colt repos

[wyattm]

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Who makes the most authentic copy of a colt SAA..... Uberti... Pietta....
Thanks,
Wyattm

[Abilene]

Most authentic = USFA.

Of the imports, Uberti is more authentic than Pietta.  This considers markings, patent dates, sight shapes, and other features.  The Pietta is a good gun and well suited to CAS if you don't care about the other small details.  Now, Pietta I'm told will be making changes in some of these cosmetic issues on the guns they build for Cimarron, but how long before that happens I couldn't say.

[Bugscuffle]

Oh, you meant REPROS. For a minute there I thought that someonehad their Colt repossessed.

[Curley Cole]

Which is the Colt?

The GW2 is physically more identical to the Colt. (the late Bob Shaw, said the GW2 was the closest gun to Colt made. he could stamp the markings and no one would be the wizer.)

The early GW2 had the right stamping, but Alchimestia decided to advoid possible lawsuits. It is a shame, but what can ya do...

I have 7 GW2, 3 Taylors and all of them are very close. Hold one and let your hands make the choice.
curley

[petrinal]

USFA are the most authentic, then i would say  PIETTA and the old ARMI SAN MARCO.

 in PIETTAS and old ASM most parts interchange with COLT, not so UBERTI, which almost nothing, including cilynder, is interchangeable, only the screws, and maybe the axis (I dont remember) with model P. I own both, UBERTI and COLT.

Piettas are far more accurate on the 25 yard and have a much better finish, and dont have a safety in the hammer, like UBERTIS.

Ubertis have a less attractive casehardening, too.

interestingly, some of the parts of WEIHRAUCH revolvers, are clones of the COLTs, interchange.

Cesar

[Abilene]

...Piettas are far more accurate on the 25 yard and have a much better finish, and dont have a safety in the hammer, like UBERTIS...

The Ubertis imported by Cimarron and the higher-end models imported by Taylors (like the Smokewagon) do not have the safety linkage in the hammer.

[Marshal Deadwood]

Every Uberti I've had will cut holes at 25 yds.

M. Deadwood

[petrinal]

 my advice is about CATTLEMAN at least the ones i know here, that still include a half moon steel piece in the hammer for post 1890 frames.

when it comes to interchanging parts with my COLT MODEL P SAA, nothing interchanges, only screws as i said. Not even grips. I insist, on Cattleman... i dont know the many other variations sold in USA.

as comparing finishes in the standard cattleman and PIETTA MODELS, the Pietta is a  more lustrous gun  in both blueing and casehardening.

about accuracy, i am talking about 45 colt...mediocre in my case and in many other shooters in this side of the world...mine is 10 years old and the rifling is totally inadequate for soft or even hard bullets and BP at  international olympic bullseyes distances, and the PIETTAS have got a much better fame for accuracy.

it is my experience. In fact, my TAURUS Gaucho is closer in almost everything to the original colt  despite the transfer bar and shoots a lot better than UBERTI...

[Pettifogger]

I always like these posts on who has the most accurate fake Colt.

[Marshal Deadwood]

 I didn't say Piettas were not good guns. I might just purchase a Californian myself.
 
I merely stated that I get very good accuracy from my Ubertis. I'd give the edge to my USFA's, but the Ubertis are dang close in the accuracy dept.  I do know that EMF's have some really nice case colors,,,the bluing is excellent and I'm not knocking them. I just haven't owned one.

Deadwood

[Cliff Fendley]

I always like these posts on who has the most accurate fake Colt.

LOL  I got a chuckle out of that.

After reading this and thinking about it I do have to say I have had far less trouble with Pietta repros than Uberti and do believe I would have to give the Pietta's the edge on accuracy between those two. You get good and bad of all guns though.

I've never tried to put parts in a real Colt so which is most authentic I don't know.

I'd love to have a USFA but I can darn near buy a Colt for what they cost.

[Cal Fornia]

LOL  I got a chuckle out of that.

After reading this and thinking about it I do have to say I have had far less trouble with Pietta repros than Uberti and do believe I would have to give the Pietta's the edge on accuracy between those two. You get good and bad of all guns though.

I've never tried to put parts in a real Colt so which is most authentic I don't know.

I'd love to have a USFA but I can darn near buy a Colt for what they cost.

Just go for a Rodeo or Rodeo II, then.

[Curley Cole]

here are my GW2 (all blue) and my retirement Colt together. Bob Shaw (rip) put on Colt grips, a Colt basepin, and told me that he could roll stamp all the appropriate lettering and no one would be the wizer. He said internally the GW was the closest thing to a Colt made.

good shootin
curley

[Fingers McGee]

*Z$

[Curley Cole]

*Z$

??

[petrinal]

there are slight differences in UBERTI cattleman versus COLT MODEL P, the grip is not exactly de same contour, the cilinder is not interchangeable and the frame has slight differences in contour, as well as the extractor.

the weight is the same, handling the same, and trigger, and bolt, and respective screws, are compatible with COLT...no so the hammer and  the hand and the hammer screw..

here are some pictures...

this a factory engraved COLT SAA in nickel, in 45 colt, and i have put the colt cylinder into the CATTLEMAN frame, and it is impossible..... the Colt cylinder wont enter in UBERTI frame and UBERTI wont fully enter in COLT frame..





however, the TAURUS GAUCHO CILINDER will enter in COLT and work...but not viceversa...the Taurus gaucho has a more pleasant cocking of the hammer...and the COLT, the most accurate...like a watch....with four neat clicks and a very positive locking.




the grip contour both above and under in the UBERTI has a slight different curve, and the grips, though more or less compatible, need filing...please pay close attention to picture...

(Uberti revolver and COLT grip on photo)






the Colt grip is more comfortable, in my opinion.

The buttom of the extractor is bigger in UBERTI..



and the whole pieze is not compatible with COLT....(uberti extractor, COLT nyckeled revolver on photo)



finally the hammer, hammer screw and hand are not compatible..(i insist, UBERTI CATTLEMAN with safety device in hammer)



the frame has a slight different contour, but in general, teh UBERTI is a very very close clone...more or less, the same..

about materials, in UBERTI the mechanism is less durable than COLT...softer steel in bolt and hammer and trigger.

in performance, in my country they have gained a fame for not being accurate when it comes to serious bullseye competition, as the rifling is not adequate for BLACK POWDER and soft bullet...it should be deeper...however, it works very good with ball...

in general, the TAURUS GAUCHO has given more a lot more accuracy with bullet and black powder, as it has  much better rifling, as well as modern COLTs.

i dont like UBERTIS, very good for shooting at plates, but not for real accuracy. Now they are making some models with very wide front sigths which is a detriment to the accuracy...good for instintive shooting but really bad for bullseye at 25 meters. ( i dont test accuracy at 15 yards, too short of a distance for testing, 25 meters will reveal you more about the gun defects or virtues in that aspect)

it is my opinion.

Best regards

[PJ Hardtack]

Petrinal

That's some mighty fine iron ya' got there, pard! I'm a maverick when it comes to six guns, my tastes going in another direction.

I only own two Colt repro .45s, both Ubertis. One 4 3/4", one 5 1/2", the latter with BP frame. I've never had a complaint about the accuracy of either with soft or hard lead, smokeless or BP, but then I'm not shooting in the tough discipline you describe.

I learned early that I prefer my Remingtons, especially the one fitted with a.45 Colt Kirst 5 shot cylinder and my 44-40 Taylor's conversions. Solid frames that don't shoot loose like a Colt. I can go to the range without having to tighten screws and enjoy outshooting the Colt repros, especially the cap & ball guns.

Think I'll duck fer cover afore the shootin' starts .... ;>)

[Curley Cole]

Just gonna post this an split:

I have:

7 GW2s
3 Taylors Cattlemen
2 old Dakotas
1 Colt SAA
one of the strange things of the SAA is that the parts are mostly hand fitted and so they don't redidly interchange. If ya notice grips mostly have to be fitted. If you look inside of your factory grips on most guns esp. "repros" there will be all or part of a serial no. this is so that grip can go back on its fitted gun.
most of my gunz don't inter change, but some things like base pins do.

in the pix of my Colt and GW2 above, the GW has real Golt Grios and base pin. Bob Shaw the smith that installed them said my gun was the closest thing to a Colt SAA he had seen and could add the stamps to make it perfect. Too bad I didn't do it before he passed.

anyways I like all my SAAs and wouldn't trade them for anything.
good shootin
curley

[Marshal Deadwood]

All Colt parts wont fit in other Colts revolvers. They are individually mated together for that specific revolver. So parts from a Uberti not fitting a Colt,,really don't tell us much.

[Old Top]

Evening All,

I beleive what Curly is showing in his picture that the GW II is very close to the Colt, it is not made by Uberti, it is made by Petasalie (sp) Never could spell worth a darn.

Old Top

[Marshal Deadwood]

Would that be closer to a 1st or 2nd gen Colt,,or a third gen Colt ?.............as the third gen Colts are different from older real Colts of the period.

[petrinal]

All Colt parts wont fit in other Colts revolvers. They are individually mated together for that specific revolver. So parts from a Uberti not fitting a Colt,,really don't tell us much.

 my experience is totally different.  Parts intherchanging was invented long ago, among others by COLT, and they have followed that philosphy quite strictly.

it is true that some parts might not be compatible from one COLT to the other...but they are in mine, at least, the most important parts.

i have 2 colts, one is factory engraved, nickel, in 45 colt, made in 1978...the other one is a black powder frame, in 44-40, made last year, in 2010.. and it has not been fired.





lets intherchange parts between both...(but the cylinder, as it is a different caliber):

the grips of the old one fitted the contour of the 2010 model almost perfectly..it fitted firmly and the differences in curve were...minimal!


 (note that grips are sligthy in older condition, they are 1978 revolver on 2010 revolver..never fired)

and viceversa...the same!




they all have the serial number of the gun inscribed inside...but given that the rubber grips shows no sign of sanding or filing, one tends to think  that COLT adapts the gun to the grip...and not viceversa!.....(little details that show why they cost more...)

the only adaptation in the grip seems to be the placing of the pin hole...in all other things, grips interchange with really minimum differences...

when interchanging hammers, both guns worked perfectly with  the other gun´s hammer...perfectly in safe, loading and firing positions....like a swiss watch...




above 2010 revolver with 1978 hammer...


below, 1978 revovler with 2010 hammer





then i did the same but this time changing only the trigger, leaving the rest of respective parts in everyrevolver....





both guns worked perfectly in the 3 hammer positions...with each other´s trigger.......hard to believe that COLT has kept such a standard for so many years.....notice blued trigger on nickel revovler and nickel trigger on blued revolver...PERFECT!


then I decided to change only the bolt.....and leave the rest of parts original in every revolver...




the fit was perfect..




notice nickeled bolt  of 1978 (it is really nickeled too, like the whole gun) on blued revovler (2010 revolver)



and viceversa...





they both worked......like an OMEGA watch... in all 3 positions.....with a part made 30 years ago in one case, and with a part made 30 years later....with a perfect timing and lock, a very tight lock...really hard to believe..







the same goes for the trigger/bolt spring....

the housing of the extractor fitted perfectly on the 2010 revovler...and needed a sligthly filing to fully enter in the nickel one...






in short, a COLT is a COLT....the manufacturing methods have allways being exquisite, and when it comes to rifling and accuracy, they still hold and edge in that, though i admit there are very good replicas now in the market.

all the best