School me on Italian SAA clones.
There's a few Italian companies that make Single Action Revolvers such as:
Uberti
Cimarron
Taylor
I think there's more. Doesn't Rossi make single action revolvers?
I have heard that some of these are just importers. Maybe Taylor is made by Uberti or something like that.
What's the differences? Are some of these better quality than others? Are they all just the same with different branding?
I can talk about Uberti reproductions since I own two, but as stated above, Uberti, Pietta and Rossi (and maybe others) make reproduction single action Western style revolvers and lever action rifles.
Uberti is owned by Benelli, a subsidiary company of Beretta Holdings. Revolvers sold in the US as Uberti are imported by Stoeger, another company owned by Beretta Holdings. Cimarron and Taylor's import Uberti-made guns themselves and are branded by them, as their revolvers are made to their specifications. Mechanically they are all almost identical, as the guns are built to the original Colt and Remington patents and any variations are usually in the safeties used (if any) and cosmetics such as checkering of grips and finish colors.
I own a Uberti 1873 Cattleman II, which is a version of the Colt Single Action Army revolver patented in 1873. The cattleman II is a newer version of the Cattleman, and has a new type of safety incorporated into the hammer, which serves to holds the firing pin off the primer of a chambered round resting under the hammer. Originally, Colt used a notch in the hammer that held the hammer back just far enough to prevent firing pin contact. Taylors still uses that type of safety, and like the original Colt, it is not recommended to load 6 rounds, preferring to leave an empty chamber under the hammer. Even Uberti does not recommend relying on the new style safety and only loading 5. Formerly, Uberti and Taylor's (who still uses this version in its Remington clones) had a small spring loaded tab in the hammer arm that sprang forward when the hammer was pulled slightly back. There was also a change to the rod that the cylinder rotates around, it removes in order to remove the cylinder, and the latch in front had a second depression that allowed the rod to be moved back and also hold the hammer off the round beneath it. I ordered a replacement hammer and trigger from Taylor's to retrofit my cattleman II back to the original Colt SAA standard. It now has the true "4-click" hammer like Sam Colt designed. 1st click is the safety, holds the hammer back about 3/16"; 2nd click is the half-cock notch. This is where you put the hammer to load and unload the revolver, when in half-cock the cylinder stop is retracted, allowing the cylinder to be turned by hand as you index each chamber with the loading gate on the right of the recoil shield. As you continue pulling the hammer back, the 3rd click is the cylinder stop falling in place and timing the cylinder for firing, and the 4th click is the hammer reaching full cock. The Remington reproduction has much the same type action but there are internal differences between the Colt and Remington designs, which Uberti closely copies. I also own a Taylor's (Uberti-made) Remington 1875 reproduction. Both my revolvers are chambered in .45 Colt.
Anyway, these guns are extremely well made and can handle modern standard power ammunition in whatever they are chambered in. Cimarron guns are very similar to Taylor's in their slight cosmetic changes from Uberti, but you can place all three next to each other and it's anybody's guess which one is which, since Uberti manufactures all three.
Top revolver in each picture is the Taylor's Remington 1875 , the bottom is the Uberti Colt 1873. I refinished the grips on both guns to get rid of the high-gloss modern finish.
