Rare Uberti .36 Dance

[Fox Creek Kid]

I lucked into this on the Internet recently. Less than 50 were imported in 1985. This is NIB, but cylinder has been turned.

[Fingers McGee]

Well, I'm officially jealous now.

Great find Kid.  Ya gonna shoot it?

FM

[Fox Creek Kid]

...Ya gonna shoot it?...

I don't know yet. Doc Davis, the foremost authority on Italian BP revolvers IMO, wanted some photos and said he will get back to me. He has three of them I believe. I'd always thought that the originals had round TG's but I have seen an original that had a squareback TG. It all depends on what Doc says about the rarity. I've already hinted at trading with him for one of his Uberti Tucker & Sherrard Confederate Dragoons.    I snoozed and missed a T&S on the SASS Classifieds for a song about 7 or eight years ago. 

[Fingers McGee]

Doc Davis is a good guy to know.  I just got a new Stoeger Uberti 51 Navy he wants some pictures of cause of the Stoeger annotation on the box.  It's a 2007 mfg with really nice case colors and high polished blue.  I picked it up for a club raffle gun for next year at a reeeealy good price.

FM

[Dalton Masterson]

How can I get ahold of this Doc Davis? I have a question on a mysterious smaller frame Pietta 61.
Allejandro Pietta says they never made them smaller, but it has the FAP in a diamond stamped right on it.
Wonder if Doc can Id the thing?
DM

[Fox Creek Kid]

How can I get ahold of this Doc Davis?...

rprca@hotmail.com

[Dalton Masterson]

Thank you kindly! DM

[drjldavis]

The .36cal Dance will probably never be produced again.  Uberti produced 45 commemorative models in .36cal. that came in a Walnut cased set complete with leather covered flask, mold, wrench, and cap box.  The original cardboard box that they came in was a "Western Arms-Uberti" box.  Each of these revolvers is certificated and is not authentic without the certificate.  These have an "AR" prefix on the serial number starting with AR001.  Uberti then produced 50 "shooter" models in .36cal.  These also came in "Western Arms" boxes.  They have no engraving on the cylinder and are marked SMLS on the barrel.  Tony Gajewsky of South West Muzzleloaders Supply (no longer in business) is the "Father" of the Dance replicas.  Tony had one Dance .44cal. made on the Dragoon Frame with all the commemorative markings as a prototype.  This, of course, is the rarest of all the replica Dance revolvers and is retained by Tony.

Tony commissioned another production of the .36cal. Dance revolver with Pietta.  These were to be marketed by Dance Firearms Co. and were to be so marked.  After a breach of the contract with Pietta, production of the .36cal. Dance revolver, marked as such, stopped with #00047.  There were actually only 35 of these revolvers delivered making this rarer than the Uberti production of 50 guns.  There were four .44cal. Dance revolver delivered marked Dance Firearms Co. as prototypes for a possible future production.  These are on the 1851 Navy frame with rebated cylinders.  These four revolvers are the second rarest Dance revolvers produced.  No need to search for one because all four with consecutive numbers C00048-C00051 are in the RPRCA collection.

There were 75 more .36cal. Dance revolvers delivered by Pietta from serial number C00052-C00127.  These, however, are not marked Dance Firearms Co. but have only the Pietta markings on the right side of the barrel.  As part of the contract settlement Pietta can no longer produce the .36cal. Dance so there will be no more. 

Pietta continued production of the .44cal. Dance exclusively through Dixie Gun Works until recently when Traditions also started marketing the Dance.
Interestingly for you collector types, Pietta first produced the .44cal. with rebated cylinders and the 7 ½" barrel.  This was then changed to the current variation of shorter straight cylinder with 8" barrel.  There are only around 105 of these rebated cylinder Dance revolvers out there.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Interesting!

Thanks for the info, Doc Davis!