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

Pietta 1860 Army SA .44 cal.

Yeah, I have a Pietta 1860 .44 SAA and I love to shoot it. I recently took all the bluing off so it would match my old western Uberti .45LC. I also got a sping kit for my Uberti and after I saw how the mainspring was altered, I did the same thing for my Pietta 1860 .44 SAA. You have to be carefull not to take too much out of the center or it won't pop cap.
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I have three 1860 Piettas and one 1860 Armi San Marco. All of them are nickel plated over brass frames. Two of them I haven't fired yet and two I shoot a lot.

Sure the steel frames are stronger and you can use hotter loads in them, but if you stick to 22 to 25 grain loads in the brass frames you will never have any problems and they will last forever.

After much time and much shooting, I realize I actually prefer the balance, feel, long 8 inch barrel and look of my 1860's better than any other percussion revolver even though I also own an 1851 short barrel marshal and a short barrel 1858 Remy.


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This thread is like the energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going...

I think I like the feel of the .36 caliber 51's over the .44 Army, the 60 army looks sexier with the creeping loading lever. The nickle plated or fluted cylinder models the nicest looking IMO.

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My 1860 Pietta didn't make it into this pic....

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So initially I wanted a ruger blackhawk .45 then decided I was going with standard loads and looked at replica 1873s', saw a conversion and was tempted an 1860ish sort by Uberti, then read up on BP ballistics and decided to go with bp after hours and hours of reading about different cleaning tricks, different loads, target range accounts, plinking videos, yada yada...

For what I was prepared to spend on a nice new/barely used .44 mag or .45 sa or if a deal had been found a super redhawk or raging bull .454 I have a pile of revolvers and leather for all of them.

So after I acquired two 1858 Piettas and one 1851 pietta I scored an 1860 Pietta on sale at the big C. Four holsters and one belt, lead, caps, powder, wrench, caps, powder measure/funnel all for about what one .44 mag would set me back.

What about power? Personally I'm going with a 30/30 and hopefully trading out my work scattergun for a single shot exposed hammer break open shotgun. Really want to find an old topper with a long snout, full choke, raised rib, and 3"chamber... but that's me.

Point being that the 1858 is to this enthusiast a must. The ONE to have and most of the time I'm not willing to tote more than one without a conveyance of some sort. At these prices the replicas allow a much broader economic strata access to collecting.
 
They are superb.

I have an 1851 brass framed confederate navy in .44, with short barrel, and it's been very reliable with .454 round ball and 25 grains of FFFG. Remington #10 caps.
 
Well, I have a Pietta 1858, a Pietta 1860, and a Uberti Walker. I also have two garbage Pietta brass-framed .44 1851 "Navy" revolvers.

The Walker shoots best, followed by the 1858, and the 1860 shoots worst. I have not found a load workup that would make it acceptable for competition use.

Steve
 
Have two Pietta 1860's and a 1851. Have enjoyed each of these for about 4 years or so and they continue to function as designed and each have proven to be very reliable.
 
I got a pietta 1860 the end of 2014, but have not fired it much as I was working on my inline rifle learning curve. I found the 1860 to be accurate, but mine also experiences cap jams, probably due to cap suck by the slot in the hammer. Today I have filled the hammer slot with 2 part epoxy to see if that is indeed the problem. First time around I went rem nma, can’t say I regret the choice, but a sale price at cabelas helped me decide.
 
I've always heard the Ubertis need the arbor issues fixed. I've not heard of any issues with the Pietta's. Is this so? And do all Uberti Colts have this issue (Walker and Police)?
 
I have an Uberti and a Pietta 1860. Both work just fine, but the Pietta's wedge won't go all the way in, doesn't bother me wish I KNEW WHY.
 
I have an Uberti and a Pietta 1860. Both work just fine, but the Pietta's wedge won't go all the way in, doesn't bother me wish I KNEW WHY
Click to expand...

Its not supposed to. This is as far as it should go on the side opposite the screw.

 
Just adding my 2¢ for what it is worth. I have owned both 2nd and 3rd Gen 1860 Army Colts, and they were [are] fine pistols, but the Pietta 1860 Army with a fluted cylinder that my brother bought back in the early 1990s is an excellent piece. I first fired it back in 1994 and found it to be very well made with a butter smooth action and he has had no problems with it over the years. Granted the bluing is not anywhere as nice as on my Colt’s, but it is actually a better handing and shooting pistol.
 
I still have the two 1860 Pietta Colts that I had when this thread started and they are still going strong gave not had to replace anything on either one of them.:D
 
Hey Hawgie, you made me go downstairs and look. The Pietta has the wrong wedge, something I knew about but never acted on and forgot. Guess I better go. online and find a correct one. The Uberti's wedge goes beyond the little clippy thing, and my 1851 sec. or third gen fits like in your pic. I was told the Navy was built by Armi San Marcos, but don't know for sure. Not sure about the Uberti Pocket Navy, still at Mike's, but will. check upon return.
 
I got it new and has less than 40 rounds down range. I've been shooting my remington Navy with Lee conicals. Nice and snappy and easier to clean.
 
Hmmmm. Now, this has got me confused. (Nothing unusual for me!). I always thought that the Uberti's were nicer in finish than Pietta but it seems to not be the case in this instance.

Come to think of it, I have a couple of Uberti Remingtons that take a bit of fiddling to get the cylinder back in.. So, I really have a strong hankering towards acquiring one of these Colt 1860 models. After reading this thread, it would seem like the Pietta might be the way to go. I favor reliability over only nicer looking in guns. What to do, what to do!
 
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