Ubertis are purdy, great for wall hangers and movie props. Piettas are shooters with much better actions, properly manufactured and hardened internal parts and perfectly timed actions. Uberti still anchors the ejection housing directly to the barrel instead of a lug last time I checked unlike Colt and Pietta and that's a part that will break sooner or later on Ubertis.
Didn’t expect to see you here, Tuco! Just watched your Pietta vs. Uberti video on lunch today, lol. You convinced me to follow my intuition and go with Pietta.
Sponsors expect their paid employees to love their pistols, and dog the competition. Beware of high praise from people who don't disclose their sponsors
I recently bought one of the Pietta made versions of these. It's the "Pistolero" version, and it's nearly identical to the original Colt. I'm highly pleased with it.
How does it function? I've been saving for a single action and the only one to really catch my eye is the pistolero in 45 lc. I've heard a lot of great things about it, but then again there aren't many videos for that specific model.
@@Fredo_Bodybag95 Mine is in .357 Mag. It functions flawlessly, and is more accurate than I am. The action is smooth, and the trigger is excellent. The trigger pull weight on mine is about four pounds, and it "breaks" smoothly. One other thing about those clones of the first-generation Colts - you CAN safely have all six chambers loaded. When Mr. Colt designed that action, he included a safety feature. You simply pull the hammer back to the first "click" and leave it until ready to shoot. It will not "go off" by itself, even if dropped. I tried it. Generally, I found the fit and finish on these guns to be excellent, and the balance is really good. The recoil is a bit sharper with the shorter-barreled models like mine (4 1/2 inches) but it's not unpleasant. If you can get one, I'd call it a good investment.
@@kevins1114 Thank you for the info brother, I appreciate it greatly, the one I'm looking to get is 4.75". Now all I need to look for next is a good holster 👍
@@kevins1114please don’t use that first cock as a safety. It’s meant to catch the hammer if it accidentally falls from half cock. Despite what the old manuals say, don’t risk that notch being broken off by using it as a safety. Just load 5 and the hammer rest on an empty chamber
I once had the rare opportunity to buy a pair of two absolutely beautiful USFA Single Actions at a New Mexico Gun Show about 12 years ago. The seller that had these was from Las Cruces. They were absolutely magnificent, and would've surely appreciated. These were custom Shop issues, both .45cal, 5.5" Nickle Plate, smooth High Grade Walnut Grips, this identically matched pair had Consecutive Serial Numbers, and both had Dual Cylinders. Both Unfired, Unturned, Factory Cases/Boxes, all Paperwork, everything, the whole kit and kaboodle. Cash on the barrel, $2400 for the pair. I drooled for a 1/2 hour examining them both at them. and mostly without even touching them, they really blew my mind, and often regretted not snatching them. Maybe in a way it was good, it was a Sunday at that show I recall, and my Bank was closed! What sort of stopped me from buying them was the thought of then never firing them? A Safe Queen.
I have both Colt and Cimarron (Pietta) 4 3/4” SSA and the fit and finish on the Pietta made pistol is a notch above the 3rd Gen Colt. The walnut grips on my Cimarron fit perfectly and have beautiful graining. Both are chambered in .45 Colt.
I agree Uberti is a better product than the 3rd generation Colts. I can but a pair of Uberti revolvers and if I add another $200.00 I can buy an 1873 Uberti Winchester rifle for the cost of one Colt SAA.
Both have cast parts also so na, I'll stick with my standard manufacturing, nickle 4.75 saa with the hand oil rubbed grips. 😊 Best built revolver there is. American anyway...
Great video, thanks. I’ve got the pre-war Pietta pistolero in .45 colt. I absolutely love it.. and actually had it in my hand while the video was playing.. as I followed all your explanation. Tough finding ammo for it during the past couple years. Sheesh. I think I’ll go grab another one chambered in .357 before they change the safety bar… thanks again.
Thank you for mentioning the first click as the safety. Samuel Colt was no idiot and designed a six shooter not a five shooter. He designed a way to keep the hammer off the cartridge and that was the first click. Thanks for a very informative video.
Too bad it didn't work for long. The first sear kept breaking or wearing out and you're back to resting the pin directly against the primer cap. Five for the holster, six in the hand. You walk into what you know is going to be a ruckus, you slip in the sixth round and risk it. You load five if you're going to carry it in a holster for a time and pay no mind to it.
I would like to see someone prove that the first click safety is not as good as they say, but it was made to carry 6 that's why the cylinder has 6 holes and the safety will hold unless someone can prove otherwise 😜
Best Cimarron comparison video on RU-vid. Well researched and very informative. I believe the extra screw in the Uberti box is to replace the one that holds the cylinder rod in place, it fits flush to the frame. I currently own The Frontier 4 3/4" Old Silver Frame Pre-War Model, Laser Engraved with Checkered Walnut Grips in 45LC made by Pietta ( model PP410LSFW ) and am hoping to get the 1860 Richards Mason Conversion Type II in 45LC with the 8" barrel soon. Thanks again. Tucson Jack
I love single action revolvers, and Uberti is a great manufacturer. I recently purchased a Standard Manufacturing 1873 5 ½" in .45 LC. Frame and hammer have beautiful bone charcoal hardened the old traditional way, and all the hardware, ejector rod, cylinder pin, trigger including screws are a light blued. The cylinder and barrel are deep, dark blued. It has a one-piece fancy American Walnut grips. All of the screws' slots are aligned with the direction of the bore, LOL! timed screws. I love this one, and it's a keeper!
Uberti and Pietta both make very fine replicas but so did Armi San Marco and Armi Jager I own all and have had no problems from any. In fact the Armi Jager I posses was manufactured in 1966 and was sold as the Dakota and as far as as color case hardening surpasses the Ubertis and Piettas. The newest I own is the Cimarron Wyatt Earp 10" 45LC and is a fine representation of a movie prop and 1st model Colt. I think what I am trying to say is after 40 years of collecting and shooting I can honestly say all the Italian makers have put out some fine replica firearms.
yeah, totally agree, i wish uberti weren’t moving to the new hammer safety thank you for this video, good information, and after watching i think ill be going with the pp401 from pietta
Thank you for this informative video, especially the "cylinder out of battery" part to keep the cylinder as pristine as possible. Mines a Cimarron/Uberti Model P .45 Colt 4 3/4, but only 3 "hammer clicks". Still love it!
@@cimmeron.3576 I’m sure the 357 is made solidly, but what about the 45 Colt? They are nice pistols but I sure wouldn’t want to damage one or blow it up, shooting full power 45 Colt loads.
@@ronlafitte6864 as to that I could not say personally. I read on forums that they are good with anything in Sammi specs. But like I said that is just from reading not personal experience.
With use and wear, the trigger sear gets smaller like a sharpened knife until the firing pin rests on the primer with the hammer on the safety notch. I have an old Single Action Army with this condition. The trigger sear is flimsy to begin with on these guns. This is what breaks when dropped on the safety notch. You gave good advice for loading.
I picked up my Taylor's & Co. Gunfighter the other day. It has a floating firing pin on it as well. I purchased a Uberti Cattleman hammer and trigger from Midwest Gun Works to replace the floating firing pin, which in turn will give it the four hammer clicks it's suppose to have. I wish these gun companies would leave well enough alone when they have a good thing going on, and stop trying to save their customers from themselves!.
I have two earlier Uberti Hombre models in .45. 4 click hammers, no safety feature, leave hammer on an empty chamber if carrying. I removed the cheap looking black finish, left them bare metal. The hand operates off a tiny spring behind the grip frame, the only difference from the Peacemaker I can see. Get a second hand Hombre at a pawn shop or gun show like I did.
The Uberti model you have is the "new model sheriff". The screw holds the cylinder pin in place, they provided you with an extra screw. Where as the Pietta is the newer model that uses the spring loaded screw that you push sideways on to remove the cylinder pin.
I have a recently purchased (from Cimarron) Uberti 1873 revolver with a smokeless frame that has the same action as your black powder frame Uberti, i.e., four clicks and no firing pin block safety. Instead, like yours, it's equipped with a slightly over long cylinder pin that, when pushed all the way in, operates to block the hammer from falling all the way forward. This allows them to satisfy import requirements mandating some sort of safety device. Mine came with two cylinders: one in .45 Colt and one in .45 ACP, the latter of which is more economical to shoot, i.e., you can buy bulk packs from Walmart.
Lucky you. The Walmart where I live only sell shot gun and some rifle ammo. The only bullets they sell are .22 LR. But luckily we have. A couple gun shops in town. Nobody carries.45colt tho.
I like that they updated it with a safety inside the hammer itself let you carry a full 6 rounds and not have to worry about an ND like they did back in the day
Overall good video with a lot of good information. I would like to chime in with a couple of corrections. Regarding the frame design that used a screw to retain the cylinder base pin, this was the original style as adopted by the U.S. Army. However this only lasted for 8 or 9 years, then Colt introduced the spring-loaded cross bolt. I can only guess that this was due to complaints from the Army that soldiers were losing the little screws. (For some reason collectors call the first model frame the "black powder" frame, although this does not correlate at all to the introduction of smokeless powder.) Regarding the Uberti hammer that has the safety built in. Probably about 30 or more years ago I purchased a single action clone made by Uberti that also included a safety as you described. Beneath the firing pin on the hammer there was a little pivoting block that, when the trigger was fully pulled, it was rotated into a position that allowed the firing pin to hit the primer. In order to make this work it required a long thin hole to be drilled vertically through the hammer to accept a push rod that actuated by a lever on the trigger. The problem was that, to facilitate the drilling of this hole without snapping the drill bits off, the hammer was not hardened at all. Additionally the cam that operated the cylinder bolt that was made as part of the hammer dead soft too. The leg on the cylinder bolt promptly wore the cam down, and the cylinder bolt drug on the cylinder to the point that it eventually would not free the cylinder when cocking the hammer. This happened after only a few hundred rounds of ammo. This left a bad taste in my mouth for Uberti that has still not gone away. Later I did buy a Uberti-made Cimarron, and it has the 4-click firing pin on hammer action, and it has been a great gun so far. I also heard that Uberti is going to re-introduce the hammer-mounted safety dingus, and again has a hole drilled through the hammer to work it. No more Ubertis for me. BTW, I did just order a Pietta-made Great Western II revolver in .357 Magnum, and as far as I can tell from U-Tube videos, it has the original Colt style 4-click action and no transfer bar. Generally all of these imported revolvers incorporate the "Swissafe" which is the two-position base pin that can be set to block the hammer, as well as coil springs for the hand and for the loading gate. Both of these changes were to fix frequent breakage problems that occurred in Cowboy Action Shooting, which uses these revolvers hard.
Corrections to my corrections: (I consulted my Kuhnhausen manual.) First, as to when the cross-bolt cylinder base pin was introduced, this was first used on a target model in 1892, nineteen years after the revolver was adopted by the Army. It was gradually phased in on all models in mid-1896. However there have been revolvers that, according to their serial numbers, were manufactured in 1899 still using the retaining screw. I still don't think this has anything to do with the availability of smokeless powder, but is just a coincidence. Logically thinking, a revolver firing black powder cartridges is going to require more thorough and frequent cleaning than one firing smokeless cartridges, so it would be less of a hassle to deal with the screw on the revolver firing smokeless powder cartridges. The remark that inferred that the coil spring for the cylinder gate was a "modern" innovation was a pure case of brain fade on my part. Most recently I had disassembled an 1860 Army percussion revolver that did not have the coil spring for the loading gate because, of course, a percussion revolver doesn't have a loading gate.
Samuel Colt did not design the SAA or the four clicks...he had nothing to do with it...he died during the civil war...in 1862 if i remember correctly...the SAA was patented in 1872
The hammer safety,as you refer too, does it have a effective utility ? All my SA revolvers have the Ruger design transfer bar safety, I have no problem with that, however I only load five. Thanks
I've become fond of (4-click)Pietta(Pee-etta..heheh) built SAA clones, but i still buy Ubertis when it comes to their other models...like my 2 Remington patterns, my MWNN open top, and my Schofield...all Cimarrons , of course. All the Pietta Cimarrons I've had and have were all lighter and slicker actioned than my Ubertis. I also have a nickel Pistolero in .45 Colt, but I inlaid Hand Of God crucifixes in my grip and darkened the wood. Like you, I feel that if i want something with lawyered up safety gizmos, I'll buy a Ruger. (I have a Ruger and like it) When i buy a clone of a historic firearm, I want lawyers OUT of the design room...as much as possible. On the 1st click "safety"...I HAVE dropped one with a loaded chamber under the hammer on the 1st click, from about 2 feet off the ground (was seated and leaning back with a ratty old leather holster and no hammer thong) onto concrete. It didn't discharge and the hammer stayed off the primer, BUT...either that notch in the hammer or the sear was damaged(happened sevearl years ago before i took them apart like i do nowadays) and felt *different* from that day on. It might have discharged if dropped onto the hammer again, and it might have discharged if it had fell from higher up. There's no way, in my opinion, that a lesser shock (such as dropping an offside stirrup on the hammer, as frequently theorized) would have damaged the notch/sear and presented a discharge hazard. With that said...I tote 5 in mine when out and about. In that condition, I'm 100% sure it won't go off unexpectedly. Lastly...unless your revolver is really out of time or malfunctioning, there's no need to index the cylinder from the half-cock position before drawing the hammer back to full cock. The hand will advance the cylinder to where it normally would engage the bolt and the cylinder notches. Where you get a ring around the cylinder (in a properly timed, traditional actioned single action) is dropping the hammer from partial cock back down all the way. The bolt comes up (in that scenario) and lands somewhere between the notches in the cylinder when the bolt leg comes off the cam, and then your cylinder turns with the bolt pressured against the cylinder...dragging into the finish the next time you draw the hammer back. That doesn't happen when you go from full cock to hammer down because the cylinder notch and the bolt stayed lined up/engaged, and the cylinder doesn't turn until the bolt drops out of the notch when you begin cocking the hammer, where it can do no harm.
Don't mean to be a pain with the PIE-etta comment, brother... it was just driving me nuts... I just wanted to say that your video has lots of excellent information in it, and it's very well done. So, cheers to that, and I've subscribed to be able to get notifications for more of your videos. :)
M S The Pietta (All Second Generation) has a second notch on the Cylinder pin. By pushing the spring loaded button the pin con be set in this notch, therefore it will protrude from the back, stopping the hammer to go forward against the primer.
You don't have to rotate the cylinder backwards before cocking to prevent wear. No matter where the cylinder is in rotation, when you take the hammer back to full cock the hand will catch it and rotate it into the right spot before the bolt drops. The wear marks come from people easing the hammer down without fully cocking it first, such as going from half cock to hammer down.
I have a Pietta 1873 SA-FAP, Gen 2, with a 5 1/2 in barrel length, blue (looks black to me) finish with a brass trigger guard/back strap, the 2 piece hand grips appear to be some kind of rough textured brown hardwood or bakelite held on with a screw through the grips, the ejector button is oval shaped ,the serial number starts with an "E" 141xxx, it came with two cylinders, one for 45 long Colt and the 2nd cylinder is for 45 acp.
The Cimarron Cattleman (SAA Clone) that I purchased in 1988 has a C prefix only. At the time, I was told that it was of Uberti manufacture, even though Cimarron is the only company marked on the gun.
If it was carried with the hammer on an empty chamber, how did Doc Holliday in Tombstone and Charley Waite in Open Range have 14 shots in each gun? Ha!! 😂
Doc used a double action revolver so he didn’t have an empty cylinder....i looked it up cause i was curious too lol makes me feel like he cheated since he didnt use the SA lol but then again maybe it was smart of him
My wife looked into Doc's shooting in Tombstone and on close inspection he only shoots 6 from each but what the film makers did was to show the same shots from different angles, as each shots has the same corresponding hit but shown from another angle.
Very practical advice at the end regarding putting the cylinder back into battery before going from half cock to full cock, to prevent the bolt from scarring the cylinder. Thanks for that.
My .45LC *4-Click "Evil Roy"* 4.75" comes with what I believe is a *Wolf brand* (lighter) spring, but I'd have to call Gene and ask to be certain. It's sure got a sweet trigger and hits where I aim it!
Your Uberti pistol has the black powder frame. The Pietta has the “pre war” WWII, frame. I have a 1902 Colt 1873 in 44-40, and I had a Uberti and sold it. I have a Pietta 4 3/4” Cimarron Frontier model, and like it very much. Uberti I believe has caved to the Italian government safety regulations.
Thanks for the review. I've only had one Pietta 1873, and that particular one had severe timing issues--much worse than your example. Should have sent it back, but it gave me a chance to flex my SAA gunsmithing skills. Turned out great, but it made me wary of Pietta. Shame, because Pietta is now the only Italian clone that retains the traditional lockwork. Also, Pietta is dimensionally closer to the original Colts than Uberti in the size of their frame window and cylinder. I REALLY like the looks of your Pietta! Those cylinder bevels are outstanding! And I'm glad that they haven't gone the way of Uberti as far as adding non-traditional safeties. I am, however, concerned about the timing on your particular example. It exhibits cylinder throw-by at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8BTOGMPObLI.html, evidenced by your having to back the cylinder counter-clockwise after you cocked it fast in order for the bolt to lock into the cylinder. Were you to cock it that fast at the range, you'd probably have a misfire, due to the firing pin completely missing the primer. If, however, the firing pin still managed to contact the primer, you'd have lead spitting out the sides of the barrel-cylinder gap due to the cylinder's misalignment with the barrel at the moment of firing. Hard to diagnose from your video alone, but you do have a small problem. Not a big deal as long as you cock it more gently at the range. Just please be aware of your Pietta's tendency towards cylinder thow-by when cocking it hard and fast. Again, thanks for the review. Please don't take my comment as disparaging your revolvers. I get quite a few comments on my own channel that seem to serve no purpose other than to criticize the featured firearm.
what also helps reduce cylinder wear is not spinning the cylinder as fast as you could that will also cause deep scratches on the cylinder and could also cause cylinder to be put out of time......
Carrying 6 safely is much better than 5. Personally when on the range I never count clicks when shooting, does it make them more accurate, less recoil, cheaper to shoot ? There are lots of clones out there and they are all good for the most part.
Great video.I'm wanting the Uberti with 5.5 barrel from Cimerron.I'll try using the model number you gave to get the authentic 73 that you and everyone else prefers.That was a bad move on their sales strategy,producing something nobody wants.Go figure.
Nice revolvers! I have some of the black powder revolvers Pietta , and a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt which isn’t really historical-oriented. These are beautiful! I really love the fact you included the historical aspects of the manufacturers. By the way, not that it matters for the review, but the pronunciations for Uberti and Pietta could be adjusted if you wanted to sound like an Italian, LOL: Uberti = “oo-BEAR-tea” and Pietta = “pee-EH-ta” My American grandfather (from Charlotte, NC) used to call my Italian father an “Eye-talian” and it used to crack us up (including him). Anyway, I really enjoyed your review. It was thorough with nice camera frames, unboxing, history, model number cryptography, hammer clicks, putting cylinders back into battery to prevent wear (pure gold), and more. You provided an incredible amount of info and intelligent analysis!! I wish others had your natural talent! Keep up the good work.
Taylors and Co. sale a conversion kit that allows you to swap out the trigger on the Uberti guns that lets you get rid of the floating trigger. This will give you back the four clicks.
Ubertis are nice, I own two of them From Taylor not Cimarron, they are only 3 click hammers not 4 like the old Colts. The new Taurus Deputy is a 4 click hammer and very nice as well.
If hunting and shooting is your hobby, handloading is essential to the full enjoyment of them. Not only is is more economical, but you don't have to "run into Walmart", and hope they have the cartridges you're looking for.
I have the Uberti Cattleman II with the floating firing pin, and the 7th Cavalry 1873 "Old Frame". The old frame has the four clicks, but the cylinder pin is long. The Cattleman II has the short pin, so I switched them. The 7th Cavalry model is now just about perfect for authenticity, except the internal hand spring is a coil spring held in with a VERY TINY screw. Does the Pieta have a coil hand spring or the more authentic leaf spring?
Incorrect on the four click uberti. I have two recently purchased Sass pro Uberti’s both with four clicks, both with the longer base pin and two notches, Both with the hammer safety. The non four click Uberti’s are the ones with a retractable firing pin. My pistols were made after 2016 as well. I’d have to look at the paperwork to give an exact date.
Incorrect. I'm not sure what is going with your revolvers but the information provided in this video comes straight from the manufacturer. You might want to investigate further into what you have.
@@MrJedi5150 again, the information provided in this video comes direct from the manufacturer. You can take any disagreements up with them. Additionally the information I focus on is the "hammer clicks", not on the retractable firing pin. Of course any part can be replaced or modified. This is an "unboxing" video review so I am not covering modifying or upgrading in this video.
@@luftkrieger1943 Let me give you my experience with Uberti in the US. Uberti themselves could not tell you what you have in your hand based on serial number. Uberti at some point began replacing the purely fixed firing pin hammers with hammers that have a hammer block. Then recently they came up with a retractile firing pin. The three variants of the pistols are all somewhat different. I don't appreciate you telling me what i have when you've never seen them. I fully inspected my pistols upon receipt. They are the Hammer block versions with four clicks. I also completely disassembled them to slick up and correct minor timing issues. I'd advise you don't pay to much attention to Uberti and listen to what people can show you with a as delivered pistol in their hand. I could send you pics. So here's the deal. Retractable firing pins are three click guns. fixed and hammer block pistols are four clicks. it's that simple.
If you grab the firing pin of each of those revolvers do they have any slop/play? I've seen the Pietta Pistolero has a 4 click but the firing pin wiggles a little bit. Thought the original colts it was welded on no wiggle. Thanks! Which of the two do you prefer shooting? You said the triggers and hammers were a little different. Are they tight enough to allow fanning the hammers?
Hello, do you think this armory would perform well in terms of defense and durability? What about the quality of these weapons compared to an 82 taurus? Thank you, waiting for a reply.
Hi, could you help me? I am about to buy an 1873 5.5, 357/38 and I would like to know briefly which one I should buy / which one is better, among them Cimarron, Traditions, Pietta and Uberti, which one would have more quality and would not give me any problems. Thank you, I await the reply.
How was very disappointed, my Pietta the ejector rod, stripped out and jammed the gun of solid. It went forward in the cylinder. I had to order a new one.
I wish I had picked up a USFA Rodeo back when they were available. The plain satin black finishes coupled with premium craftsmenship just appealed to me. Reading the comments here suggests that most of theses Italian SA's need to be handled and inspected before purchasing. Nothing would disappoint me more than having an out of the box issue that requires sending the gun back.
That is correct, I forgot to mention that. Although it can be easily replaced or altered to a correct profile. To my knowledge there is an Italian export law about exporting firearms without any form of safety mechanism. At first this was satisfying the Italian law. Recently they have moved to the hammer safety.
