US Firearms Manufacturing Co.

Dave,
I saw nothing in Mike's posts indicating you got "taken" or flinging poo on you or your gun.

USFA started out their SA line with Uberti-supplied parts, and that involved more than just frames.

They also used Uberti specs, not Colt specs.

Mike was simply attempting to give you information, and from a very knowledgeable & qualified background.
He does know his stuff.

Depending on what age & what part, specific USFA parts may or may not be interchangeable with Colts.
Remember the difference in Italian specs & Colt specs.

Donnelly ran USFA like his own personal toy store, and besides playing with various ideas that never went anyplace, also insisted in making all parts (after switching from Italian to domestic) in-house, which was a very expensive way to go about it.

At one point, about three years back, he decided to drop everything & start over with his zip-gun.

There you have a condensed USFA overview.
Denis
 
DPris, AKexpat, Hawg,

Thanks for the kind words and the help with what I was trying to get across. I figured with everyone else chiming in with other bits and pieces about USFA, it would sink in.

Dave T, I don't know why you took my post the way you did but like Colts history, Remington's history, S&W's history, all the companies that we like /revere because of what they produce/produced all have a history. USFA obviously produced very fine revolvers but to get started, they used the most cost effective way and that was to use "ready made " parts. The very company that Colts used to supply parts for their 2nd gen Blk powder series. Nothing wrong at all with doing that. In fact, I have plans of my own to offer a limited run of Dragoons. I too will use the most cost effective way.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks
 
Guys,

Sometimes we say things that may come over a bit insensitive or we read into someone's comments something that may not be there. That is just the way it is on public forums.

I have owned several USPtFA and USFA revolvers. All USPtFA revolvers are Uberti Parts guns fit and finished here in the USA at the old Hartford Dome. They are basically high end Uberties and in my humble opinion nothing to sneeze at. They have excellent fit and finish but again in my humble opinion are not the quality of those USFA's that are 100% USA manufacture. Early Premium USFA Single Actions serial numbers 20xxx, 21xxx, and early 22xxx revolvers are basically produced using Uberti parts and all A prefixed Rodeo's. Some or perhaps all B prefixed Rodeos are also Uberti parts guns.

I don't remember the exact year USFA began 100% in-house USA production but there are a number of ways other than serial number you can tell if your revolver is an all USA produced revolver.

All this being said, once again it is my humble opinion all USFA's are quality firearms with the 100% USA firearms arguably the best Single Action revolver ever made. First and second generation Colts are great too :).

Both Uberti and Pietta have upped their quality over the last few years and their revolvers are excellent quality now. I have an old Uberti that will shoot with the best of them.

I am in no way a USFA expert but you can get a lot of accurate information about them on the CAS CITY forum web site. There are a couple of former USFA employees that frequent the web site and they can answer a lot of your question about the company and the firearms they produced.

Hope I haven't offended anyone or stepped on anyone's toes.

P.S. I believe there was also a transformation period where some firearms were produced using a combination of both Uberti and USA made parts. Some of the USA parts were subcontracted to other USA companies. Later I believe all parts were manufactured in-house at the USFA plant when they moved to their new location.
 
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Geez, Dave, what war are you talking about? What's a pre-war BP .45 Colt cartridge frame?
Click to expand...


He's talking about pre WWII or rather a first gen Colt black powder frame which used a screw under the front of the frame to secure the cylinder pin instead of the transverse latch pin which Colt went to in 1896.
 
Thank you Hawg, for explaining what USFA used to describe their reproductions of first generation Colts.

Since i just started posting here on this particular forum a few weeks ago, I had no idea who 45 Dragoon is or that he even did gun work. I certainly wasn't making any comment about his work. How that got thrown into the mix completely alludes me. If someone thought that, I offer my apologies to 45 Dragoon for any insult he felt about his gun smithing, which I was un-aware of.

I owned two Uberti SA revolvers in the past. One purchased from Cimarron in 1985 and a second bought used in about 1987/88. My comments were based entirely on my comparison of the USFA gun I just acquired to those Ubertis from 30 or so years ago and the 1st Generation Colts I've owned.

I never expected expressing an opinion and personal experience would generate this much trouble. I am now sorry I even started this mess. My apologies to the moderators and all who have gotten involved in this thread.

See ya,
Dave
 
Dave T,
Thanks but no offense taken. I was just trying to show that a well appointed "off brand" may feel and handle as well if not better than the "real thing". That's why I pointed out that you may in fact have a high spec. Uberti. No more than that. The "lol" was meant as a little ribbing . . . . . just like the "zip code but not the area code" thing (area code covering a larger area usually).

DPris,
I certainly will!!

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks
 
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And "manufactured" under the dome can also mean assembled & finished under the dome, regardless of where the parts came from. :)

Mike was merely pointing out that your USFA MIGHT essentially be a Uberti.
You didn't seem to get that, took instant affront, and also didn't know much about the history of USFA.
Why you immediately decided that Mike was telling you that you got "taken", I dunno.

You've got a good gun.
Enjoy it.

USFA by & large were quality products.
Those that I've had here tended to be oversprung, at least two had canted front sights.
Not all were solid gold perfect.

The Rodeo still here had to have a base pin made for it; it was stuck in the frame, out of spec, and a Colt pin would not fit.

USFA cylinders are slightly larger in diameter than Colt cylinders.
There are other differences between the Uberti specs that USFA carried over after beginning in-house production and Colt specs, which is why I made my comment in response to yours about interchangeability of parts.
The USFA is not a slavish repro of the Colt.

Mention of USFA tends to draw discussion.
That's what you got.

Mike was educating you, not putting you down.
Denis
 
Dave T,

You owe no one an apology for your original post and you certainly have the right to brag on what you and many others perceive to be an exceptionally fine firearm. Sometimes our personalities are like sand paper :). Please do not let this situation prevent you from sharing your excitement and pleasure in acquiring a new firearm with us or any knowledge about firearms in general you may want to share in future posts.

I like USFA's too! Though I don't have many I do have a few. All 100% USA made USFA's except the one holstered. It is my old Uberti.
 

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