How I bought a $269 Pietta 1860 Army for $15

[1KPerDay]

Cabela's was having a sale on their cap/ball replicas, as noted in other threads. I was originally intending to purchase a Remington, based on the recommendations of others here, but truth be known I've always been a Colt fan. I have an original 1860 and wanted a twin that I could shoot and use and ding up without feeling guilty.

I first checked out the 1851 steel frame Navy (Pietta) but it was out of time and they didn't have any others in the store. So I asked if they had any 1860s and the clerk said he thought there were some in the display. I informed him that there weren't, and he looked up the stock number and discovered there were 2 of them in the back. I asked him to bring both out. I unwrapped them with his permission and compared them. Both were well-finished and well-timed; the second I examined had a possible, very slight timing issue with one chamber but certainly nothing dangerous. The grip on that one was better finished but I selected the first for purchase as the color case hardening (fake but pretty) on that was nicer, and it was perfectly timed.

He looked up the price and it showed as $269.99, but I informed him that they were on sale on the Cabela's website for $199.99, which he confirmed (the regular web price showed as $239.99 I think). They said they'd match the web price at the register.

I also had a "club card" coupon of $30 off a purchase of $199.99 or above, so I grabbed a box of .454 balls and headed to the register.

I had saved up $165 in Cabela's points on my Club Visa card, so the out of pocket cost of the pistol was about $15... most of which was tax. Can't beat that with a stick, says I.

I'm quite impressed with the finish and fit on this piece, particularly considering that Pietta is considered the "budget" line of the Italian replicas to my knowledge. The bluing is deep and even, the frame to grip fit is excellent, the clockwork seems quite perfect, and the grip is almost perfectly finished, the only exception being a bit of sandpaper marks on the left side which will likely polish out. The rollmarks on the cylinder are crisp and fine. Overall a beautiful replica, and one that I won't feel bad about using.

more pics for those interested, click for larger:

 

[1KPerDay]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0LJnjS8V0c

video of "unboxing" and comparison 'twixt the new reproduction and the original 1860

 

[1KPerDay]

Video is processed and is now high-res FYI

 

[Fingers McGee]

Congrats on your new acquisition. I've got around 200 Cabelas points that'll get used for a like purchase someday soon. Just gotta decide what I want.

FM

 

[1KPerDay]

Well the current deals are pretty good if you want a cap/ball... I'd buy another if I had points.

 

[arcticap]

The shape of the cut out of the Pietta's ramming window looks different, and its barrel frame connection also looks beefier which changes its lines to make it look slightly "less sexy".

 

[MachIVshooter]

Very nice. C&B is so much fun.

I'd take advantage of that sale and order a steel framed 1858, but I just spent what loose cash I had on a Remington M11 12 ga.

 

[Fingers McGee]

There sure is a difference between them I had never noticed before. Thanks for posting the photos 1K. Would be interesting to see the difference between these two and an example of a Uberti, 2nd Gen, Sig Series, and Centaure. Looking at one of my Ubertis, it appears to be closer to the original.

 

[mykeal]

The 'fourth screw' is for the Pietta shoulder stock. It has two 'ears' that fit over the screw heads. The original, as you know, does not. The modern Pietta shoulder stock actually fits more than the one gun.
Comparison of Euroarms, Pietta and FAUL versions:

The FAUL seems to me to be a better replica of the original.

 

[1KPerDay]

Thank you. Are the screws just threaded into the sides of the frame? Do they hold anything else or can they simply be removed?

BTW where is the FAUL made? I've never heard of them.

 

[mykeal]

FAUL is a Belgian company. They actually had license from Sam Colt to make his guns for sale in Europe in the 1860's, and made a very fine replica of the 1860 Army 100 years later, presumably from their original tooling and drawings. There is a modern collector's group called Friends of the Centaure Society (FROCS) - the gun is known as the 1960 New Model Army or Centaure by most collectors - and you can spend a few days browsing through their web site: http://www.1960nma.org/.

I am very fortunate to own two Centaures; they are very fine guns and, in my opinion, compete very favorably with the 2nd Generation Colts as firearms.

Edit: Forgot to mention the 'fourth' screws; they simply thread into the frame and can easily be removed. However, I'd leave them in to avoid dirt/water contamination.