Uberti vs Pietta, Not the same old, same old.....This could be news.

[JRL1164]

I've been more than happy , for the $$ , with the 6 new Piettas I've recently bought

Same, my 1851 and 1860 both 2021 builds are very nice and I have no complaints. My recent Uberti unmentionable is nice as well but not certain if their manufacturing process is different between their black powder line and non black powder firearms.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

I got a 1860 Pietta for free, and dumped a hun into it, now it works real good.

 

[springfield art]

Keep in mind, This comes from a Pietta/Traditions dealer.

I purchased a Traditions/Pietta Dance Brothers from a local shop. I had wanted a Dance Brothers for awhile and he had some in stock. It's the first Cap and ball revolver I have purchased in nearly 30 years.

Anyway I stayed for quite some time talking about guns and such. We had a lengthy conversation about the industry. The subject got on Uberti vs Pietta.

He said that Uberti upgraded the factory to modern C&C machining and other "upgrades" to offset labor costs. Once that was complete they retired or laid off most of the skilled labor.
While Uberti was making the upgrades, Pietta watched as they were considering similar factory upgrades.

This proved to be troublesome for Uberti as the manufacturing was not as precise as hoped. The revolvers still required skilled labor to assemble and do final fit and finish. The problem was, they eliminated that skilled labor. So he claimed, Uberti quality, tanked.

Colt did the same thing a while back. Now Colt cannot build a quality revolver.

Pietta on the other hand learned from Uberti's mistake. Pietta did go with some modern manufacturing but they kept the most skilled labor for assembly and Quality Control.
In short he says Pietta currently has surpassed Uberti in quality. He says customers and dealers have been having problems with newer Ubertis. On the other hand, many have noticed Pietta quality is much better than in years past.


Again, this is from a Pietta Dealer.

Also Covid has crippled both factories. He said they may have worked 3 months the past year.

This may have some merit. EMF which used to offer lots of Uberti products is pretty much exclusively Pietta now.
Cimarron Firearms is still exclusively Uberti. I wonder though if Cimarrons are finished to a higher standard.

Both EMF and Cimarron are back ordered with EMF almost completely back ordered.

This is just what I was told.

It's interesting and makes sense. The special 'engraved' Piettas show the company is trying to stay on the ball with nice new stuff. I did read earlier how covid (or fear of) really hurt Italy, which got slammed with it.

 

[M. De Land]

And "CNC" is not a guarantee of anything. I think people assume it means more than it does. It still depends on how the machines are operated, how well they're maintained and how often the cutters are changed. Both Uberti and USFA are/were manufactured using CNC machinery, to very different standards with very different results.

I wear myself out trying to point this out to folks who think CNC (computer numerated control) is magic ! The lathes, mills and their tooling, controlled by computers, still have the same wear tolerances as manual operated machines and if maintained properly have advantage in production capacity .
If operated correctly than the final assembly time of more parts into final products is reduced thus saving time with better quality in the finished product. You cannot eliminate the skilled man power needed to maintain the equipment and final fit the parts but you can reduce the need for the number of them required.
Also CNC driven machines don't require or have to deal with the lights on, lunch break , sick leave or union strikes ! This is where the real savings happens and thus increased company profit!

 

[Bunk]

I wear myself out trying to point this out to folks who think CNC (computer numerated control) is magic ! The lathes, mills and their tooling, controlled by computers, still have the same wear tolerances as manual operated machines and if maintained properly have advantage in production capacity .
If operated correctly than the final assembly time of more parts into final products is reduced thus saving time with better quality in the finished product. You cannot eliminate the skilled man power needed to maintain the equipment and final fit the parts but you can reduce the need for the number of them required.
Also CNC driven machines don't require or have to deal with the lights on, lunch break , sick leave or union strikes ! This is where the real savings happens and thus increased company profit!

and the operative word is SKILLED especially in the final fit department where skill seems to be woefully lacking.
IMHO anyway
Bunk

 

[GYJ]

and the operative word is SKILLED especially in the final fit department where skill seems to be woefully lacking.
IMHO anyway
Bunk

I don't know where. These two were procured in the last couple months and are among the nicest Uberti's I own.

 

[SOLANCO]

In the Dark Ages when I was in Catholic grade school the nuns taught us proper grammar at the end of a hardwood pointer. Have to admit it has stood the test of time as I can read and write well.

My wife was a High School teacher for 40 years, taught History/Gov't dual credit courses with English thrown in occasionally. I still find opportunities to correct her grammar, in spite of the mortal danger involved.

Don

You had it easy with a hardwood pointer. I had Sister Mary of the stainless steel yardstick. Then in high school the disciplinarian was a Jesuit ex Marine Corps DI.

 

[M. De Land]

I don't know where. These two were procured in the last couple months and are among the nicest Uberti's I own.

I have both of those models myself but it took a lot of work to bring them up to their full potential. The 62 police is an early Uberti from Dixie and the 60 and 80s vintage Pietta.
Both great shooters now with new front blades installed.