Who Builds the Best Remmy?

Preach N. Mann · September 30, 2009, 01:51:39 PM

I own a couple of Uberti Remmies in stainless and really like them,
but I have seen other Italian clones and was just wondering
what the consensus of opinion was on who builds the most
authentic one as well as who builds the best quality one,
ie. best shooter, finest finish, etc..

Major 2 · September 30, 2009, 03:35:31 PM

I going out on limb here with my opinion and assuming you mean current production...

Pietta makes a nice shooter...but it's oversize grip and non-dove tail sight limit it's appeal to me....
But is hard to beat for the price of admission.

Now...Since USFA has CANNED the Remington Project ...

Uberti is my choice, I'm very happy with my Forged Frame Factory Conversion

Daniel Nighteyes · September 30, 2009, 09:23:27 PM

I also prefer my pair of Ubertis over my pair of Piettas. They fit my hands better.

WaddWatsonEllis · September 30, 2009, 10:25:19 PM

Hi,

I can hear the hoots now, but I have to mention that metalllurgically an engineering wise, the Ruger Old Army is the best 'Remington', barring the fact that they are far from exact copies....

Montana Slim · October 02, 2009, 09:41:02 PM

IMO, the Ruger is simply a Ruger that happens to have a top strap & thes the connection to the Remington.

I've owned and worked on both Pietta and Uberti. I've seen the good and the bad of both. Few are perfect out of the box, but I've seen one or two of each Mfgr. that were close. All functioned and shot well after tuning up.

I'd likely give the nod to the Pietta since they all need to be worked on a bit & this brand is a bit lower cost. The grips can easily be reshaped to fit your hand better, I've done so with mine as well as defarbed & refinished, as well as bobbed the barrel. I set a pair up for my Pa to run R&D cylinders and they are very nice, smooth & quite accurate, still sporting the 8" barrels.

regards,
Slim

Major 2 · October 03, 2009, 04:34:59 AM

Ruger Old Army is a Blackhawk Frame with a C&B Cylinder & loading lever sort of a Steampunk version of Ruger's Design.
It has about as much in common with the 58 &/or New Model Remington, as The "Henry BIG BOY does with a 66 Yellowboy.

As the Gun goes it's not bad, it enjoys a nitch in the broad scope of shooting. Sorta mixing Cap & Ball's antiquated appeal
with Modern Tech... there in lie the rub, tends to defeat the purpous in my opinion.
Like buying a new 2010 Car with 18th century steam engine....or Auto Pilot & GPS on a Sopwith Camel.

I bought one (Old Army) in Stainless in the very early 80's, it was sort of a lark.
It shot well but did not stoke the fire of the Historical interest for me.
It's still, I'm sure in someones holster or perhaps gun safe...having made way to for another Colt 2nd. Gen BP Series for me.

oneirone4 · October 03, 2009, 08:50:36 PM

I ordered a Remington 1875 from Uberti. When I picked it up at the FFl, the firing pin retaining pin was half out and you could see where it had marred the breach. There was a gap of about one fourth inch between the metal and the top of the right grip. The ram to discharge empties was rough and felt like it had small ridges near the cylinder. Sent it back expecting to get another one, but instead they returned a letter to the FFL saying it would take about ten weeks to fix.

Slowhand Bob · October 11, 2009, 06:36:30 PM

Is it Pietta that makes the high end target version that used to win all the prizes? My first Pietta 58 was purchased somewhat due to a Cabellas sale price many years back. I never liked the grips but quickly found out that it could shoot rings around the Colt clones without all the problems. I remember many of the early posts claiming that you had to be shooting Ruger Old Armies to win, due to everything else being undependable and this just didn't tabulate. By now I had two for shooting Frontiersman and they were still box stock and totally dependable. Around this time one could still buy them from Cabellas for under a hundred dollars so I ordered a second pair and sent the first ones to a gunsmith as soon as the new ones arrived. The second pair proved to be as dependable as the first and have long since been smoothed by a smith as well. I soon purchased many extra cylinders to allow preloading for a six stage match on the night before but this was all several years back.

Last year I purchased a pair of the newer short barl ones from Cabellas and sent them off to the smith for smoothing but about quit shooting afterwards so they have not even been test fired yet. I just found out today that the newest pair does not work with the old cylinders and now need to address this before using them. The finish on the Rugers and Ubertis used to be superior to Piettas but the gap is closing, as is the price difference! I really wish I had gotten the new Stainless 5 1/2" with checkered grips that Cabellas has out now, they might have improved the grip slightly. Rugers grip was even worse in my opinion but I have never tried the Uberti. In some small way I think the word got out on the dependability and economy of these revolvers and that went along way in Rugers decision to drop the Old Army. You can have a stainless steel cap and ball revolver that is very dependable, smaller, lighter and actually modeled after a gun that really existed.

Montana Slim · October 11, 2009, 10:54:02 PM

Comparing period percussion revolvers and their modern clones......As a target firearm the modern Remington is superior to the Colt. As a combat arm, the Colt far exceeds the Remington. True today as it was back in "the day".

If you've extensively used each and read period field reports on each weapon's performance you'll reach the same conclusion.

Regards,
Slim

Smokin Gun · October 12, 2009, 01:13:28 AM

How?

Slowhand Bob · October 12, 2009, 11:50:50 AM

I much prefer the feel of a Colt Navy grip in my hand over that of the Pietta Remington BUT have yet to find a Pietta Colt clone that will hold up under match conditions without stoppages. In war that could mean death and in SASS it only means match losses but the parallel still leaves me wondering how also. In battle, a cap stoppage after the first or second round will kill you much faster than the fouling build up after a dozen rounds. For those playing the game I have a tip that will improve the Remmies performance many times over, swap cylinders between loads. Even if you are only using one spare cylinder, load it and swap every stage and your gun will not lock down on you. Its even faster than loading inside the gun if you have a cart mounted press.

Why does every Pietta Remington clone work fine with the factory nipples while every one of their Colt clones require going to the more expensive after market variety? I currently have twelve well tested Remington cylinders and all have worked superbly with the nipples, as shipped, while out of six Pietta cap and ball Colts, not one has worked without shimming a couple or more of the nipples. Its just weird to me that they can machine one so much consistent than the other. I am now down to just the Pietta '51s but I am going to see what it takes to get them to work and that means starting with the nipples. Wonder if them Civil War guys were having to buy special nipples fer their Colts?

?

Ten Wolves Fiveshooter · October 12, 2009, 12:21:12 PM

Howdy Slowhand Bob

Davidi Pedersoli makes the target version of the 1858 Remington, and I've heard it's a tact driver.

Regards

tEN wOLVES

Pettifogger · October 12, 2009, 09:03:01 PM

Quote from: Slowhand Bob on October 12, 2009, 11:50:50 AM
I much prefer the feel of a Colt Navy grip in my hand over that of the Pietta Remington BUT have yet to find a Pietta Colt clone that will hold up under match conditions without stoppages. In war that could mean death and in SASS it only means match losses but the parallel still leaves me wondering how also. In battle, a cap stoppage after the first or second round will kill you much faster than the fouling build up after a dozen rounds. For those playing the game I have a tip that will improve the Remmies performance many times over, swap cylinders between loads. Even if you are only using one spare cylinder, load it and swap every stage and your gun will not lock down on you. Its even faster than loading inside the gun if you have a cart mounted press.

Why does every Pietta Remington clone work fine with the factory nipples while every one of their Colt clones require going to the more expensive after market variety? I currently have twelve well tested Remington cylinders and all have worked superbly with the nipples, as shipped, while out of six Pietta cap and ball Colts, not one has worked without shimming a couple or more of the nipples. Its just weird to me that they can machine one so much consistent than the other. I am now down to just the Pietta '51s but I am going to see what it takes to get them to work and that means starting with the nipples. Wonder if them Civil War guys were having to buy special nipples fer their Colts??

Go here to see how to tune a Pietta. http://www.theopenrange.net/forum/index.php?topic=5659.0

Montana Slim · October 13, 2009, 09:28:43 PM

Funny, I've never used any other cone (nipple) than Uberti or Pietta on any of my revolvers. I admit to have smoothed and shaped some of them a bit to allow them to fit either CCI #11 or #10 caps (my favorites). If the revolver won't run at/near 100% I won't use it at a match.

Regards,
Slim