Midways "Refurbished" Uberti revolvers

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Gaucho Gringo

New member
I had not looked at Midways black powder guns lately and went and took a look. They now have listed a bunch of "Refurbished" Uberti's. They have 1851's, 1860's, Dragoons, Walkers & Remington's. This is the first time I have seen new "Refurbished" guns for sale. Something new pops up everyday.
 
Where exactly do these "refurbished" guns come from?
Customer returns?

And do they tell you what the problem was with the gun before it was refurbished?
 
Where exactly do these "refurbished" guns come from?
Customer returns?
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Almost certainly.

And do they tell you what the problem was with the gun before it was refurbished?
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No.

A lot of people see the word "refurbished" and avoid it like the plague. I can't vouch for Uberti, but here's an example from the industry that I used to be in.

Back in the dot com boom, I worked for a big computer company. Sometimes things wouldn't work out with a computer and we'd take it back. We had a department that would process the returns, figure out what was wrong with them, toss out the bad parts, put the good parts in the bins, build "new" computers out of those parts, then resell them as refurbs. There was no way to say what was "wrong" with the computer because it was built of parts from many different computers - and many that were returned had no problems at all (we offered a 30 day, no questions asked guarantee).

Our return rate on new computers was somewhere around 2.5%, which was a little below the industry average. Our return rate on refurbs was about 0.25%. The difference? The refurbs were tested much more thoroughly than the new systems. I can't say for sure, but I suspect that we ultimately broke even or lost money because of the additional labor cost.

All of us who bought computers from the company bought refurbs because we knew that they were the biggest bang for the buck.

I have no idea what Uberti does to refurbish a returned firearm, though. I just thought that I'd offer my experience on the manufacturer's side.
 
Thanks Hardcase.

Parts for these guns aren't exactly "drop in" replacements.
At least not from what I've seen, so I'd probably be a little hesitant, especially for just a 10% savings. :rolleyes:

So, who's got the best prices online for NEW black powder pistols?
 
I've wanted a Whitneyville Dragoon for some time but I'm passing nonetheless. Were it something like 30% off I might bite but 10% with a big question mark just isn't sweet enough.

Thanks for letting us know however! Might interest someone.

Oly
 
Refurbs?

I was just on Midway's site a few days ago and did not see the Refurb's. They seem to have showed up with the latest "clearance" flyer.
So far with the two new powder pistols i've purchased from them one had a loose latch retainer and the other was spot on perfect.
Their sale prices on 1st runs tend to be better than the "deal" on their Refurbs. I typically make my big purchases with Midway either around July 4 or my B-day for the discount. Can't wait 'till the Fourth!
 
I spotted the "refurbished" revolvers on Midwest as well and was wondering the same things as the rest of you. With all due respect to the gentleman who explained about the computers he used to deal with, I have dealt with "refurbished" power tools over the years and learned a long time ago to pass them by. Maybe it was just my experience or luck (mis-luck?) but I always had problems with them of one sort or another. We once bought a large lot of "refurbished" power saws, drills, etc. and sold them at a much reduced price and it was the biggest nightmare of all when the buyers started bringing them back after they burned out after very little usage. After a few problems like that, we "dumpstered" the remaining inventory as it was just too much of a headache. That being said though, we're talking pistols here. For something that is "refurbished", I kind of agree with some of the others that 10% off wouldn't be enough to make me bite on them. Midwest seems to have an excellent reputation from what I'm seeing so don't take my comments wrong as I am not "knocking" them. When I looked at the list they had on their site, I didn't see any kind of explanation in regards to what "refurished" meant. Possibly if they added the explanation to the listing, it would explain more and maybe it is worth taking a look at them. Just my 2 cents worth which probably isn't worth that much! :D
 
With all due respect to the gentleman who explained about the computers he used to deal with, I have dealt with "refurbished" power tools over the years and learned a long time ago to pass them by.
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:D No problemo...there's "refurbished" and then there's "refurbished", as they say. Some things lend themselves to the process better than others. As Dino said, the gun parts aren't exactly drop in replacements.

FWIW, I'm taking a pass, too.
 
Model P

Model P-
It's part of their online promo's. Once you are registered, they will send you emails from time to time about ongoing sales. You will get an email close to your B-day and will have X amount of days to use your discount. They usually run Promo's to coincide with holidays like everyone else. You will also get the flyers sooner since they are emailed to you. I am unsure as to the exact discount, but the last B-day one I used was at least 10% if not more which on a revolver easily covers shipping with a bit left over.
 
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Uberti's on backorder

Uberti 1858 New Army models are on back order everywhere. Cabela's in Gonzales has quite a few Pietta's to choose from in stock behind the counter. A target or two, 5-1/2" ers, and the regular. There's even 1 or two brass 8" ers.
 
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