issues for you - plus the quality control is a little better

 

[FishDFly]

Taylor's also has the same service, but fit on Cimarron is the best.

 

[Pete G]

I've never had any (including the Italian made Colt Black Powder series) that did not require a bit of tinkering to get them to run the way they are supposed to.

 

[bigted]

got the Pietta '61' yesterday and it seems like a very nice revolver. I took it down to parade rest to clean and inspect and this resulted in just that ... cleaning and greasing then back together. it spells Colt [4 clicks] in the hammer cocking but the last two clicks need to be pulled slowly to hear them. the action is crisp and trigger pull is dandy ... maybe 3 lbs... probably less and like I said ... crisp letoff. all in all im impressed with the fit and resultant action of this sturdy feeling revolver. I loaded the cylinder 3 times with caps and never a functional let down. fired all 18 caps like a trooper. ill get to shooting it today or tomorrow so ill try to get back with a report on how it really runs. but looks like and feels like it will do just fine.

side note here ... I received the Colt '62 police spring as well so I fit it to the Colt and it ... [VTI spring]... is a very nice and sturdy spring for the trigger return and cylinder stop. wish Colt had chosen to install this WAY better spring from the gate. ill run it the same time with the Pietta so will try to report the results with it as well.

thanks again for all the reply's. you folks here are the best... :bow: ... :grin: