call out to all the single action guys...I need some advice

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jwsracin

Member
Joined
May 9, 2010
Messages
95
really want to buy my first single action 357/38. I have shot my dad's blackhawk alot and love it. guess my biggest question is about barrel length and manufactures. I know ruger makes quality singles and i would love a new model blackhawk or vaquero but funds will not allow that at this time.
What i have seen lately is a Uberti cattleman Hombre for $279.99 new, with a 4&3/4" barrel. So what do you guys think of the Uberti, quality?, cheaply built as the price would imply?
Ok i know that most of the time guys leave out a big piece of the puzzle by not saying what there intended use is, so i'll say it this way, my largest intrest in the gun is target/plinking, with a small amount of hunting.

p.s. -- just to put in to perspective as to my taste in looks, my favorite looking single action is the 1875 remington but, finding one in 357 is not very easy or cheap either!
 
I have very little knowledge of the Uberti revolvers except in regards to Cowboy Action Shooting (often recommended to people just starting in the sport), but what about buying a used Ruger Blackhawk or Vaquero? The Blackhawks are available just over $500 most of the time, and some are available for around $450 (like this one at Bud's Gun Shop - NIB blued Ruger Blackhawk in .357 Mag w/ 6.5" barrel).

I would think you can find one used for a bit over $300 if you don't mind waiting for the right gun. If you like em as much as it sounds like you do, that might be worth waiting for.
 
If you will want to shoot a variety of ammo over a variety of distances then you really should just bit the bullet and save for a used Blackhawk.

The Vaquero and all the cowboy clones from Uberti and Pietta all have fixed sights. This means you'll set the front sight height with a file to suit one particular load. It will then only shoot a very narrow range of loads for each bullet weight to the Point of Aim.

On the other hand the adjustable sights of the Blackhawk allow you to shift back and forth from low to high power cartridges or 15 to 150 yards with just a few clicks of the rear sight adjustment.
 
My NIB Uberti was broken 6 months after purchase from using only sub sonic cowboy loads, so I wouldn't recommend them. For hunting you'll want adjustable sights which the Uberti and Vaquero don't have, so you might look for a used Blackhawk to fit your budget.

LD
 
I have seen used Blackhawks in very decent condition go for anywhere from $300 to $375. Might be worth the wait to see if you can find something like that at a local gun show.

For barrel lengths, I have always been partial to the looks of the 4 5/8" barrel with the Blackhawk, while both that length and the 5 1/2" barrel are very handy in the Vaquero models.
 
I have owned and shot a number of Uberti guns over the years & still do. They all need new Wolff springs within 6 months. If a gun breaks that is unusual but it happens.

$280 and change is cheap for a Uberti, they generally go about $125 more, new.

If your limited to funds as I was, the jump.

However, like the man said, if your gonna spend that much, then go the extra mile and buy a Ruger. Well worth the money both in versatility and reliability.
 
I bought the Uberti from Tanners on Gunbroker in .45 Colt. LOVE it! It's a great way to get into a SAA for under three C-notes. Mine does shoot low, so I'm in the process of dinking around to see if my loads will help or if I need to file the front sight a bit.

Didn't know about the springs. Oh, well. Too late now!

Q
 
Howdy

The reason the Hombre is less expensive than the other revolvers in the Uberti Cattleman line is because it has a matte finish. Polishing a revolver for a quality blue job is a hand operation. Putting a matte finish on the gun costs less. Also, most of the other guns in the Cattleman series have a simulated Case Hardened finish. It is not real Case Hardening, it is a simulated chemical finish, but it costs a bit more. Just like the USFA Rodeo model, there is less cost when expensive hand polishing can be avoided.

http://www.uberti.com/firearms/single-action-cattleman.php

One of the things Bill Ruger did when he redesigned the single action revolver was to replace all the old style flat springs inside with coil springs. Coil springs are almost indestructible, leaf springs are not. The two springs most likely to fail in any single action revolver of the Colt design are the hand spring and the split trigger/bolt spring. Uberti has replaced their hand springs with coil springs in their most recent guns, but they still have the old fashioned flat, split leaf spring for the trigger and bolt. The part at the top of this photo is a typical broken trigger/bolt spring. This one happens to be out of a Colt, but an Uberti spring is very similar. I'm not saying your trigger/bolt spring is going to break within a week, they often go for years. This one served me well for about ten years before it let go.

brokenspringandbolt.jpg

I have been inside bunches of Uberti revolvers over the years. I am always disappointed with the fit and finish of the parts inside. Uberti runs their CNC equipment at very high speeds to crank out as many parts per day as possible. That's how they keep the price down. Unfortunately, high feed rates result in rough finishes, and Uberti is not particularly careful about deburring their parts, I always find burrs inside their revolvers that I clean off while I am inside. Usually a rough finish on the parts is not a problem, but it usually results in a rougher action than if the time had been taken to properly fit the parts. Putting lighter springs into a revolver is not an action job, in fact with poorly fit parts lighter springs can in fact push the gun over into being unreliable with light primer strikes. Light springs work best when the friction they have to overcome has been reduced to a minimum. The whole reason Uberti springs are heavier than need be is to overcome the extra friction left inside the gun by poor finish work.

Don't get me wrong, Rugers are mass produced guns too, and Ruger does not hand finish parts either. But the Ruger lockwork is so different than a Colt style lockwork that the parts are much more tolerant of being slapped together without custom fitting.

In the end, you get what you pay for.
 
What he said!

Uberti makes good guns and they are getting better all the time. My newest guns have required much less stoning than before. I always swap out the springs as part of my smoothing. The Heinie music wire bolt/trigger spring is a must. My first handgun was a Uberti .22 single action and I've been shooting them for 25yrs. So far, knock on wood, the only thing to break is the hand spring on my pard's very, very well-used Colt.
 
I think the Uberti is a good gun & will probably last you a long time. I've shot a number of them & kind of like them. As in anything you pretty much get what you pay for.
Most of the springs in a Colt style SA are easily interchanged by the owner. I've had broken bolt springs in a Colt & changed them easily. The locking bolt is a bit harder & may need to be fitted to get good timing.
The ones I've shot are accurate. They are a reasonable copy of the Colt & are light & incredibly easy & fun to carry all day compared to some other beefier SAs.
I particularly like the new Ruger Blackhawk flat top as it's on the old Ruger frame, however it's out of your price range.
I think I'd buy the Uberti & not worry about it.

By the way I've seen several on other forums that have had the owners lightly hand rub the finish with brillo type pads that made them look 100 years old. Those were pretty attractive.
Good luck on your choice. Please let us know what you do.
Frank
 
If you are going to be doing any hunting, you are going to want a Blackhawk with a 6.5" barrel. As mentioned before, the Italian SAA clones have fixed sights. The point of impact can change radically from full power .357 to .38 special target loads. moreso if the barrel is shorter. I have a Blackhawk in .41 mag and it is one of my favorites. If you can save up, get one in stainless. The grip frame on the blued ones is cast aluminum and I think it makes the gun less friendly when shooting full power loads. The stainless grip frame is steel.

In fact, my original grip frame was AL and it broke. Ruger replaced it with a blued steel one from a Super Blackhawk.
sany0803t.jpg
 
If you plan to shoot casually, the Ubertis probably won't give you any trouble. If you plan to get into fast CAS-type shooting, you'll get better service life with the Ruger.
Click to expand...

Actually, there are far more fixed sight Ruger Vaqueros used in CAS than adjustable sight Blackhawks. The Vaquero is very popular in CAS because Rugers are so reliable and rugged. Then again, Ubertis are very popular in CAS too.

Personally, I usually shoot a pair of 2nd Gen Colts in CAS, but a pair of Vaqueros always comes along as backups. So far in about ten years of shooting CAS I have needed the Rugers twice.

Knock on wood.
 
I have several revolvers and they have a mix of sights on them, some adjustable some fixed. Since I tend to work up a load with one weight of bullet, usually the standard weight for the cartridge, and stay with that load, I have never felt handicapped with either style of sight. I have learned by shooting how much windage and elavation I need to get hits.

I would buy the revolver that appeals most to you or is in your price range and shoot it. A lot. As you get used to it and the load, ranging will become second nature to you.
 
1911Tuner said:
I was referring to the Vaqueros. Specifically, the New Vaqueros.
Click to expand...
YEP, I have an original Bisley Vaquero in .45 Colt but for the Cowboy Action game I have a pair of 38/357 New Vaqueros. They are lighter and easy to handle, that's why so many were asking Ruger to produce a SAA size Vaquero. (and the did in 2005)

IMO the Vaquero will hold up best under the vast amount of ammo fired when used for Cowboy Action...
 
S.a. Ruger`s

I have been shooting S.A`s all my life my grandpaw`s guns. But I bought my first S.A. in 1963 nickel plate COLT in a wooden box, boy was I proud of that gun and I still have it. But colt put them selves out of my market a long time ago. Bought my first Ruger in 1964 or 1965 it was a Blackhawk 7 1/2 in barrel and have never considered a different gun or looked back since. In 1972 I was home on leave and in the Mayes City Drugstore in Joplin Mo, it was also a gun store at the time I found a short & a long barreled pair of rugers in 45 long colt but they both had and extra cylinder in 45 ACP. I bought them both and took the short barreled 45 with the acp cylinder back to VIET NAM with me and It served me very well, I carried it in a shoulder holster. A close friend asked if could borrowed it when I went home and that he would return it to me I let him. He never made it home and I still have that extra cylinder in my safe, nevered replaced the that gun, but I have always wondered where it is. I hope it is in some NVA`s throphy room up North some place and I hope he takes care of it, and he enjoys it, I still have the 7 1/2 in barreled Ruger and still use it.
My son and I shoot cowboy action ,hunt, plink with our rugers. We have several pairs mostley 45 long colts SS VAQUERO`s we like that caliber and S.S. We have a few BLACKHAWKS in 45long colt and 44 mag. After all these years we have never had a single problem of any kind with a ruger and I can`t reamember any body I knew that had a problem theirs either. We like the old heavy model vaquero`s and shoot them a lot. But we use our blackhawks to hunt with and we shoot them a lot to. BILL RUGER was something else sure would have liked to have met him and shook his hand. You can`t beat a ruger and I think you would really have to try to hurt one. Give a ruger a try new or used I bet you will agree with me. Good luck on your choice. ken
 
there is no question in my mind which gun is better, sorry to the uberti guys, but for me the ruger would be the first choise. just wodering what you guys thought about the uberti, namely the cattleman hombre- thats on sale for $280. there is no dought that i will buy a new model blackhawk in the future, but as of now i'm just lookin for something too start me in on SA. around here everybody wants $450-500 for a used blackhawk, and i know i can buy new for that.
 
I had a Uberti 45 LC it was a beautiful gun and shot very good. I never shot it a whole lot but I never had any problems. I ended up selling it when I got a Ruger SBH 45 acp 45 lc conversion. The Uberti definitly feels better, lighter and slimmer. But I like the durability and versatility of the Ruger.
 
Not all fixed sight single action revolvers will shoot point of aim...some are really off a lot. I have purchased new single actions through the internet without having had a chance to try them, and I have gotten burned a few times, even with new guns. Like, a new Great Western II from EMF that shot 10" low and 12" left at 10 yards.

If you are not required to use a fixed sight gun for some reason like competition, get one with adjustable sights.

My advice is to wait until you can afford a Blackhawk, either new or used.
 
I have a SS 5.5" Bisley Blackhawk & a Uberti birdshead Cattleman-type gun (short-barreled Cabelas model) & l like both of them. The Blackhawk is a stout piece, while the Uberti has the more authentic look & feel with no transfer bar, etc. I won't be selling either one for a long time, they both scratch an itch. If you plan to hunt though, get the Ruger.
 
If you're really super keen to get a gun right away then I'd suggest a used Uberti or Pietta. Shoot it for now and when you save some more cash sell it and use all the cash to jump into a Blackhawk. At least that way you won't loose money on the deal.

Another option if you've ever thought you might like one is to go for a C&B black powder Pietta or Uberti. They really are a very different manner of shooting compared to cartridge guns. If you have thought that you want to get one at some time this may be the time. It'll give you a whole new focus for now rather than act as a stopgap until you can get a Blackhawk.

And being so different it would be a nice PERMANENT addition to your gun collection rather than some sort of lesser "space filler" which it seems like a Uberti Cattleman would be.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

N
  • Locked
I want a .357 Single Action
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
Ala Dan
A
mdrisc85
  • Locked
.357 Single Action Advice
2 3
Replies
53
Views
4K
flyingtiger85
flyingtiger85
K
  • Locked
Uberti's New 12-shot 22LR Single Action Revolver
2 3
Replies
51
Views
9K
biohazurd
B
T
  • Locked
Single Action Revolver Question
2
Replies
48
Views
2K
The Capt
T
S
  • Locked
Sorting out Ruger single actions.
Replies
8
Views
1K
biere
B
Back
Top