I'm really interested in getting a .357 SA. Of course, I could just get a Ruger, but the Uberti and Pietta SAA interpretations interest me as well, particularly the Pietta. I'm not really looking for a competition gun, but a general service shootin iron.
My question is about the reliability and durability of these two guns. I know lots of people use them, but I actually have found very few written reports about their "safeties". The Pietta transfer bar and the Uberti retractable firing pin. Personally, I'm leery of the durability of such things I know the Ruger has a transfer bar, but they've had decades to get it right, and they seem to have no real problems....that I've heard about.
What about the Pietta transfer bar? It seems fairly simple, but if it is not made well and of durable materials, it could seriously leave you in the lurch. I have read articles and reviews of the Pietta (usually from Traditions), and people seem VERY impressed with them, but these are out-of-the-box, first-range-test reviews. I have seen no long-term reports of them at all, good or bad.
The Uberti retractable firing pin seems somewhat delicate, from what I can see, and I wonder how reliable it is in actual use. Some say it's fine, others say it's of the Devil. I've read how the linkage can be removed and a steel filler pin fitted in place so that you turn it into a fixed firing pin, if desired.
Is there anyone making a fixed firing pin, traditional SAA anymore?