Taylor's/Cimarron better?

[Stophel]

Among other things, I am looking into getting a 51 navy.  Now, I can get one from Cabela's for $189, OR, I can get one (presumably an Uberti), from Taylor's or Cimarron for something like $279.  Are they really any better quality?  Meaning, is the manufacturing and precision cartridge-gun level?  (I'm used to shooting S&W revolvers, and to me, anything less than this level of precision and quality is absolute junk!...I'm slightly jaded.)  If the gun is nice enough, I may even get a gated Kirst conversion for it eventually...

Totally irrelevant, but I also like the iron grip frame of the "London" model.  I will presume that this is supposed to have been a version produced for export to England, or license built in England?

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Colt had a manufacturing facility in London to try to get government contracts there. They took Colt's production methods and streamlined the production of their own inferior guns. The guns weren't any better but they learned a lot about mass production. Colt eventually abandoned the facility there.

[Major 2]

Other opinions will vary... but here is my 2 cents

The Cabela's offering will in most cases be Pietta made... not a bad thing, and for the price you get Cabela's reputation for returns or replacement should there be a issue...
Pietta's tend to be stamped conspicuosly, with disclaimers " BLACK POWSER ONLY ", Proof Marks , and the Fili Petta logo.
This for me distracts from the looks, much like Ruger's Lawyer pleasing stampings.


Taylor's and Cimarron will have the Uberti's.... Uberti has been my choice for Guns I use in the Film Prop Business.
And I've used both importers...
I find the Uberti's closer to the originals , and the new CNC forged frames appeal to my idea of greater strength & closer tolerances.
I like the Uberti's use of discrete placement of proof marks.
The main difference between Taylor's and Cimirron will be the Importer's Marks. Both use small lettered stamps
Cirmarron tends to place the Fredricksburg TX.  mark where the one line Colt Address would be , & Taylor's will have Winchester VA.

As to which importer, I've delt with Tammy & Sue (Taylor's) for years and with Charlie Hudson at Cimarron, of late I heard of some issue with Cimarron , but it is or was 2nd second hand news ....I've had no issues ( except the long wait for my Type II )
Midway & Phil Rezac handle Cimarron imported guns...
Taylor's Tammy & Sue have been flawless...
I've been using Uberti's nearly 30 years ( not to mention 2nd. Gen. BP Colts ) & back then it was Allen Arms & Navy Arms....

I believe the Uberti  London Model is only from Taylor's , I don't recall Cimerron offering one.
And Pietta does not make the the London Armory Model at all.

As to your Smiths, I assume you mean the current offerings from S&W ( as opposed to the Uberti Schofields , Russians & Beretta's )

Pre- sell out S&W's were fine quality, I have my Dad's WWII Hand Ejector Model  , the quality went, when the British Holding Company all but destroyed Smith's fine reputation... The Present Company has saved S&W from the brink ...


My Openion as stated ...

If you want a good shooter , get the Uberti  (good Quality fun )
if it's an heirloom you seek as well ... Second Generation Black Powder Series Colt.

[Stophel]

Most all of my S&W's are from the '70's and earlier.  I have one 681 from sometime in the '80's, which is fine, but just not the same (though still better than virtually anything else available at the time....this period was definitely the low point in overall firearms quality).  I also have the brand new Model 22 .45acp, which I like VERY much.  It is ALMOST as good quality as my old ones...It should be though, I paid $800 for it, which is far more than I have ever paid for a handgun before.  I REALLY wanted it, and buying an old one from the '60's or before would cost me twice as much.  Other than the smattering of "classic" revolvers that S&W makes now (due to popular demand), they don't make anything that interests me at all.  Everything is Stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, or Scandium (whatever the h377 that is...)    That and/or it has a heavy barrel....the full underlug is the worst sin against pistoldom ever committed...

One problem I forsee with the Pietta '58 I have now, is that the frame is pretty durn soft.   I had it so that the hammer stopped on the frame just a hair short of the nipples.  It worked fine, but even after a few shots, I found that the hammer had battered its way down and had begun to touch the nipples.  Well, I went to work again, and filed the shoulders on the frame where the hammer stops so that I would get a better strike on more surface than before.  Originally, it was just hitting on the top corner of the hammer and frame.  Now I have decent contact on the hammer shoulders about 2/3rds of the way down.  Pretty much all I can do (that and reworking the hammer again and case hardening it).  I have snapped it many times (not fired yet) since this latest modification, and I can see that even with better contact, I will likely have the same problem, only it will show up more slowly.  The frame steel is just not up to taking the impact.

I have read reports that Uberti uses better/harder/tougher steel for their guns.  If so, that alone will prompt me to make my next purchase an Uberti.  It's not so much that forged is better than cast, but the type of alloy that is much more important.  Rugers are cast, and no one besmirches their toughness!  4140 would be the ideal steel to make any gun out of, in fact, many modern ones are.  It is ridiculously tough and wear resistant...which you will quickly learn when you have a 4140 rifle barrel that you have to cut dovetails into!

Is the squareback TG gun from Taylor's an Uberti?  It is listed about $20 cheaper than the regular Uberti (but still more than the listed Pietta).  The site doesn't say whether or not it is an Uberti.  If I was to have my druthers, I'druther have the squareback guard.

[Wymore Wrangler]

My only thoughts are get it from Rezac's, they are dealers for both Cimarron and Taylors and will get you the best price for what your want...

[The Avocado Kid]

Stophel.....I will chime in here....everything Major2 said is correct BUT I will tell you what has happened to me as of late....I went to Cabela's and made a purchase of a 1851 Navy(Pietta) and a 1860 Army(Pietta) both very nice revolvers and for the money can't be beat....that having been said.... if you have the money to spend go with the Uberti in most cases BUT I must say this.....in the 1980's I bought a Uberti 1860 Army from Allen Arms now Cimarron and it was crap! This new Pietta Army from Cabela's is sooooo much better than the 1980's Uberti I bought it took me a-back now,that being said Pietta has the Farb markings meaning not correct or in the wrong places or not hidden very well....I guess the latter would apply here as far as a replica goes. The Pietta's can be De-Farbed as Major2 has said and they are very good replica's and now days close to the Uberti....they have come a-long way in the past few years....The Navy was $189 and the Army was $209 hard to beat that as far as money goes,I didn't want to spend a-lot on a pair of Cap&Ball guns. You will find people here who have owned both makes and both makes are very good as far as replica's go....equal to the S&W orig. I would say no....my dad had a S&W #3 in .44 Russian the most solid revolver I have ever seen.... it somehow vanished in the mist of time,too bad for me.....If you buy the Pietta and add the R&D or Kirst cylinder the gun will be a hoot to shoot....just keep in mind what these guns are.....replica's. Good luck!

[will52100]

My experiance has been that Uberti is far better than Peitta, so much so that unless I can handle it I won't buy anouther Pietta.  I have one good one that had very little problems out of the box and is one of my favorite shooters.  All the rest I had to do a lot of work too or were complete junk.  I have had some pretty bad Uberti's, one the locking pin on the arbor was backing out and made the arbor loose, not hard to fix though.  I had one that the chambers were so over boared on that a 380 ball would back out under recoil, converted it to cartrige and it works fine now.

I do like the Pietta methoud of the bottoming arbor, like the original colts, but with a little experiance setting the wedges on Ubertis I think it's over rated.  The steel in my Ubertis are softer than cartrige guns, but my Piettas are softer still and all have had softer and rougher finished internals and have been more prone to spring breakage.

For the price differance I'll definatly go Uberti untill/unless Colt comes out with something along the lines of there second gen. guns.  I wish they were producing them today, but with the colector price what it is I realy can't afford them as they would definatly get a good work out.  Who knows, maybe I'll find a deal at the next gun show?