Uberti SAA

[Model29-26.5]

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.

 

[Muley Gil]

I've owned several older Uberti single actions. They were good quality.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

I've owned a couple of the Italian Colt clones. The older guns suffered from too soft metal and weak springs in the inner workings. Go with a newer Uberti. They've got it right. Second best is Pietta. Both Taylor and Cimarron are importers of Uberti and Pietta.
The only issue I've had with my Uberti was a broken trigger/cylinder lock spring but an inexpensive replacement was available from Taylors.

John

 

[Jaco1234]

I was looking to buy a Blackhawk 45 long colt. The lgs had 1 left in stock. Brand New out of the wrapper. The screws were boogered, and the stocks did not fit right.
The clerk pulled out a Uberti Smoke Wagon by Taylor. Beautiful gun. Excellent fit and finish. Taylor had slicked up the trigger and action to near perfection.
Bought it, happy with it. Good shooter.
No adjustable sights

 

[raljr1]

I have an Uberti Cattleman...great gun...we actually fanned a few cylinders thru if...gunsmith said I was an idiot, but it sure was fun....excellent fit and finish....

 

[Hawg Rider]

I only have one...a Uberti Cattleman 1873 NRA Edition (.45 Colt; s/n NRA0308; ca. 2005) that I picked up used at my local gun store for $350 (believe it or not, it was a police evidence gun trade-in). I believe these were presented to some special sponsors at Friends of the NRA dinners. I added a Wolff spring kit from Brownells, gently polished the hammer, and refinished the NRA walnut stocks. The revolver is smooth as silk and a surprising accurate shooter. I later picked up a Bianchi California Outlaw holster and belt- the rig looked too new so I had to add some patina and wear. I really like the .45 Colt cartridge, and the SAA compliments my Winchester 94AE Trail's End saddle ring carbine in .45 Colt. Uberti makes some outstanding SAA revolvers, with lots of cool versions. Good luck with your decision.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Uberti and Pietta each are capable of making outstanding SAA clones...you have to take each example for what it is. They each make guns for several different retailers...Cimmaron...Taylor's...EMF and maybe more. They each build to the quality levels the sales contract calls for and the price point the reseller aims for.

As a counter-argument...the Dean of American SAA gunsmiths...Jim Martin...told me he refuses to buy any Italian SAA revolver as he feels their metallurgy is sometimes suspect and they will show soft parts due to their processes. He said US makers are very careful on heat treating of parts.

Personally...I own several Pietta and Uberti made SAA clones.

 

[colt_saa]

Throughout most of my adult life all of my SAAs have been Colts. Including the guns that I used for SASS. The others were USFA.

Then about 10 years ago I entered into a trade where one of the firearms I was getting was an Uberti El Patron.

This came to me unfired in the box but my intent was to flip it because I only took it to make the trade possible.

I thought it was a great looking revolver so I pulled it out and cycled it a bit. To my surprise the action was nice and tight and had the proper four clicks of a Colt Single Action Army(I know that the newer ones are of a three click action but I have not handled one yet). However it was chambered in 357 magnum so that was actually another strike against it in my mind, all my SAAs were 45 Long Colt except for a few 22s. But that did not stop me from taking it to the range and giving it a try anyway. Fired or unfired, it was a used revolver

To say the least I was impressed a second time. This revolver felt good in my hand, the action was tight and it as accurate as can be

If I didn't already have Colts in most of the barrel lengths I would probably be looking at a older four click action Cattleman or two to add to my accumulation of firearms

 

[Denverd0n]

Years ago ran into some financial problems and had to sell my 2nd Gen Colt SAA. So I took some of the money from it and bought myself a copy from Cimarron.

Functions perfectly well. The only problem I have with it is that the sights are pretty far off. It shoots quite low, which I could fix by filing the front sight down. But it also shoots pretty far off to the left, which is more of a problem.

Of course, I could get a good gunsmith to fix that, but it would cost more than I spent to buy the gun in the first place! Nowadays I could easily afford it, but I just have a "thing" about spending more than the gun cost me to have it fixed. Who knows? Maybe one of these days.

 

[Hair Trigger]

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.

I have two Uberti clones, both in .45 Colt. They are very well made and true to the original Colt and Remington patents. Uberti markets these guns under its own name and they are distributed through Stoeger, and they also make guns for Taylor's and Cimarron, which are marketed under those names and distributed by those companies.

The Colt clone I have is the Cattleman II and it now comes with a "3-click" hammer that has an internal floating firing pin safety. It's not so bad, but there is conversation on many forums that it can cause failures to fire under certain circumstances. The good news is, Uberti sells a true 4-click hammer that is a drop-in replacement. I have done that modification to my Cattleman and now it is wonderful. The older Cattleman is 4-click, but there is a small spring-loaded tab in the mechanism but hardly noticeable in looks or function and the cylinder rod can be moved back to engage it as a safety that prevents the hammer from dropping to fire the gun. This design is also present in the Remington 1875 clone I have, which is a Taylor's-branded gun. It has a "softer" set of clicks, sort of hard to describe, but still functions just like the originals. I think Cimarron still has the true 4-click hammer in its SAA clones, as Uberti builds the Cimarron and Taylor's branded guns to those companies' specifications. The 4-clcik hammer I got for my Colt close is not available for the Remington clone, but that's okay, and I bought it from the Taylor's website. Cimarron seems to cater a lot to the SASS crowd.

In any case, these are nice-looking and well-made firearms, very reasonably priced (especially compared to the Colt-made SAA's of today) and are a lot of fun to shoot. I'm not much on the convertible guns with extra cylinders, so I can't say anything about them. I also don't know much about the Pietta guns.

My grips look a bit different from how they come from the factory. I didn't care for how shiny they were so I refinished them to look older and less showy. My Cattleman is 5-1/2", the Remington is 7-1/2".

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Years ago ran into some financial problems and had to sell my 2nd Gen Colt SAA. So I took some of the money from it and bought myself a copy from Cimarron.

Functions perfectly well. The only problem I have with it is that the sights are pretty far off. It shoots quite low, which I could fix by filing the front sight down. But it also shoots pretty far off to the left, which is more of a problem.

Of course, I could get a good gunsmith to fix that, but it would cost more than I spent to buy the gun in the first place! Nowadays I could easily afford it, but I just have a "thing" about spending more than the gun cost me to have it fixed. Who knows? Maybe one of these days.

You can fix it yourself very easily...all it takes is two lead babbitts. Rest the front of the barrel on one babbitt...then tap the frame where the barrel screws in with the other. Since it's the front sight you're moving tap the frame at the point opposite the way you want your sight group to move. You use lead as it's softer than the gun's steel and won't hurt it or leave marks. It only takes light taps...don't hit it hard.

I learned that trick when attending S&W Armorer School about thirty years ago. They don't advertise that as they're afraid of Bubba gunsmiths screwing up guns and blaming them.

 

[alwslate]

Save yourself some grief and buy a Ruger Vaquero instead of one of these nice looking but mediocre quality clones.

 

[Rodan]

Save yourself some grief and buy a Ruger Vaquero instead of one of these nice looking but mediocre quality clones.

Vaqueros are fine revolvers, but are not a true SAA clone, and simply don't have the same feel or balance. If a true SAA is what you're after, there's Colts and their clones.

I have 3 clones in .45LC, two Piettas and a Uberti, all three Cimarrons. Mine are all original style 4 clickers. My experience with the ones I own has been excellent. I had the Pietta pair worked on by Bob James in Phoenix.

The Uberti/Pietta SAAs can be a little confusing, as there are so many different options, and it can be difficult to determine which are 4 click and which 3 click. I much prefer the original style 4 click action.

IMHO the recent production Uberti/Pietta guns are excellent quality, and you can always choose a premium importer like Taylor's who add their own special touches.

When you can buy 2 clones for the price of a single Colt or USFA, if you're just looking for a fun shooter, the Uberti/Pietta clones offer excellent value.

 

[TheTinMan]

I got a Taylor’s “Gunfighter” single action roughly a year ago.

The trigger is good and it functions fine. However, Uberti now produces their SAA reproductions with a rebounding hammer and 3 clicks… not C-O-L-T. That is a fairly recent change. I’ve been told that one could simply replace the hammer to get that traditional action.

A few years ago, I got this Standard Manufacturing single action in trade for something else. The “price” was nearly twice what the Taylor-tuned Gunfighter cost. However, it is twice the gun IMHO and the action is an accurate replica of a Peacemaker/Model of 1873.

 

[03hemi]

The Uberti's are great clones, I have all of them except the Pietta and Taylor, those are definitely inferior SAA's.
However, Uberti, Pietta, Cimarron, Taylor and even a Baretta SAA that are all made by Uberti, anyone telling you they're inferior guns probably doesn't have one or have only handled a Taylor or Pietta, which are noticeably cheaper feeling guns. The Ruger Vequero is built like a tank though.
Cimarron, Pietta and Taylor are not just importers of Uberti, but are manufactured by Uberti in various levels of quality, Cimarron being the best. Cimarron is the only one that still comes with the 4click Colt style hammer, all the rest have gone to 3click for safety reasons. Cimarron said they'd stop ordering them if they changed their Colt clone and Uberti abided.
Uberti still utilizes a true color case hardening on all their SAA's too, whereas many like Ruger have gone to a fake color case hardening that will wear off easily.
T to B: Uberti Baretta, Uberti Cattleman and Ruger Vequero

Cimarron:

 

[sigp220.45]

I have Vaqueros and one Uberti Cattleman, and the Italian clone is the better gun.

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.

 

[03hemi]

"A few years ago, I got this Standard Manufacturing single action in trade for something else. The “price” was nearly twice what the Taylor-tuned Gunfighter cost. However, it is twice the gun IMHO and the action is an accurate replica of a Peacemaker/Model of 1873."

There ain't nothing standard about a Standard Mfg!
What a misnomer of a name?

 

[Hair Trigger]

The Uberti's are great clones, I have all of them except the Pietta and Taylor, those are definitely inferior SAA's.
However, Uberti, Pietta, Cimarron, Taylor and even a Baretta SAA that are all made by Uberti, anyone telling you they're inferior guns probably doesn't have one or have only handled a Taylor or Pietta, which are noticeably cheaper feeling guns.

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.

 

[03hemi]

Now the Beretta Uberti SAA makes sense.
The Taylor always felt sloppy and ill fit comparatively to the Uberti and Cimarron to me and my Cimarron feels a little better than my Uberti. Both have beautiful finishes though.

 

[sandog]

I've owned around a dozen of the Italian clones. Some needed regulating to hit POA, but all have been trouble free compared to all of the Rugers I've had in he last 10 years. The Rugers have had burrs, sharp edges, heavy hammer springs and trigger pulls and rough actions.
Rugers :

A 3rd Gen Colt in .44/40 flanked by two Uberti's :

Navy Arms (Uberti) Schofield :

The best out of all of them, a Cimarron .45.
Deep bluing and nice case colors, very smooth and accurate.
This one has a Bisley hammer installed, and I would not go back to a regular hammer. The Bisley hammer is wider and more comfortable, and is closer too.
I don't have to shift my grip as much when I thumb back the hammer.