How To Get Pietta Parts ??

Professor Marvel · August 07, 2019, 06:22:43 PM

Well Netizens, I am desirous of some thunderer style back gripstraps.
I see that Taylors and others list them, but after putting in an order for 3 I find they are on backorder....
and calling Cimarron I found they have none.... and coincidentally they show a backorder for three ...
Coincidence? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW!

Since EMF is now owned by Pietta do you suppose they might be able to get them sooner? or at all?

Perhaps a letter writing campaign to EMF?

A group buy of 100 units?

Would it help if I used my google fu to find Poor Old Alchamistas cell phone number and pester him? ( ITS A JOKE!)
(I would never stalk such a fine fellow who was the White Knight for EMF... )

any ideas besides fabricating them myself?

I suppose It would be a great excuse to repair the electric kiln and fire up the forge to cast some aluminum bronze...
I ought to be able to pull it off with only a 85% reject rate....

Maybe I can try mild steel fabrication and bending, like a Bowie D guard.... and a 75% reject rate.....

yhs
prof marvel

Major 2 · August 07, 2019, 07:50:43 PM

How about contacting Alessandro Pietta directly he is on https://www.linkedin.com also Facebook

I don't do Facebook myself , but I have corresponded with him on Linkedin

Abilene · August 07, 2019, 11:37:46 PM

I would contact EMF, and if they don't have them, try Major 2's suggestion. I know in years past Alessandro has brought various "special order" parts with him from Italy when he came to the U.S. for Winter Range, etc.

You called them "Thunderer style" and we know what you mean, but to be more precise, EMF calls them Express style grips and Cimarron calls them Thunderball grips. They are slightly thinner than the Uberti Thunderer grips. On the Ubertis, the triggerguard is the same as on the plow handle guns with only the backstrap being different, not sure about Piettas.

Coffinmaker · August 08, 2019, 09:27:06 AM

Give up the search.

After you acquire them ... you won't like them.

(snicker snicker)

Mogorilla · August 08, 2019, 03:10:15 PM

Hey Prof, have you checked with VTI Gun Parts? If they are on backorder, you can preorder/purchase and they will let you know when they have them to ensure you still want them. I have not done the Thunderer or the Birdshead grips, but was sorely tempted. I did order the 3" and 5" barrel for the 1860 colt. Both were on backorder and I got a call a couple of months later, after a resounding yes, they were in my hands in a few days. They were great in the customer service. They are nicely interchangeable. I picked up the Kirst .22 conversion which has a 2.5" barrel insert. It makes the 3" barrel a lot of fun.

Professor Marvel · August 08, 2019, 03:31:26 PM

Thanks Major & Abilene -
If all else fails I'll try those routes - I really don't want to bother Allesandro too much lol

Quote from: Mogorilla on August 08, 2019, 03:10:15 PM
Hey Prof, have you checked with VTI Gun Parts? If they are on backorder, you can preorder/purchase and they will let you know when they have them to ensure you still want them. I have not done the Thunderer or the Birdshead grips, but was sorely tempted. I did order the 3" and 5" barrel for the 1860 colt. Both were on backorder and I got a call a couple of months later, after a resounding yes, they were in my hands in a few days. They were great in the customer service. They are nicely interchangeable. I picked up the Kirst .22 conversion which has a 2.5" barrel insert. It makes the 3" barrel a lot of fun.

Thanks Mogorilla - I forgot about VTI! I'll check em out.

Coffin, I too thought I would hate them until I played with one in the LGS and found it grand!
So I got lucky and snagged a factory-made Pietta snub 1860 with the thunderer grip and absolutely love the illegitamite thing even more than the
rounded birded I had made!

yhs
prof marvel

Coffinmaker · August 08, 2019, 05:30:08 PM

Actually, I found the Pietta version of the Thunderer Grip Set to be Marvelous. I really liked em. I actually had a pair of Pietta Snubbies with those grips. Unfortunately, I didn't really like the 1860 Snubbies and was in the process of building my own version of Snubbies. So, they went away. I actually wish I had kept the grip sets. Oh well ....... hind sight and all that.

Presently, you will probably find your Thunderer grips on someone else's guns. There is a possibility I must investigate though.

Watch This Space.

Professor Marvel · August 08, 2019, 07:33:13 PM

At this time in my life I would rather buy the damn things outright. I have been shopping that bay place for years,
but have been unsuccessfull in obtaining a thunderer grip frame... So I tried the vendors ( but forgot VTI.... )

I did score an original in relic condition elsewhere as a model, tho but it won't fit any my frames of course.

Since I have so much ~~useless crap~~ ~~junk~~ parts ~~filed carefully away~~ piled on top of my desk that
I think I may have ( dangerous concept, that) several brass 1851 backstraps that are not assigned to anything in particular.....

sooooo if i get desparate I may try frabrication with those things since I am much better at brazing than I am at welding.

If that fails ( ie is too ugly to continue to exist) I could try the bronze casting.

Last attempt will be a combo of blacksmithing and wire welding. Mebbe yes, mebbe no. It is Harder for me to fill in the ~~cavities~~ mistakes
with wire weld than brazing rod ...

Fabrication from zero is dicy since I am still having trouble wrapping my brain around the making of the shoulder bit that bolts onto the frame by
the hammer.... take a block of metal and file away what doesn't belong? make smaller pieces and attach them together somehow? Remembering of
course that I am the guy that cannot file a flat ~~unnassited~~ ~~unassisstered~~ without help.

yhs
prof marvel

Abilene · August 08, 2019, 07:55:07 PM

If you ever happen to want to do something with the Uberti version of the Thunderer grip, Cimarron has had the wood grips in their bargain bin for years. They were $35 for some years but now $25. Some may be scratched. These were basically pulls from new guns that were being sent for plating and faux ivory grips to make their Doc Holliday series.

https://www.cimarron-firearms.com/guns-n-stuff/show-cases/thunderer-wood-grips-bargain.html

Coffinmaker · August 09, 2019, 09:20:07 AM

As the World Turns. Turns out I'm a bust for the Thunderer Grip Set. The Sets I sold off have been further sold on, so no clue where they are. Darn.

Mogorilla · August 09, 2019, 01:01:13 PM

Ah bronze casting. I would love to try it again now that I have at least seen it done several times in videos. I helped a friend do it long ago when the internet was still in knee pants. Planned on a sword and a spear head. We got a dagger and a spear head and a few burns (maybe several), and plans to do a 2nd set for me were tabled. So, my dreams of being Ajax were put on hold. The fine oil sand the make now days (please tell me it is new) might make the project easier. Please keep us updated.

Coffinmaker · August 13, 2019, 03:03:04 PM

Perfesser

OK, here it is. Since I was a bust tracking down some I sold

What ya do, is take to wandering around (lurking at) your normal venue (place) for CAS shooters, whilst packing a carefully camouflaged shovel. You will soon spy someone whom has an sample example of the grip set of your desire (lust). Slide up from behind and whack im widda shovel. Snatch said pistol and retreat (slink off) wid yer prize. Should you find you don't have a keeper (Uberti don't fit) just throw it back like as if you caught the wrong fish. Start over (lurking) and spying till you spot 'nother (repeat with shovel)

Abilene · August 13, 2019, 03:37:48 PM

Remind me not to shoot with Coffinmaker. He might like my belt buckle. Or hatband. Or anything.

Professor Marvel · August 14, 2019, 01:23:58 AM

Thanks for all your ~~considerable~~ considered replies!

Mog- the casting project will be a last resort. I had been doing aluminum casting before we moved 12 years ago, with the aim of moving up to bronze.. but reconstructing the new house has taking precedence, so ....

VTI is a bust, as is all the others including dixie and numrich. If Taylors and EMF don't come thru in a few months, I'll use the Pietta 1860 snubbie grip as a pattern and try modifyin my junker brass backstraps first. At least with those I can keep adding more material with the brass brazing lol.

yhs
prof marvel

Coffinmaker · August 14, 2019, 11:15:28 AM

Perfesser .......

On second thought. I have been known to adapt (modify) a Uberti Grip Set to a Pietta (Sacrilege). Now, I will quantify (add a CAVEAT) the Uberti frames were ALL BRASS. Brass trigger guard and Brass Back Strap. The all brass components made the actual fitting much easier. 'Nother CAVEAT: Once you fit the Uberti Grip Frame to the Pietta, the Uberti wood will no longer fit and new wood grips will be necessary. Or .... a lot of epoxy filler

Professor Marvel · August 14, 2019, 08:06:12 PM

Thanks my Dear Coffin , for trying to chase down the sold-off grip frames...

and also for the ~~morally questionable~~ unique suggestions...

If I ever see you with a shovel, I will know what is afoot.

As the best scroungers used to say,
Anything that is not nailed down is MINE
And Anything I can pry loose is not nailed down.

I have three on back order with Taylors, and I will put an order with EMF.
Then as I get an hour free at a time, I will set up jigs & etc for ~~butchering~~ modifying an old brass backstrap.

below are some pics I have to work from (and now an actual pietta 1860 snub in hand) of an original, a pietta thunderer snub 1860 and either pietta or uberti backstrap...

I certainly don't have the fabrication skills of Taylor Pierce, but lets see what kind of blobby mess
I can create....

Oh, and I discovered 4 unfinished steel backstraps I had scored off OWS over a year ago...
so there is some more raw material to screw up as well LOL

yhs
prof marvel

Drydock · August 14, 2019, 08:37:10 PM

VTI shows an unfinished Thunderer backstrap under the 1873 GWII at the bottom of the Pietta list. If you have already checked that, my apologies. Now where did I put that E-tool?

Drydock · August 14, 2019, 08:46:08 PM

Nope, you already looked there.

Professor Marvel · August 15, 2019, 02:20:45 AM

My Dear Drydock-
Yeah I did, thanks tho...
yhs
prof mumbles

Coffinmaker · August 15, 2019, 02:45:21 PM

My Good Perfesser

I am want to report

I have held/had/shot/play'd with .... Both the Uberti "Thunderer(s)" (Plural) and the Pietta version of same. I found the Pietta version to be more "comfortable" to shoot. The Pietta are ever so slightly larger and fit much better. Were I to again dabble in cartridge guns (very very doubtful) I would probably start with a pair of Pietta GW II Pony Express, with Express Grip, Bisley hammer (now CAS legal) and wider trigger.

While not exactly "budget" priced, I have found the Pietta built GW IIs to be the best value for dollar of currently available SA Replicants. Cimarron also sells a very similar gun which is built to the same specs and standards as the GW II.

I do get a mite sideways when folks erroneously call the "Thunderer" style of grip set ... a "Birdshead" which it is not. Sort of like calling out a 45 LONG Colt cartridge (never existed). Of course, I have been known to be a bit contrary anyway. Oh, forgot, I also find the Barrel length of the "Pony Express" to be just right. Not that I am known for a preference for shorter barrels (snicker snicker)