Buying A Pair Of Colt SAA -VS- Italian Replicas?

PJ Hardtack · October 10, 2019, 06:47:03 PM

My wife and I each have a pair of current generation 7-1/2" Pietta SAAs in 44-40. Couldn't be happier with them.

She bought her's 'as new' with lightened mainsprings and require Federal Primers. Mine are box stock and ignite all primers. Her's have walnut grips, mine faux ivory.

All have trigger pulls we wouldn't mess with.

Cholla Hill Tirador · October 18, 2019, 11:29:42 PM

Quote from: Coffinmaker on September 20, 2019, 10:37:54 AM
First a CAVEAT: I am not a fan of Colt. Hugely over-priced. Recent quality has sucked. All the other referenced stuff is none the less true. A Colt will hold it's value longer. You probably won't live long enough for it to appreciate enough to be an investment. They were made to be shot ... so shoot them.

They will need action work. They are going to be rough and over-sprung. Lots of stone work, polishing and R&R the OEM springs.

Twer it I. I'd opt for a pair of Pietta built GW IIs. Well made. The only thing they really need right out of the box is a change of Main Spring and whacking off the end of the base pin (two position dealy). And you get (as you mentioned) two nice new guns for the price of ONE Colt.

Your call Navy 47. We're a Lighthouse

Once again, Coffinmaker nailed it.

I've bought a handful of new 3rd Generation Colt's with every intention of converting them into used revolvers. (In fact at this very moment I have a new-in-the-box, 37 year old 5 1/2" .44 Special in the safe that will go on the auction block soon.) Then I pull back the oversprung hammer and feel the gritty action. Then notice the overbuffed finished and marginally fitted parts. The last one I had in 45 Colt had cylinder throats that measured from .454" to .456", ridiculous!

This is an example of a fairly recent (2017) Uberti I got from Dixie Gun Works last year. It is built and fit the way a new Colt should be, yet it cost about 1/4 the price of a 3rd Generation Colt. In fact they're still on sale for $450

I have little experience with the Pietta's, but if CM says they're good to go, then I'd bank on it.

CHT

chucksolo1 · November 23, 2019, 03:40:11 PM

I am new here and found this thread very interesting, Here are some comments on me experience with Colt SAA guns and Italian clones. I bought a Colt SAA 5.5" in .357 mag back in 1977 for $399.00. I have shot it but mostly with .38 special ammo. After shooting it for a month or so, the bluing on the front of each chamber was burned off, presumbly by slightly too much gap between cylinder and forcing cone. After a few more months it began to form bolt drag marks around the cylinder. The CCH on the frame was nothing to write home about and was mostly just gray and tan, no CCH on hammer; bluing was good. That being said, I have two Italian clones and have shot them for the last couple of months. My ASM-EMF 4.75" New Dakota in .45 Colt Is a beautifully built gun and the CCH on frame and hammer is superb, Bluing is excellent as well. My EMF-Pietta Great Western II Deluxe Californian .357 is like a work of art with excellent fit and finish and the CCH and bluing are fantastic. Neither one shows wear on ant part of the cylinder. IMHO, the Italian Colt clones are just as good and in some cases better than Colts. Would I buy another Colt SAA? Doubtful' especially when the clones are of such high quality!

45 Dragoon · November 23, 2019, 09:23:05 PM

Well, no matter the cost of the revolver, all S.A.s can benefit from a fine tuning /action setup. Obviously, some need more attention than others as far as extending parts life as well as ease of function. Likewise, a setup for competition can done on pretty much all copies of Colts and Remingtons.

If nothing is done, a factory offering can have an "ill" setup which leads to early failure. Therein is the reason for correcting (tuning) a brand new revolver.

Mike

Dispatch · January 09, 2020, 08:43:35 PM

You're not going to believe this...

Taylor's & Company totally screwed up my custom gun order.

I picked up my order today from my FFL and found what I received was not what I ordered, they sent me two 1875 Army Outlaw's with plain grips.

They were supposed to be as I mentioned in an post earlier, they were supposed to be two 'The Gunfighter Checkered' with consecutive serial numbers in .45 long Colt, 5.5" barrels in the charcoal blued finish.

https://www.taylorsfirearms.com/hand-guns/cartridge-revolvers/1873-single-actions/the-gunfighter-checkered.html

I can't believe this... I even paid extra to have them both Taylor tuned ($146.00 each, $292 total)

The biggest discrepancy on their part was they never sent me an invoice before the guns were started or in the process, all they did was they took my order by phone then I had to wait until they came in from Italy.

The only invoice I got was by email as the guns were already being shipped, on their way to my FFL.

They never even verified anything when I spoke to them by phone, when they charged it to my credit card.

I unfortunately found this out after 5 pm so I left a message on Taylor's voicemail.

I also had to pay $75 for the double FFL fees and the background check.

I patiently waited for over three months for these to come from the manufacturer in Italy.

What recourse do I have if they choose to not make this right, other than disputing the charge with my credit card?

Abilene · January 09, 2020, 10:56:24 PM

Ooh, that's not good. Well, mistakes do happen. Here's what I would expect they might do: you send the guns back, wait for a new pair from Uberti (I'm assuming the special order was because of the charcoal blue, since that's not the standard finish), and then they will tune those and send them to you, with hopefully some nice swag for your trouble. Either that, or return the guns for a full refund, which still leaves you where you started. Good luck.

Dispatch · January 10, 2020, 01:44:19 AM

Quote from: Abilene on January 09, 2020, 10:56:24 PM
Ooh, that's not good. Well, mistakes do happen. Here's what I would expect they might do: you send the guns back, wait for a new pair from Uberti (I'm assuming the special order was because of the charcoal blue, since that's not the standard finish), and then they will tune those and send them to you, with hopefully some nice swag for your trouble. Either that, or return the guns for a full refund, which still leaves you where you started. Good luck.

The only problem with being without any SAA's and put back to square one is, I had Cochise Leather custom make me a complete gun rig and now I have nothing to fill it.

The manager I spoke to at my FFL said maybe... Taylor's can expedite me the right ones I ordered instead of me having to wait as long as I did, but I would think that would be up to the manufacturer in Italy and depend on how backed up they are.

All I hope and expect is that Taylor's won't give me a hard time and make it right as best they can.

I'm already SOL on the $75.00 fee I paid to the FFL and even that I had no control over as the FFL had me do the paperwork and pay for everything first, before they even brought the guns out to me at the front counter. $:-\$

Has anyone had this happen to them or know of someone who has had the exact same thing happen to them by Taylor's & Company?

Major 2 · January 10, 2020, 05:14:49 AM

No Sir ....

They should make the correction

Can't grasp why you accepted them at the FFL $:-\$

Baltimore Ed · January 10, 2020, 08:20:23 AM

They should make it right and send you return postage and ins to ship the revolvers back to them. How hard is it to send an invoice via email? Did they do the action work on these? Or is there another cowboy somewhere totally amazed that he got upgraded Colts instead of his base model Rems? Or were your guns never even built? I waited almost a year for an 1866 Uberti Winchester from Cimarron with several false alarms that my rifle was here only to be told it wasn?t. But it was worth the wait. Good luck, keep us posted.

Lucky R. K. · January 10, 2020, 10:33:07 AM

I am quite surprised about your comments of Taylor's Customer Service. I have dealt with them on several occasions and have always been pleased. They have the reputation of being quite reliable and responsible. I do not remember his name now but their gun tuner is supposed to have a national reputation.

Lucky

Major 2 · January 10, 2020, 11:01:37 AM

Cody Conagher..and I agree Taylor's Customer Service is tops drawer

Dispatch · January 10, 2020, 01:39:54 PM

Quote from: Dispatch on September 23, 2019, 05:58:56 PM
Well, the order is in...

2 checkered 'Gunfighters' in charcoal blue(special order), 5.5" barrels, .45 long Colt, Taylor tuned, $800+ a piece.

They said they are going to 'try' to get them ordered with consecutive serial numbers.

Taylor's said it's a custom order so it'll take about 90 days give or take.

This post dated September 23rd, 2019 is actual proof of what I ordered, I wrote everything I wanted down beforehand and read it off to Taylor's when I placed the order and that's the same piece of paper I used to put the information up on this forum(I still have it here and its correct), yet... I just got off the phone with Teresa and she swore I ordered two uncheckered, 1875 Outlaws when I did not, they are two totally different guns.

She didn't want to own up to the fact that she screwed up my order, that showed me how inefficient and how fly-by-night Taylor's & Company really is, regardless of who may have received their order correctly in the past.

One thing I'm sure of, this is not an isolated incident, if they did this to me, they did it to numerous others.

They never sent me anything nor did they take a deposit, no invoice or receipt or sales slip until the guns were on the way to me, that is where the huge oversight lies on Taylor's shoulders, had they done so and the Outlaws were on it instead of the checkered Gunfighters, I would have caught it right off.

She made my worst fears come true, she totally denied making the mistake AND she bold face lied about our last conversation when she herself told me the guns did in fact have checkered grips when they did not.

I asked her about this because the girl I spoke to before that call said the guns came in and did not have checkered grips as they should have.

The problem is on Taylor's failure in NOT sending you an invoice once you place an order.

Thanks to Taylor's & Company I'm sitting here right now with a knot in my stomach disheartened and hopping mad as I waited patiently for almost 4 months and now I have nothing to show for it...

Dispatch · January 10, 2020, 01:49:18 PM

Quote from: Major 2 on January 10, 2020, 05:14:49 AM
No Sir ....

They should make the correction

Can't grasp why you accepted them at the FFL $:-\$

I wasn't given them until after all the paperwork was done and the fees were paid, only then had I discovered they were the wrong ones.

This has taught me, in the future with any FFL transfer I will ask to see what they have before I do anything...

Its no problem, my FFL said they would credit me what I was charged.

Major 2 · January 10, 2020, 02:37:35 PM

Ummmm " I wasn't given them until after all the paperwork was done and the fees were paid, only then did I discovered they were the wrong ones "

I don't think that is even legal ...surely not good business... FFL said they would credit me what I was charged. GOOD !

Dispatch · January 10, 2020, 02:43:35 PM

Quote from: Major 2 on January 10, 2020, 02:37:35 PM
Ummmm " I wasn't given them until after all the paperwork was done and the fees were paid, only then did I discovered they were the wrong ones "

I don't think that is even legal ...surely not good business... FFL said they would credit me what I was charged. GOOD !

Dispatch · January 10, 2020, 07:54:52 PM

Well... the guns are on their way back to Taylor's by way of my FFL.

The only question left is, what do I do now?

Baltimore Ed · January 10, 2020, 09:12:55 PM

For sure there was a substantial price difference between the upgraded special order pistols you ordered and the stock ones you received. How did they explain the difference in what you paid? They charged you for the nicer ones not the others, that alone proves your argument that you ordered what you ordered. Guess you?ll have to start searching again when you get your refund or are you going to give them a second chance?

Dispatch · January 10, 2020, 11:48:44 PM

Quote from: Baltimore Ed on January 10, 2020, 09:12:55 PM
For sure there was a substantial price difference between the upgraded special order pistols you ordered and the stock ones you received. How did they explain the difference in what you paid? They charged you for the nicer ones not the others, that alone proves your argument that you ordered what you ordered. Guess you?ll have to start searching again when you get your refund or are you going to give them a second chance?

You're right, that shows how slick Taylor's was trying to be with my order.

Oh no... them shooting irons are heading back to them for a full refund, after I receive my money back, I'm done with Taylor's for good.

When I gave the guns back to my FFL the manager said HE would order me a consecutively serial numbered set in the finish and style I wanted directly from Uberti and I'd immediately have a receipt completely detailing what I was ordering before the order went in.

Major 2 · January 11, 2020, 05:30:58 AM

Well if it ends well ....Bobs your Uncle

lets us know in 10 or twelve months when your guns reach customs ...

I still can't get past your FFL's condition

" I wasn't given them until after all the paperwork was done and the fees were paid, only then did I discovered they were the wrong ones "

You are saying you had no hands on before he got his dues ? ....that's just nuts !

Coffinmaker · January 11, 2020, 10:04:21 AM

Actually ... NO. Nor do or would I expect too. I've only been doing business with Taylors for around 20 years. Nothing but exemplary.

I also have some issue with your purported experience with your FFL whom also CANNOT order direct to or from Uberti.

Might I suggest you may have better results by taking up Golf??