Uberti SAA

[StrawHat]

I have had this one since the late 70s.

For several years it was my main hunting revolver. At some point, I installed the ACP cylinder and never looked back. It is still a nice shooting revolver.

I do not remember who made it but do recall it is stamped “Armi Jaeger” or similar.

Kevin

 

[Jaco1234]

They are good enough for Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef,) and Blondy ( Clint Eastwood) they are good enough for me.

 

[Alk8944]

Uberti makes very high quality firearms, no matter who the importer is. I own a couple, have never had an issue with any of them and wouldn't hesitate to buy another if I were in the market.

On the other hand, the Pieta revolvers I have worked on in the past were made of extremely soft steel that wouldn't hold up to what amounts to normal wear! I would never consider a Pieta for any reason. Maybe quality has improved, but I wouldn't chance it!

 

[D Brown]

I bought a Uberti Cattleman Revolver about two years ago. This is the "3 Click" version and I think it's the most ingenious upgrade to the single action mechanism ever. This gun can be safely carried with all six chambers loaded and came from the factory with a super smooth and light action. Perfection right out of the box!

By the way, this gun shoots exactly to point of aim with 250 grain loads.

 

[TheTinMan]

Pietta is a different company from Uberti, but both are located in Brescia, Italy. Pietta is FAP Arms Factory F.LLI Pietta. Uberti is a subsidiary of Benelli and a part of the Beretta Holding Company. Taylor and Cimarron firearms are made to their specifications by Uberti. Taylor and Cimarron are both importers and distributors of the Uberti firearms under their brands. Uberti branded firearms are imported and distributed in the US by Stoeger, which is also owned by Benelli and part of Beretta Holdings.

I have a Taylor firearm as well as a Uberti firearm, both are .45 Colt and I have had both of them disassembled to their component parts. There is no appreciable difference between them except the design differences between a Colt and Remington gun (my Taylor is an 1875 Remington clone). The 4-click replacement hammer for the Uberti 1873 Cattleman SAA comes from Taylor, I bought one to replace the 3-click hammer in my 1873. It is a drop-in fit and would work equally well in a Cimarron or Taylor 1873 SAA, as they are all built to the original Colt patent specifications.

I will call Taylors on Monday to enquire about that replacement trigger. Thank you.

Taylors sells single action revolvers made by Uberti and by Pietta. I have the Gunfighter shown above and bought an Uberti 1873 rifle with full octagon barrel quite a while ago. Both looked fine out of the box, and just a little stone work got the rifle running super smooth and fast.

Every company makes a mistake once in a while. I bought a Cimarron/Uberti replica of a Schofield early in 2022. When I went to pick it up, it obviously had excessive endshake. I was going to reject it, but Cimarron assured me that they would fix it. They did… after having my gun for over a year. Then the trigger pin started walking out after firing a few cylinders. A replacement pin I ordered from Taylors has the same diameter at both ends and seems to be staying put. Beautiful gun though!

If you buy guns, or cars, sooner or later you will get a lemon. I had a Saab 9000 Turbo that was absolutely fantastic - when it wasn’t in the shop. It was so bad (17 warranty repairs) I sold it after only 2 years.

 

[TheTinMan]

USFA started out tuning up Uberti single actions. Gradually they transitioned to getting every part made in the USA. Both of these flattop target models came with .45 ACP and .45 Colt cylinders.

Forgive me if you’ve seen these before. I confess that I enjoy showing them off. Neither has ever been fired and I need to keep them that way.

USFA did make less spiffy revolvers than these, and I believe that their 100% US made are the best reproductions of old Colt single action revolvers. The Rodeo was one of their base models and they come up for sale pretty often.

 

[birdshooter]

I have two in 45 Colt from Taylor’s. They had the three click hammer and were not reliable. Would not fire a lot of the time. I bought four click hammers and now they are excellent. I have two Colts and while these aren’t quite as nice, they are still wonderful guns.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

After reading the above I am confused a bit...

My Cimarron Pistolero is made by Pietta. I can't find fault with the action and, being a genuine clone(?), would only carry it with the hammer on an empty chamber. Shoots like a dream.

Can't determine any real difference between it and a number of similar Uberti models as far as construction and materials (steel & brass) are concerned. Appears to be the same one in the lower images on posts # 13 & 15.

At only a bit over $400 over 5 years ago I am very satisfied.

Cheers!

 

[Rodan]

After reading the above I am confused a bit...

Pietta and Uberti both manufacture guns to order for importers/distributors, and many were/are made to a price point. Less so now than 20 years ago, but that's why there's such a confusing array of options/configurations for any given importer (Cimarron, Taylors, e.g.).

It also explains the varied reports of quality... Today, most of them are very good guns. 20-30 years ago there was a lot more inconsistency.

 

[silicosys4]

Some outdated and frankly wrong info here.
1. Pietta and Uberti are not the same company, are not owned by the same company, and have no direct affiliation with each other. Pietta is not owned by the Beretta group.

2. The piettas of 20-30 years ago are not representative of what Pietta is manufacturing today. Pietta has considerably improved their quality and is now considered the best of the Italian repros almost universally among the SA crowd. The GW2 is highly regarded as the best Italian clone being made.

3. Uberti and pietta differ considerably not just in their firing pins and operating mechanism, they are also dimensionally different. The Uberti pattern is larger in several dimensions than a genuine Colt SAA and many parts are not interchangeable. USFA and Standard Mfg. both use the Uberti pattern, and many of their parts are also not interchangeable with genuine Colt parts.
Pietta stayed true to the Colt dimensions and some parts are interchangeable with a Colt SAA.

4. Uberti cheapened the Colt design in a few ways, one of which is the replacement of the staked boss that the Colt uses to retain the ejector housing to the barrel with a drilled and tapped hole into the barrel. Pietta is the only repro I'm aware of that, like Colt, uses a boss to afix their ejector housing to the barrel. Even SM and USFA uses the drilled and tapped barrel instead of the authentic-to-design threaded boss.

Literally the only reason I'd buy an Uberti over a Pietta is the calibers offered. Pietta doesn't have a .44 special SA that I'm aware of, while the Uberti model P is available in .44 special.

I bypassed all the Italian qc concerns by sticking with US manufacturers. I have a Colt, a USFA, and now a Standard Mfg on its way.
I'm not saying they don't each have their issues, but a broken hand spring on the SM or the rough internal finish on the Colt is easier to deal with than a soft steel frame.
The USFA is flawless of course. Find one of those if you can find one for a decent price.

 

[6518John]

I bought this 9mm/.357 convertible (which is marked 9mm on the barrel). It came with two holsters and 300 rounds of .357 and .38 Special ammo, but I got it for the ability to shoot cheap 9mm ammo, which it does quite well.

It would seem to violate natural law to shoot 9mm in a SAA or a clone!

 

[sigp220.45]

It would seem to violate natural law to shoot 9mm in a SAA or a clone!

Hahaha! I know what you mean but I gave up reloading after an epiphany that I’ve always hated it and 9.99 9mm is hard to pass up! It goes bang and makes holes in the target so I’m fine with it!

 

[dsf]

Had my eyes on various old school SAA style revolvers.
Cattleman or something?
Probably looking at a 5.5” 45 Colt
Anyone with experience with these?
Piettas? Uberti?
I like the idea of the interchangeable 45 colt/45 ACP cylinder.
I also like the idea of the 357 mag/38 but obviously the mags and ACP weren’t around back when the originals were being made.

Any input would be helpful.
I’ll research the three and four click hammer styles.

Regarding the 3 or 4 click, if you find a 3 click you like it's fairly easy to convert. There are different methods, I buy a 4 click hammer and clip the dog leg off the trigger.

One model not mentioned yet is the Beretta Stampede. It uses a 3 click with a very slim transfer bar. Don't know that they're still being made, you can find them on line. Sometimes cheap if no one else is looking.

Their SAA type and a Bisley -






I'm not sure of the genealogy but presume they are a Uberti product. IIRC I paid about $450.00 for each.

FWIW, I have a few Pietta models and found them dimensionally closer to Colts in side by side comparison.

 

[Dvus]

Some outdated and frankly wrong info here.
1. Pietta and Uberti are not the same company, are not owned by the same company, and have no direct affiliation with each other. Pietta is not owned by the Beretta group.

2. The piettas of 20-30 years ago are not representative of what Pietta is manufacturing today. Pietta has considerably improved their quality and is now considered the best of the Italian repros almost universally among the SA crowd. The GW2 is highly regarded as the best Italian clone being made.

Uberti and pietta differ considerably not just in their firing pins and operating mechanism, they are also dimensionally different. The Uberti pattern is larger in several dimensions than a genuine Colt SAA and many parts are not interchangeable. USFA and Standard Mfg. both use the Uberti pattern, and many of their parts are also not interchangeable with genuine Colt parts.
Pietta stayed true to the Colt dimensions and some parts are interchangeable with a Colt SAA.

3. Uberti cheapened the Colt design in a few ways, one of which is the replacement of the staked boss that the Colt uses to retain the ejector housing to the barrel with a drilled and tapped hole into the barrel. Pietta is the only repro I'm aware of that, like Colt, uses a boss to afix their ejector housing to the barrel.

Literally the only reason I'd buy an Uberti over a Pietta is the calibers offered. Pietta doesn't have a .44 special SA that I'm aware of, while the Uberti model P is available in .44 special.

I bypassed all the Italian qc concerns by sticking with US manufacturers. I have a Colt, a USFA, and now a Standard Mfg on its way.
I'm not saying they don't each have their issues, but a broken hand spring on the SM or the rough internal finish on the Colt is easier to deal with than a soft steel frame.
The USFA is flawless of course. Find one of those if you can find one for a decent price.

While I agree with some points, others are not quite accurate. Point no.1 is spot on.
I agree with point no.2 up until where the Pietta is regarded as the best of the Itallian repros. I find Pietta's fit and finish to be of lesser quality compared to Uberti, but they did improve their materials. I also agree about the dimensions being different, but has been my experience that the Uberti is closer to the Colt, not the Pietta. I base this on the fact that I have a second gen. 45 ACP cylinder that I will swap into my Ubertis when I'm running low on .45 Colt ammo. It times and functions perfectly.
Point 3 is a valid point, but applies to both manufacturers, not just Uberti. They both cheapened the design. I'm not saying that either is cheaply made, both are excellent guns in their newer representations, but both have cut some corners to keep their guns affordable.

 

[stanmerrell]

I like to keep my eyes open for a few of the older models of Pietta that carry the Great Western II moniker...some of the case hardening on this era of revolvers is quite good, and I prefer it to the standard finishes you find today...

 

[silicosys4]

While I agree with some points, others are not quite accurate. Point no.1 is spot on.
I agree with point no.2 up until where the Pietta is regarded as the best of the Itallian repros. I find Pietta's fit and finish to be of lesser quality compared to Uberti, but they did improve their materials. I also agree about the dimensions being different, but has been my experience that the Uberti is closer to the Colt, not the Pietta. I base this on the fact that I have a second gen. 45 ACP cylinder that I will swap into my Ubertis when I'm running low on .45 Colt ammo. It times and functions perfectly.
Point 3 is a valid point, but applies to both manufacturers, not just Uberti. They both cheapened the design. I'm not saying that either is cheaply made, both are excellent guns in their newer representations, but both have cut some corners to keep their guns affordable.

Quality is something of a moot point in that the serious CAS crowd seems to prefer Rugers for hard use, but the purists tout the Great Western 2 as the best, most accurate repro made. You'll have to take up that argument with the CAS crowd.
As far as Uberti being closer to the Colt. That is simply not correct, and you'd know if you had a Pietta, a Colt, and an Uberti to swap around.

Take the cylinder out of your Uberti and try putting it in a Colt SAA. It won't fit.
A pietta cylinder will.
I have done this with my Colt and my USFA that follows the Uberti pattern and the USFA cylinder will not fit a Colt 2nd generation.
Uberti cylinders/frame window is bigger than a Colt, that's why a Colt cylinder will fit and usually work in an Uberti, but the bolt is going to be short for the cylinder stop notches because the cylinder is a smaller diameter.
Will it work? Yes.
Will it prematurely peen the cylinder stop notches and damage the bolt?
Probably.

The Uberti cylinder is several thousands bigger than the Colt. Some people tout the extra strength of the Uberti design though I have my doubts that there's enough extra metal to make a difference.

You'll have to elaborate on Pietta's corner cutting with their SA's. Uberti discarded the boss holding the ejector housing. Pietta retained it. How has Pietta cut corners compared to the original Colt SAA? I'm not saying they didn't, but if they did im not aware.

 

[03hemi]

I find the Taylor and the Pietta the lessor for quality too, Taylor being the worst. Cimarron the best then the Uberti. At least of the one's I've handled personally.

 

[.38SuperMan]

I bought a Cimarron Custer 45 several years ago. It was beautifully finished and the fit was excellent. The case hardening was beautiful as was the blue. Unfortunately I was unable to get it to shoot anywhere close to point of sim. Like one above post, it shot low and to the left. I know some of you will say it’s was me causing it but I e been shooting single action revolvers for fifty years and not had this issue. Hoping to correct it I experimented using different bullet weights, powders and loads but never resolved it.

In addition it had a hair trigger so light it was dangerous. I wound up contacting Cimarron and the sent a label to return it and fixed the trigger but didn’t resolve the sim issue. Customer service turned it around in about a week.

I wound up giving up on the POA issue and traded it and bought a Ruger Blackhawk. I’ve owned and currently own a number of Ruger and although not authentic they scratch my itch and I’ve never been disappointed with one.

Last week I was in a local gun shop/ pawn shop and they had the absolute most gorgeous SAA clone I’ve ever seen. They had a Standard Manufacturing SAA in 45LC. The case hardened frame was amazing as was the polishing and royal blue cylinder and frame. All screws were perfectly timed to line up exactly the same direction. Every detail was perfect. Of course it comes with a price, $2,100 but that’s less than a Colt if you can find one. It’s not a true Colt but so what. I may have to save my Pennie’s for one of those.

 

[Rodan]

I find the Taylor and the Pietta the lessor for quality too, Taylor being the worst. Cimarron the best then the Uberti. At least of the one's I've handled personally.

Taylor's doesn't manufacture guns, and neither does Cimarron.

Both Taylor's and Cimarron have marketed revolvers produced for them by both Pietta and Uberti.

 

[silicosys4]

Taylor's doesn't manufacture guns, and neither does Cimarron.

Both Taylor's and Cimarron have marketed revolvers produced for them by both Pietta and Uberti.

This, and if you are dead set on one or the other from a certain time frame like I was for a time, prepare to go down a rabbit hole, and bring a lunch.