BP Hunter said:
Hello. It seems that there are 2 major makers of blackpowder revolvers in the market. I am in the market for the 1873 Cattleman cap and ball. The Uberti sells for $100 more than the Pietta. Are they of the same quality? What do you folks recommend? Also, is Traditions comparable in quality?
Thanks in advance.
I have a couple recent Ubertis. One is a Remington New Army that came in a Cimarron box, from Texas Jack's (both Cimarron and Texas Jack's are in Fredericksburg TX and owned by the same people). The other is a Uberti Cattleman with Stoeger on the barrel, and a Uberti box that looks a lot like the Cimarron box. Both are Millenium Finish (durable beadblast blue and brass) because I wanted a couple of "working guns" I could enjoy playing with, without the anal-retentive paranoia that comes with using beautifully-polished and color-case-hardened guns out in the desert sand and gravel.
The Cimarron has a better trigger. I haven't given the SAA a spring job or anything, so I can improve it I'm sure. But the Cimarron gun doesn't need it. Just luck? I don't know. Let's see what others say.
Pietta makes some very fine guns now, too, though Uberti has the more solid long-term reputation. None of them will blow up, shoot loose, etc.
The importer does matter, though. The frame and barrel will be the same, I think, and they're solid. The springs and action, though, can be different. If you get a Navy Arms or Cimarron or somesuch, you will pay more but you may get a gun that was spec'd better and had to meet higher standards. A regular Cimarron Model P is spec'd with a smooth 3-pound trigger. My Stoeger Uberti Cattleman needs some work to get there, though it shoots well and accurately and came sighted-in. A Cimarron Evil Roy costs more, but comes with improved sights, grips and an action job, and is a good deal if you plan to get one done anyway. All these guns are built on the same frame and barrel AFAIK. It's the machine work that differs.
If you plan to do the work yourself or have a gunsmith do it, I'd get the cheapest one. The little parts will be throwaways anyway.
WRT Uberti vs. Pietta... Same deal. The Pietta is not going to explode. The action matters.
An EMF Great Western II (high-end Pietta) is a nice gun. A generic Pietta? Who knows about the springs or trigger, but it'll be cheaper and perfectly solid.
If you will do some modifications, I think that performance parts for Uberti are easier to get.
Now, praytell, why a loose-loading SAA? A specific use for it?
Where are you looking to buy it?