Where Did USFA's Steam Wander Off To?

[mtone]

A one time importer of Uberti parts is correct back in the 90s but what's this CNC software sharing with Uberti stuff?

[Deadeye Dick]

Then you are mistaken

EMF is no longer a Uberti Importer ..Pietta is their soarce
Cimarron ,Taylors and Stoeger are the Uberti Importers not Manufacturers
Cimarron has a line on Pietta now as well

From EMF's web site, the following-

"During the first months of 1959, Aldo Uberti started his first production of replicas. The first model produced was the 1851 Navy. In 1965, Aldo Uberti made his first lever action...the Model 1866 in .22 Rimfire. After 50 years, the A. Uberti Company continues making fine replica reproductions of the Cowboy Era firearms. EMF proudly imports and distributes selected Uberti firearms, including the 1875 Remington, Stallion Model (.22Caliber 10 Shot), 1866 Short Rifles & 1873 Border rifles."

Sorry Major!

Deadeye Dick

[Major 2]

"I also know that EMF, like Cimarron, Beretta, and I think Taurus all buy the firearms from Uberti or Pietta."

Call EMF see if you can order a Uberti  (not saying they didn't carry Uberti and not saying they don't have some remaining stock)

EMF announced sometime back they were no longer a Uberti importer.....

[Fairshake]

The biggest problem with USFA is the owner Doug. Look at Jim Finch's web site, aka Long Hunter. He had to stop taking order's for guns because Doug has done this many times in the past. He stops making the guns that built the company and goes off on other projects instead of having enough stock to fill orders. It is a bad economy, but when you can't ship a revolver in 38 special because you have none in stock then that is bad management. Doug was born a multi millionaire and does not need to ever sell another gun. He thinks different than regular folks. I don't mean anything is wrong with him but that he feels like making the 1873 in several choices of desert colors is more pressing than having your bread and butter guns in inventory for sales. He did this country a huge favor by buying the Colt factory and building a great gun that is made in America. It got Colt off it's butt and made them see that they needed to improve as they had a new player in town. For that he gets my total respect and gratitude.  He needs to at least have a inventory that allows you or I to go to some one such as Jim and order a certain gun. That gun should be delivered within a 30 day period if it's a standard catalog item without special features. You should be able to go into any large stocking dealer and see one in stock. That is not caused by the current economy. Once he is in shape with the bread and butter then and only then should other guns be pursued. Jim's site is very plain when he prints over the USFA guns in his ads with the following words, Temporarily Not Accepting Orders for USFA'S Due To Manufacturer's Inability To Deliver. That is the problem Period!

[texagun]

The biggest problem with USFA is the owner Doug..... Doug was born a multi millionaire and does not need to ever sell another gun. He thinks different than regular folks.....He needs to at least have a inventory that allows you or I to go to some one such as Jim and order a certain gun. That gun should be delivered within a 30 day period if it's a standard catalog item without special features. You should be able to go into any large stocking dealer and see one in stock....Jim's site is very plain when he prints over the USFA guns in his ads with the following words, Temporarily Not Accepting Orders for USFA'S Due To Manufacturer's Inability To Deliver. That is the problem Period!

Have you considered that perhaps it may be more economically feasible for USFA to sell their guns to those that order directly from them rather than wholesaling them to a dealer who modifies them to their preference.  It doesn't seem fair to attack the owner of the business for making business decisions based on the prevailing market.  I have dealt with Doug on 2 occasions and he has been very cooperative, accommodating, and gentlemanly in both instances.  I have ordered 2 guns directly from USFA.  I was told exactly when they were to be delivered and in both instances, they were delivered precisely on schedule.  As far as being "born a multi-millionaire, I say "Good for him!"  That's not something I would hold against him and I really doubt that he "thinks different than regular folks."  Rather than criticizing him, I applaud his courage and entrepreneurship in establishing a business that produces some of the finest sixguns on the planet. Anyone who thinks they can do better should get the capital together, take the necessary risks, and start producing something better.  Since he is the CEO of the company who has taken those risks, he has the right to make and sell any product he desires.  The marketplace will judge as to whether or not he has made the right decisions.  In the meantime, I expect he is selling everything his company is making.

[Fox Creek Kid]

Have you considered that perhaps it may be more economically feasible for USFA to sell their guns to those that order directly from them rather than wholesaling them to a dealer who modifies them to their preference...

Huh? How would that affect the price UNLESS the company is undercutting jobbers. The jobber price should theoretically be the same. In the end all that matters to a sane company is getting their product into the consumers' hands.

I have only spoken to the owner once but I know many people who have met & know the owner. Texagun, congratulations as you are the first and only person who has not described him in disparaging terms. 

[Caprock Louis]

It is my understanding that USFA has not manufactured one single action so far this year.  Long Hunter has had  a couple hundred on order for months and months.  Every time Doug takes off he idles his workers therefore most have finally given up.  USFA is such a fine company it is a shame to see it fall due to inattention of a millionaire.  I personally love the guns and have 4 engraved USFA revolvers including a full cattlebrand so it is with heavy heart I find this to be true.

Caprock Louis
Lost deep in heart of Texas

[texagun]

It is my understanding that USFA has not manufactured one single action so far this year.  
Lost deep in heart of Texas

I don't want to burst your bubble, but I have one that was manufactured this year.  And it was delivered on time, precisely when they said it would be ready.  And I had updates on every step of the process, when it was being sent to Doug Turnball for the  CCH, when it returned, when the cylinder was being manufactured, etc.  You get the drift.

[Old Doc]

I don't want to burst your bubble, but I have one that was manufactured this year.  And it was delivered on time, precisely when they said it would be ready.  And I had updates on every step of the process, when it was being sent to Doug Turnball for the  CCH, when it returned, when the cylinder was being manufactured, etc.  You get the drift.

So what's the moral of the story ? Are we all supposed to order directly from the factory. I don't remember seeing that encouraged on their website. What kind of company will not supply their dealers or distributors with a product in a reasonable time frame. Longhunter Supply told me they have had 145 guns on order since before the new year. Other dealers report the same. What is happening at the factory on a day to day basis for the last 5-6 months ? I don't have personal knowledge of the owner but from some of the things I hear, I think he treats the company as a hobby rather than a business. After waiting 6 months on a plain Jane Rodeo, I switched my deposit to a Ruger.

[jdpress]

I am only aware of two large online stocking USFA dealers; Alex Hamilton's Ten-Ring Precision and Greg Grimes' Trail Creek Trade Company.   

Trail Creek Trade Co. has a total of thirty USFA revolvers in inventory, a few are on consignment or used but the majority are new models and most important, they have added three new USFA revolvers with brand new production serial numbers, in just the last week.   

Ten-Ring Precision has a total of fifty-eight USFA revolvers currently available for sale, with one new revolver added so far this month.

Other than USFA show guns, special order revolvers that had been cancelled and models that had been in inventory, these are the first new production models I have seen added on the internet since February of this year.  I take this as a good sign from USFA!  However, I have noticed that Jim Finch's Long Hunter Shooting Supply site no longer lists USFA revolvers on their home page.

J.D. Press

[Pentz]

I just picked up a Storekeeper from Alex this last week. Great guy to deal with on the telephone, answered all my questions and checked out the piece for me during the discussion.  No worries; it is a beautiful revolver and shoots like it should!

[Old Doc]

I just got a e-mail frm USFA yesterday. They are going full steam ahead with .45LC/410 hand cannon. They can't fill orders in a timely fashion for their bread and butter guns but off they go on another tangent. Are the inmates running the asylum?

[Harley Starr]

From my experience, it's crystal clear that USFA needs a more aggressive ad campaign because they still remain relatively obscure to many in the business.

True story, this one guy kept insisting that my Single Action was a Ruger. A Ruger!!!!

I'd say it pays to advertise alot more.

[Pettifogger]

From my experience, it's crystal clear that USFA needs a more aggressive ad campaign because they still remain relatively obscure to many in the business.

True story, this one guy kept insisting that my Single Action was a Ruger. A Ruger!!!!

I'd say it pays to advertise alot more.

What's the point of advertising if you are not going to deliver any product?

[Capt. John Fitzgerald]

Regarding the "Shot Pistol," here, in part, is what I posted on the USFA web site forum.

Tenring.com now has the USFA shot pistol listed on their web site. In their sales description they state;

"This unique, superb quality revolver does not have a loading gate. If the revolver is pointed up when cocking a live 45 Colt round will slide back a little and stop rotation or fall out completely. When cocking the gun must be level or pointed down. However, this is still a quality piece that shoots perfectly and is very easy to handle."

This alone should eliminate the USFA shot pistol from any consideration as a self defense weapon. If the .45 round will slide back, there is a possibility, however slight, that a .410 round will do the same. One must wonder why USFA chose to eliminate the loading gate.
I own a number of USFA SAA's and firmly believe that they are among the finest revolvers of their type being made today. USFA is a relatively small company with a limited number of CNC machines and it would seem that right now they are dedicating most of their resources to producing the shot pistol. As a result, the production of SAA's seems to be suffering. This is, of course, an assumption on my part based on the fact that the local gun shops that I deal with state that they are currently having difficulty getting orders filled by USFA.

When I first saw pictures of the Shot Pistol on the web, I honestly thought that it was an April Fool's joke.  Someone's PhotoShop fantasy.  I can't believe that USFA is sacrificing production of the SAA in order to produce this piece of junk.  I am rapidly losing faith in USFA.

[Harley Starr]

What's the point of advertising if you are not going to deliver any product?

Who knows? That's up to the folks runnin' the show, I reckon.

The point is that some folks who've known single action revolvers for their whole lives STILL HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT U.S.F.A.!

That should be a major concern for USFA, but obviously it isn't.

[Fox Creek Kid]

The saddest part is that USFA could EASILY turn this around. Drop the gimmick guns & concentrate on classic SAA style guns and ways to lower the price. Also, set up a "cell" at the plant to make small limited runs of classic Old West sixguns like the '75 Remmy and other models. Ruger has done this "cell" approach and they are laughing all the way to the bank.

[Old Doc]

I saw the gun listed on Ten Ring's site along with the note about the missing loading gate. The implication was that it was a prototype which somehow got through w/o a loading gate. However, the photos on the USFA e-mail also show the gun w/o a loading gate. What gives ?

[Harley Starr]

The saddest part is that USFA could EASILY turn this around. Drop the gimmick guns & concentrate on classic SAA style guns and ways to lower the price. Also, set up a "cell" at the plant to make small limited runs of classic Old West sixguns like the '75 Remmy and other models. Ruger has done this "cell" approach and they are laughing all the way to the bank.

Amen to that!

[Deadeye Don]

Regarding the "Shot Pistol," here, in part, is what I posted on the USFA web site forum.

Tenring.com now has the USFA shot pistol listed on their web site. In their sales description they state;

"This unique, superb quality revolver does not have a loading gate. If the revolver is pointed up when cocking a live 45 Colt round will slide back a little and stop rotation or fall out completely. When cocking the gun must be level or pointed down. However, this is still a quality piece that shoots perfectly and is very easy to handle."

This alone should eliminate the USFA shot pistol from any consideration as a self defense weapon. If the .45 round will slide back, there is a possibility, however slight, that a .410 round will do the same. One must wonder why USFA chose to eliminate the loading gate.
I own a number of USFA SAA's and firmly believe that they are among the finest revolvers of their type being made today. USFA is a relatively small company with a limited number of CNC machines and it would seem that right now they are dedicating most of their resources to producing the shot pistol. As a result, the production of SAA's seems to be suffering. This is, of course, an assumption on my part based on the fact that the local gun shops that I deal with state that they are currently having difficulty getting orders filled by USFA.

When I first saw pictures of the Shot Pistol on the web, I honestly thought that it was an April Fool's joke.  Someone's PhotoShop fantasy.  I can't believe that USFA is sacrificing production of the SAA in order to produce this piece of junk.  I am rapidly losing faith in USFA.

Nice post and right on target.  If they cared about their customers this might mean something, but alas I fear they do not so it will probably fall upon deaf ears.