as unbiased opinion as possible on 1875 Remmie?

[Wagon Box Willy]

Howdy Pards,

If I ever get a pair of guns for CAS I'd like it to be the 1875 but it is unlikely that I'll get to handle one before purchasing so I'd like to get a few opinions on the gun.

I think my driving motivation for the 1875 is looks plus it seems that many if not most own a Colt look alike of one kind or or another and I don't like having what everyone else has.

So to those who own both an SAA look alike and the Remmie, which do you like better?

This is not meant to be a troll.

P.S., I actually love the looks of the 5-1/2" SS NMA (like Daniel's) but a pair of those with conversions is like 1300 bucks.

Thanks
  Willy

[Flint]

I have both a 75 and a 90 Uberti Remington, and I like them  They have a heavier feel, and don't point as naturally as a SAA, which itself doesn't point as well as a 51 Navy, but that's not a big issue.  Some shooters don't like the 75/90 hammer spur position.  Tuning one is similar to the Colt, and mainsprings can be had to lighten the action.

See if you can find a shooter with one and try it for feel.  The grip sets a bit further back than the Colt, giving more knucle room, more than the 58/NMA Remington had.

[Harley Starr]

Howdy Pards,

If I ever get a pair of guns for CAS I'd like it to be the 1875 but it is unlikely that I'll get to handle one before purchasing so I'd like to get a few opinions on the gun.

I think my driving motivation for the 1875 is looks plus it seems that many if not most own a Colt look alike of one kind or or another and I don't like having what everyone else has.

So to those who own both an SAA look alike and the Remmie, which do you like better?

This is not meant to be a troll.

P.S., I actually love the looks of the 5-1/2" SS NMA (like Daniel's) but a pair of those with conversions is like 1300 bucks.

Thanks
  Willy

Howdy Willy,
I've had the good fortune of getting to handle a couple of Uberti 75 Outlaws and Frontiers and I love how they feel in my hands. That and they sure are easy on the eyes! 

[Old Top]

Willy,

I have both the Colt Clone (Great Western II) and the Remingtons.  I find I like the Remingtons better due to the grip, it is not as short as the Great Western, all though I am putting the 1860 grips on the Great Western so thing may be changing.  My main match pistol of choice is the Schofield, so I think I have covered all of the bases.  My choice would be Schofield, Remington and then Great Western.  But still do not have the grips on the Great Western.

Old Top

[Daniel Nighteyes]

So to those who own both an SAA look alike and the Remmie, which do you like better?

I have owned and shot Vaqueros (Old and New), Beretta Stampedes, '75 Remmies, Richards-Masons ('51 and '60) and now have two pair of NMA's, so I believe I can speak with a fair amount of "authority".

The real key here, Willy, is the way the pistol in question fits your hand.  My favorites, in terms of "fit", are the NMA's and the R/M's with Navy grips.  Specifically, though I absolutely love the looks and balance of the '75s, I did not like the way they fit and felt in my hands.  I shoot duelist, and have large palms but short fingers, so it was a major challenge to thumb back the hammer without shifiting my grip.

Other people will tell you they prefer the '75s over anything else, and we're both/all absolutely correct.

The "fit" issue is so personal, and therefore so variable, that it would be an excellent idea to actually get your mitts around the butt of a '75 before you buy.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

P.S., I actually love the looks of the 5-1/2" SS NMA (like Daniel's) but a pair of those with conversions is like 1300 bucks.

That's just about right for the SS model.  The blued ones are less.

[Wagon Box Willy]

I got a chance to handle a Uberti Cattleman today, felt pretty good and was tiny as compared to my 1858.  I think it was the 4-3/4 barrel.

I'm guessing that I'll have to locate a CAS shoot if I hope to have a chance to handle the 1875.

Willy

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I have long, narrow fingers and wide palms. I've had or shot SAA's, 1875's & 1890's, Old Model Rugers, 1858's and Schofields. Being honest, all are accurate and balance fine. I far prefer the 1858's over any of the others. They point better and the action is shorter than any of the others except a Ruger with a short-stroke mod. My second choice would be SAA's. 1875's and 1890's feel like clubs to me although they point well. They also have the longest action of any. Schofields are awkward in my hand and seem slower to work but they have the distinct advantage of loading/unloading ease. The loading/unloading issue is worst on the 1858's but that's minor. Rugers don't feel all that good either, mainly due to the size. The mechanism in the SAA is probably better than the Remingtons because of the hand and hand spirng. The Ruger mechanism is probably the best. The other pards here are absolutely right. You need to feel them for yourself and shoot as many as possible to make a decision on what is best for you.

[Curley Cole]

Here are my 75 Remingtons. I love them, but the feel of the grip is very different from the Colt style. I would suggest you see if you can get a pard to let you handle/shoot one to see how you like the feel. The second pix is of one of Old Tops. If you are in the SoCal area, me and Top would be happy to introduce you to ours...

good shootin
curley

[Wagon Box Willy]

I probably have no idea which grip works best for me since I've only ever shot my Pietta NMA and only held a Cattleman for a minute or two.  There are a couple of small CAS clubs local to me which I should look up now that we're thawing out hp here in NH but I'm betting I wont find an 1875 there, we'll see.

[Tensleep]

The NH pards that I shot with at The Great Nor'easter were all really good folks, I really enjoyed myself.

I'll bet that if you ask around you can find a 75 and 90 to look at, handle and probably shoot.

Look up Captain Morgan Rum and Rusty P Bucket, ask them if they know of anybody.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Willy, you might also want to look up Wild Bill Blackerby.  He's up in "the wilds of New Hamster" as he says  , and he's a great pard.  He shoots a brace of Colt Navies, but I betcha he knows somebody who owns '75s or '90s.  For contact information, just Google for "Wild Bill Blackerby".  He's got a website and everything.

[Wagon Box Willy]

Daniel Nighteyes, yes, I have Wild Bill Blackerby's site bookmarked.

Tensleep, I'll give those two pards a shout as well.

Thanks
  Willy

[Wagon Box Willy]

I have owned and shot Vaqueros (Old and New), Beretta Stampedes, '75 Remmies, Richards-Masons ('51 and '60) and now have two pair of NMA's, so I believe I can speak with a fair amount of "authority".

The real key here, Willy, is the way the pistol in question fits your hand.  My favorites, in terms of "fit", are the NMA's and the R/M's with Navy grips.  Specifically, though I absolutely love the looks and balance of the '75s, I did not like the way they fit and felt in my hands.  I shoot duelist, and have large palms but short fingers, so it was a major challenge to thumb back the hammer without shifiting my grip.

Other people will tell you they prefer the '75s over anything else, and we're both/all absolutely correct.

The "fit" issue is so personal, and therefore so variable, that it would be an excellent idea to actually get your mitts around the butt of a '75 before you buy.

Daniel,

Even though I have little experience with different guns I understand what you're saying.

I'm on the road during the week so all my questions and learning is from my hotel room.  I don't actually get to put to practice anything I learn until the weekend.  So I got home about 2am last night (Sunday morning) and got down into my shop to do some dry firing and grip work.  I put some short pieces of aquarium airline tubing on the nipples and just tried to find my grip on the NMA.  I watched this video, Todd Jarrett IPSC Pistol Grip Lesson, and still haven.t found something that I think will work with the NMA for Dualist style.  I am happy with my two handed grip but most one handed grips I tried which actually allow my thumb to reach the hammer feel a bit awkward and cause me to squeeze the trigger with my second knuckle which is not correct according to what I've read.  That plus the 8" NMA get's heavy quick using just one hand.  I'm short at 5'3" so my hands aren't all that big either and it seems I could use an extra ahlf inch of thumb

I will do practice drills as often as I can to see if I can get more comfortable and stronger with it.  I want to shoot Frontier Cartridge and Frontiersman and my dream equipment would be the 5-1/2" 1875's, a Spencer and an external hammer SxS.

I'm OK with not being competitive or fast as I'm used to competing against myself and stay quite motivated doing that.  So what I'm after is to have fun, make smoke and continue improving.

Thanks,
  Willy

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Willy,

Sounds like you are on the way.  Since you say you are "thumb-challenged"  you might also want to try a Colt '51 Navy, or at least a pistol with a Colt Navy grip.

As for shooting the Spencer in "regular" competition, you might want to check on that.  Since most Spencers are 56-50 caliber, they are not pistol-caliber rifles and may not be legal as a main match rifle.  Also, some clubs won't allow a 56-50 Spencer to be shot at their up-close steel targets.  Too powerful a weapon, ya see.  They can be had in 44-40 and 45 Schofield, which ARE pistol-calibers.

Speaking in terms of my experience at SASS and W3G matches, there are typically from 8 to 10 (sometimes more) rifle targets per stage.  Since Spencers only hold about seven cartridges, and because reloading a Spencer (especially on the clock) can be a major challenge, most folks wouldn't use them as a main match rifle even if they could.

-- Nighteyes

[Wagon Box Willy]

Daniel, thanks for the comments.

As for the Spencer, yes, I knew about the 7 round magazine and the usual 10 rifle targets but I honestly have no delusions that I will ever actually be competitive at this so as I said earlier I'd likely compete against myself trying to best my previous times.  The consideration of the Spencer was primarily that it was different from what most others used and looks like it would be a blast to shoot.  I was originally looking at getting one in the new 45LC offering but had then convinced myself, without consulting the SASS rules, that 56-50 would make a lot of smoke and be fun to shoot.  I see I have to rethink this now. 

As for my grip, I will try the Colts though I really hope I can stay with the Remington's.

Also as to my grip, I'm posting in The Shootin' Range some links to pics and a clip or two of my grip on my Pietta NMA.  Maybe someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong or for sure tell me it's the wrong gun for me.

Thanks
   Willy

[Wild Bill Blackerby]

Aw, Daniel my good pard you do make me blush.

Yo Willy,

Once you've perused the schedule for this year let me know you're going to be at a certain shoot I'll bring my '75 Remmie and some ammo for you to try it out.
When I started out in SASS many years back my first choice pistol was a '75 Remmie - I saw it in the same copy of Guns of the Old West that introduced me to SASS and a life that would never be the same.
Of course the navies will be offered as well.

[Skinny Preacher 66418]

I don't like the fat wood grips Uberti puts on them. Especially with a heavy BP load and greasy hands. I added some checkered back gutta-percha style grips that I bought from Dixie Arms (fyi, the ones they sell must be made for the originals b/c I had to add material to them to look decent...JB weld and black sharpie):

[Skinny Preacher 66418]

[Wild Bill Blackerby]

Well if we're showin' guns...   here's mine, the grip is thin and was installed by Buffalo Brothers at EOT years back.