EMF Great Western II , or uberti SAA.

[ironcowboy]

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Again, i have the chance to get a pair of one, or the other, which should i go with? I know that most guns (cimmeron, taylor, ect.) are all uberti, and from what i read the EMF is made by someone else, any idea which is better? And also, i assume that all the uberti's are basically the same thing, no matter who has there name on it, so if i go that rout, it does not matter which cover company i get...

[Old Top]

Ironcowboy,

I have two of the Great Westerns, I do not care for the grip on them so I got the 1860 grips ala Alcamesta.  If I was to get another I would get the Alcamesta the best gun out of the box that I have ever seen, I do not beleive you will need to send this out to get new springs or to make the hammer better.  If you can get to EMF try them out and you will see what I mean.

Old Top

[Curley Cole]

as Old Top says Look at the Alchimestia. It was Product of the year for 2008. action feels like pig rollerskating on glass. Smooth.
Some might not like the 1860 grips.

I say try them all out for feel. There will be a gun that just feels "right" in your hand. Then go with it.

good shooitn
curley

[Major 2]

the other company is Pietta
 Alchimestia is both the guns name and also the fellow who runs Pietta alias ( he a member here and posts sometimes )

I heard good things about the GW2 ..... EMF imports them.

OR    You might want to look at the Smoke Wagon by Tatlor's ( it's a Uberti )

[Abilene]

Ironcowboy,
It depends.  Are the pistols strictly for competition or is authenticity important to you?  The GW-II is a good competition gun with its sqauared-off sights and comes with lighter springs so it will feel better out of the box, plus the Alchemista with its Army grip may fit better if your hands are large.  The Uberti will be more authentic, particularly the Cimarron Model P which will have the most correct markings and the correct hammer versus the generic Uberti Cattleman.  There are Uberti models with squared-off sights as well but these are mostly higher-cost models.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

   I have to say I'm pro EMF Great Western ll, but like Old Top and Curley said, if you can put them side by side, and feel them in your hand the answer will be easy for you to make, Pietta uses all new machinery and technology to make the Great Western ll, which is one of the things that set them apart from the others, the two I have feel just like my old Colt second generations, that were tuned and slicked up, the difference is the GW 2, comes slicked up right out of the box, I checked mine for line up with a range rod, and both were perfect. Take your time, you owe it yourself to take a good look.


                                        Regards

                                    tEN wOLVES 

[ironcowboy]

Thanks for the help,
I ran up to cabelas yesterday to feel some of the guns, but all they have are the different uberti's, so while i got to hold a bunch, i did not really get a good comparison. Your saying the taylor smoke wagon is a good one? I'll look into that...

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog]

I have 3 GW II and they are slick right out of the box.  No problems at all.  As a matter of fact my Ruger NV's are now my back-ups.

[ironcowboy]

Ironcowboy,
It depends.  Are the pistols strictly for competition or is authenticity important to you?  The GW-II is a good competition gun with its sqauared-off sights and comes with lighter springs so it will feel better out of the box, plus the Alchemista with its Army grip may fit better if your hands are large.  The Uberti will be more authentic, particularly the Cimarron Model P which will have the most correct markings and the correct hammer versus the generic Uberti Cattleman.  There are Uberti models with squared-off sights as well but these are mostly higher-cost models.

Kinda a combo of both. I'll be using them in some CAS shoots when i get the chance to go to them, but also i want them to be real close to the old SAA's (I have a ruger new vaquero for when i want to carry a saa that is updated and "safe")

I've held all the ones i could find, and they all feel good, lol. How different is the alchemist? It sounds like a great gun, but is it a close clone of the old saa's?

[Abilene]

The Alchemista is a GW-II with an Army-sized (1860) grip which is longer than the standard SAA and has a brass gripframe, neither of which is authentic to the SAA.  Additionally the barrel markings, squared sights, and lack of patent dates on the frame are all non-authentic.  Which is not to say that it isn't a good gun, just depends on how important authenticity is to you.  The smokewagon is essentially a copy of the Cimarron Evil Roy with a slightly different hammer.  Both good guns (and come with an action job) and more authentic than the GW-II, but the squared front and widened rear sights on those are not authentic either although squared sights are preferred by competitors.

[Curley Cole]

Here are my GW2's

And...Here is a pix of my GW2 AND my Colt, can you tell the difference..I can't holding, cocking and shooting them. No some of the markings are missing,  but this is an earlier GW so the patent dates are there.(however the barrel is marked just like the Colt) My gunsmith who also does Colt referbishing can make it look like a Colt very easily. At first I was upset when Alesandro took the patent dates off but I got over it. Folks at the loading table still ask me about my "pair of Colts", not my pair of GW's...

It is all in what you want, and if you need to spend money after you get the gun to make it shoot...
I say get what you want, and afford..

goood shootin
curley

curley

[ironcowboy]

Ok, Good info, so what i think i've came down to is: smoke wagon, GW II and Alchemista are the top choices, i dont need every last tiny detail to be exact, just more interested in the frame size/main things. I'd rather a real good gun, that differs a small bit, then a kinda bla gun that is dead nuts the same as the old SAA...
I'll see what the guy i'm talking to in a trade can come up with, and probably just go with that as long as its one of those three...

[ironcowboy]

Well it looks like i'll be getting a pair of smokewagon deluxe's in .45lc, 4 3/4" barrels. Cant wait to see 'um!

[lethal larry]

Howdy pard. I have a pair of Great Western II's that I just love. They are 4 3/4" stainless steel with Ultra Ivory grips and chambered in .357/.38 Spl. They are made by Pietta and I've had several very gun-savy folks look and shoot them and all are impressed with the fit, finish and overall quality of these revolvers. Hope that helps.

[lethal larry]

Oh, The Alchemista is not going to be allowed in NCOWS as of the vote this past week if I understood our club rep correctly. If you shoot SASS and not NCOWS this would not matter to you. Just an FYI.

[ironcowboy]

Got these smoke wagons in today. All I can say is damn!!  The actions are sooo smooth and sweet! If they shoot anything like they handle they are the nicest six guns I've ever held! I'm extreamly happy!! Thanks a bunch Joel rezac!

[ironcowboy]

[Curley Cole]

cain't beat that layout

curley

[ironcowboy]

Yea I'm real happy with them!!!

[Virginia Gentleman]

I like Taylor's & Co. and Cimmaron the best as their quality and backing the product up are tops.

[Bear Claw Chris Lappe]

Recently got my first GW II, the Californian Deluxe, and they are amazing guns!

[Cutter Carl]

I've been using a pair of GWII for a year and a half.  No problems with either of them.  There great guns.

[Virginia Gentleman]

I believe either of them to be very good guns, not quite what US Firearms pre-war quality but very, very close for a lot less than USFA or Colt.

[Old Doc]

I just bought one of the Great Western II Customs that has the Turnbull case-hardening. No longer offered by EMF. Looking forward to picking it up.

[Curley Cole]

I just got an email from EMF and they said in it they are still offering the GW2's Custom, with the Doug Turnbull CCH. I have a couple of them and they are just beautiful.

curley