Pietta Colt 1860 .44: So, How Bad Are They?

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GLADIO

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Hi all.
I know, i shouldn't. i really should stick to The Original Plan and get myself a Remington 1858.
But as i watch the Colt 1860, the more it looks sexy to me.
So, after all the reading from you guys about mild steels, stuck wedges, broken springs, i ask you all:

Are Pietta's 1860 Army that bad? should i better choose an Uberti?
I don't want a wall hanger.. i'd love something to actually shoot. whitout cussing, possibly.

Is there any happy Pietta 1860 Army owner around? Come on, come out! :D

thanks for any info!
 
Pietta are a reliable and accurate Revolver as is a Uberti with maybe a hair more finishing to them...so are Euroarms, Armi San Paolo, and Armi San Marco.
If your buying new you'll have as good a chance with one as another of being in A1 shape. So I'd say it's your choice of Mfg.

What I can't figger out is why you don't don't buy the Remington first and jus' go make smoke out of the box...then buy a Colt repro when you get the urge to buy a second one(and you will!)...........your first choice is usually the right one.
:O)
 
I have two 1860 Colt Army revolvers, one by Pietta and one by Euroarms. Both are fine guns without any of the spring, wedge and bolt problems you've read about here. I also have an 1858 Remington New Navy by Pietta; it's as well made as the others.

I believe the vast majority of Pietta's products are well done; all of the Italian replica manufacturers are capable of producing an occasional lemon.
 
GLADIO
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Pietta Colt 1860 .44: So, How Bad Are They?
Hi all.I know, i shouldn't. i really should stick to The Original Plan and get myself a Remington 1858.But as i watch the Colt 1860, the more it looks sexy to me.So, after all the reading from you guys about mild steels, stuck wedges, broken springs, i ask you all:Are Pietta's 1860 Army that bad? should i better choose an Uberti?I don't want a wall hanger.. i'd love something to actually shoot. whitout cussing, possibly.Is there any happy Pietta 1860 Army owner around? Come on, come out!thanks for any info!



If you get a Colt w/steel frame, it will last and shoot ok. Avoid the brass frames like the plague. The Rem is a much stronger gun though.
 
uhm uhm uhm
Fact is, here, not either the price in the Pietta catalog helps me any way..
the stock 1858 and 1860 are priced EXACTLY the same!!! ( 233,00 Euros )
so i'm stuck with the "ol' plain 1858" or the more sexy ( but maybe harder to live with) 1860... with nothing to offset the balance... :o








i may need to get them both simoultaneously :D

i would LOVE to think that the spring and wedge think is just a minority report,
and i havent heard many positive threads just because.. people enjoy shooting 'em more than standing in front of a PC? :D
 
The Pietta 1860 is fine, just as good if not better than Uberti. Don't listen to anything Capt. C. says. It will take many years before you need to replace a Colt style wedge and if you do break a hand spring they're cheap.
 
The Pietta 1860 is fine, just as good if not better than Uberti. Don't listen to anything Capt. C. says. It will take many years before you need to replace a Colt style wedge and if you do break a hand spring they're cheap.
Click to expand...

+1

The open top Pietta's are just fine. There are revolvers that make it past quality control that should not, but most are just fine out of the box. You can knit pick small things on just about all of them, but nothing that makes them unserviceable. Buy the one you like, then buy more:D
 
Quote:
The Pietta 1860 is fine, just as good if not better than Uberti. Don't listen to anything Capt. C. says. It will take many years before you need to replace a Colt style wedge and if you do break a hand spring they're cheap.

+1

The open top Pietta's are just fine. There are revolvers that make it past quality control that should not, but most are just fine out of the box. You can knit pick small things on just about all of them, but nothing that makes them unserviceable. Buy the one you like, then buy more
Click to expand...

MCB is right in saying HH is right about the Piettas. I've got a few of them (1860s and 1851s) that are great shooters. Following Pettifogger's tuning the Pietta revolver articles should make em pretty much bulletproof.
 
Piettas

The Piettas I own are better than the Ubertis in every way except maybe finish. The big difference is that Pietta actually pay attention to the barrel/wedge/arbor relationship. The barrel fits properly down(bottoms out) on the arbor and the wedge holds it in place. I own 7 shootable 1860s and the match pair and the backup pair are all Piettas. I have a pair of Ubertis for sale.
My match pair have been shooting 3-5 cowboy matches a month for over 3 years. Replace nipples and hand/springs. Converted the match pair to the Pettifogger conversion (Ruger springs and plungers replaces hand springs) and have had 0 problems with them.
 
HEY GLADIO, ist how much is 233,00 euros in our bucks?
i would have thought that you liveing in italy it should be
cheaper to buy bp smokers than it was for us? and do you have
lots of shops that sell bp pistols? its a long time since i have
been to italy, but a great place to go. thanks gladio.:cool::D
 
long rider said:
HEY GLADIO, ist how much is 233,00 euros in our bucks?
i would have thought that you liveing in italy it should be
cheaper to buy bp smokers than it was for us?
Click to expand...

http://www.google.it/search?q=233+euro+to+us+dollar&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t it's about 300 US$.
But it doesn't tell us much,
since the US is a greatly larger market and prices will tend to be lower IMO.
Italy isn't that great of a market for any kind of firearm, so retail prices have to consider a higher markup for each sold item.

long rider said:
and do you have
lots of shops that sell bp pistols? its a long time since i have
been to italy, but a great place to go. thanks gladio.
Click to expand...

That's a weird thing.
A recent law passed, downscaling single shot BP firearms from "common firearms" to "limited capability weapons". it's BS, it basically associates them with crossbows and <7,5j compressed air rifles.
This makes them available for purchase free of any license,
you just take them, hang them to the wall and make them for a nice decorative item.

But black powder, still you need a firearms license to buy it :D
Six shooters are still considered "common firearms".
And yes, i know some fun shops in my area displaying BP guns. it's cool.
 
What irony, here in the US, we thirst for replicas of the classic American guns, BP ones have almost no buying restrictions but which no American companies can produce economically. In Italy they manage to reproduce these classic American guns economically, primarily for the US market and the Italians are more restricted from owning them and have to pay more for them.
This world makes no sense.
 
My 1860 Pietta is an old one. i am not sure when was made since I bought it used at a gun show about12 years ago. It was my first C&B gun and is still working fine. It may not be as smooth in the finish area as a Cimmaron or Colt but it dosn't look bad either.
 
1860 colt

I have a Uberti walker,1858 remmie 8" 1858 5 1/2 inch ,1851 colt and a 1860 colt 5 1/2 inch with a fluted stainless cylinder I love em all, but he 1860 is my favorite 25 gr 777 fffg .454 ball shes a tack driver, never use a lubed wad myself the .454 ball seals her good. Pre loaded with a lubed wad once and 3 days later got a squib first shot cleared it and the other rounds were poof poof poof but i shot em in the ground counting holes cause they all were bad and possible squibs A result of the powder absorbing the grease in the wads.I think chainfires are a result of loose caps some fall off if not pinched but thats my opinion...
 
Wow

I kind of agree with mick only I tend to go with the 1858, and then the 1860. either one, once you start shooting them they are hard to put down. Sitting here looking at the both of them side by side its a hard call, really hope I never have to choose between the two If it happen I would have to go with the 1858 for my on reasons.
 
Some great replies to you post . . . . I have had both Piettas and Uberti . . . loved 'em all. The only problem with the '60 Army is that if you get one, you'll be wanting another . . . and another . . . and another . . . . I'm primarily a '51 Navy person although I have a '61 Navy which is basically what you're talking about only the Navy is 36 cal. Every firearm - old or new - will have their little "quirks" - you just get used to them and then enjoy the heck out of 'em. Good luck whichever way you go . . . trust me . . . once you shoot a BP revolver . . . there WILL be more! :D:)
 
Pietta or Uberti, either one can have issues. I've personally had more problems with Uberti's than Pietta but that's just me. I've got 1 '60 Pietta in a Sheriff Model and I wouldn't hesitate to get one with a standard length barrel. They're good guns.
 
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