Italian Reproductions of Civil War Era Revolvers

sheepherder · 11-10-2010, 01:20 PM

I believe someone on this forum made mention of Italian reproductions of American Civil War era revolvers...

I have three of those...two are F. LLI Pietta repros of the 1851 Colt Navy .36 cal cap & ball revolver, and the 1860 Colt Army .44 cal cap & ball revolver. The third is an A. Uberti copy of the Colt 1872 Open Top cartridge revolver, in 38 Special cal.

I was captivated by the 1966 Clint Eastwood movie, "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly". I really wanted an 1872 Open Top back in the 70's. No mfg made one at that time, but there were a couple of gunsmiths here in the US making cartridge conversions of the Pietta cap & ball revolvers. I had planned sending them one of the Piettas, but the profile wasn't correct. Cimarron finally started importing the Uberti Open Top clone, and I immediately bought one. The 1872 Open Top is offered in several calibers by Uberti (as imported by Cimmaron). I chose 38 Special.

Sharp observers will immediately notice that the grip on my 1851 Navy is longer than a true Navy; this is because a true Navy grip is ~1/2" shorter than the Army model. I liked the longer Army grip, and bought a second 1860 Army revolver and an 1851 Navy cylinder & barrel assembly. I assembled the 1851 cyl & bbl onto the Army grip & frame (they are interchangeable in the Pietta line). [Think Tuco's gunshop scene in the movie]. This also gives me a spare 1860 cylinder & barrel assembly. I have these two pistols mounted on boards as wall decorations.

All three are very well made, and none have been shot. I bought the cap & ball revolvers back in the 70's/80's; the Open Top about 5 years ago.

I can recommend all three of these without reservation. All are well made, beautifully finished, and function flawlessly.

Excellent examples of Italian workmanship!

sheepherder · 11-10-2010, 01:23 PM

more pics...

Brickie · 11-10-2010, 10:50 PM

Have you seen the new repro of the of the gun used by Blondie? Cimmaron has the open top colt with the snake in the grip. It's in 38 special. They also have the 45 single action army,with snake, used in the two other Italian westerns. They look great. Check out cimmaron's web site.

sheepherder · 11-11-2010, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brickie

Have you seen the new repro of the of the gun used by Blondie? Cimmaron has the open top colt with the snake in the grip. It's in 38 special. They also have the 45 single action army,with snake, used in the two other Italian westerns. They look great. Check out cimmaron's web site.

I did see that advertised somewhere...but I never noticed the snake grip in the movie...

I was always amused by the Tuco character spinning cylinders, swapping frames, and listening to the lockwork [gunshop scene]...But when I finally owned a .454 Casull, and listened/compared the movement of the lockwork to my Ruger .44 Magnum, I realized that Sergio Leone was illustrating a little known fact...Some are better made than others...

Brickie · 11-11-2010, 09:48 AM

At the begining of the movies the gun is flashed and the rattlesnake in the grips is shown. It's only for a second or two. Blondie's repro is their best selling gun.

sheepherder · 11-11-2010, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brickie

At the begining of the movies the gun is flashed and the rattlesnake in the grips is shown. It's only for a second or two. Blondie's repro is their best selling gun.

It must be in one of the "Dollars" movies...I just watched the first 19 mins of "Good/Bad/Ugly" and all they show of Eastwoods pistol is the muzzle end (octagon barrel)...

Yep, that was it in the "Dollars" movies...

http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/Spe...anNoNameSA.htm

Although they do have an octagonal conversion w/snake...

http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/Con...o NameConv.htm

I'll have to watch the "Good/Bad/Ugly" DVD this weekend and see if I can spot it...

calibrator · 11-11-2010, 11:35 AM

I also have 3 C&B revolvers made in Italy. 1851 Navy .36 cal with brass frame by Pietta, 1860 Army .44 cal marked C.V.A. , and a really nice 1860 Army with cavalry shoulder stock .44 cal by Uberti. These are all early production from the 70's and have great fit and finish (not like some of the current offerings you see at cabellas etc...). They are ALMOST as sexy as Lugers and feel great in the hand when shooting. However, they are SO under valued in the marketplace. Was recently trying to sell them (to fund a 'scope and mount for my Swiss K-31) and was amazed at what people expected to steal them for. They will STAY in the safe ( along with the Morgan and Peace dollars) until better (or worse) times. Buy Silver Now !!

Brickie · 11-11-2010, 01:02 PM

My dealer called cimmaron and the price to him on the open top with snake was $590. Add shipping,dealers fee,and taxes it's not cheap. It's really a sharp looking revolver.

sheepherder · 11-11-2010, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brickie

My dealer called cimmaron and the price to him on the open top with snake was $590. Add shipping,dealers fee,and taxes it's not cheap. It's really a sharp looking revolver.

The Cimmaron site lists prices under "Product Information - Click here" under each item...The Open Top conversion without snake is $562...with snake is $800...

There are two other slick looking Richards & Mason conversions...

Kind of reverse engineering...Uberti made the C&B revolvers; now they make the cartridge conversions of them...

Ron Wood · 11-11-2010, 01:54 PM

Here is an original Colt and an Italian copy. Can you spot the repro?

chromeed · 11-11-2010, 06:14 PM

I payed as much for the Box and Acc. as for the Gun.
The gun shoots good but it is not easy to clean.
Ed

sheepherder · 11-11-2010, 07:41 PM

I have not shot my C&B revolvers...Some years ago, an acquaintance of mine went out to the range where I was shooting a .45 auto...He had a C&B revolver, loaded with Pyrodex...I was shooting a 5-shot string; he shot all 6 chambers...By the 6th shot, I could not see the targets...

That cured my desire to shoot C&B revolvers...

sheepherder · 11-11-2010, 09:57 PM

Just finished watching "Good/Bad/Ugly" on DVD...2 hrs 42 mins...plus deleted scenes (in Italian)...

No clear pic of the grip on Blondies pistol...but there does seem to be something besides wood on the grip in the capture scene before blowing the bridge...

I don't have the other two flics with Man With No Name right now...I'll try to rent them...

I dug out my 2004 catalog/price list...the retail price of the 1872 Open Top has actually gone down $7.00...

Don't see that very often...

chromeed · 11-12-2010, 12:12 AM

I use American Pioneer Jim Shockey's Gold Super Black Powder Substitute a lot less smoke and it does not leave as much of a mess it does not have the sulphur.

sheepherder · 11-12-2010, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

Here is an original Colt and an Italian copy. Can you spot the repro?

This must be a trick question...I'd say the little one is the repro, only because it's so much smaller...

...And because Cimarron makes an 1849 Pocket Model that looks like the big one...

11-10-2010, 01:20 PM	#1
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,197 Thanks: 1,416 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	Italian Reproductions of Civil War Era Revolvers I believe someone on this forum made mention of Italian reproductions of American Civil War era revolvers... I have three of those...two are F. LLI Pietta repros of the 1851 Colt Navy .36 cal cap & ball revolver, and the 1860 Colt Army .44 cal cap & ball revolver. The third is an A. Uberti copy of the Colt 1872 Open Top cartridge revolver, in 38 Special cal. I was captivated by the 1966 Clint Eastwood movie, "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly". I really wanted an 1872 Open Top back in the 70's. No mfg made one at that time, but there were a couple of gunsmiths here in the US making cartridge conversions of the Pietta cap & ball revolvers. I had planned sending them one of the Piettas, but the profile wasn't correct. Cimarron finally started importing the Uberti Open Top clone, and I immediately bought one. The 1872 Open Top is offered in several calibers by Uberti (as imported by Cimmaron). I chose 38 Special. Sharp observers will immediately notice that the grip on my 1851 Navy is longer than a true Navy; this is because a true Navy grip is ~1/2" shorter than the Army model. I liked the longer Army grip, and bought a second 1860 Army revolver and an 1851 Navy cylinder & barrel assembly. I assembled the 1851 cyl & bbl onto the Army grip & frame (they are interchangeable in the Pietta line). [Think Tuco's gunshop scene in the movie]. This also gives me a spare 1860 cylinder & barrel assembly. I have these two pistols mounted on boards as wall decorations. All three are very well made, and none have been shot. I bought the cap & ball revolvers back in the 70's/80's; the Open Top about 5 years ago. I can recommend all three of these without reservation. All are well made, beautifully finished, and function flawlessly. Excellent examples of Italian workmanship! Attached Thumbnails __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter... Last edited by sheepherder; 11-10-2010 at 08:16 PM.

11-10-2010, 01:23 PM	#2
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,197 Thanks: 1,416 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	more pics... Attached Thumbnails __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

11-11-2010, 11:35 AM	#7
calibrator User Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cave Creek Posts: 315 Thanks: 55 Thanked 244 Times in 93 Posts	I also have 3 C&B revolvers made in Italy. 1851 Navy .36 cal with brass frame by Pietta, 1860 Army .44 cal marked C.V.A. , and a really nice 1860 Army with cavalry shoulder stock .44 cal by Uberti. These are all early production from the 70's and have great fit and finish (not like some of the current offerings you see at cabellas etc...). They are ALMOST as sexy as Lugers and feel great in the hand when shooting. However, they are SO under valued in the marketplace. Was recently trying to sell them (to fund a 'scope and mount for my Swiss K-31) and was amazed at what people expected to steal them for. They will STAY in the safe ( along with the Morgan and Peace dollars) until better (or worse) times. Buy Silver Now !! Last edited by calibrator; 11-11-2010 at 02:22 PM.

11-11-2010, 01:54 PM	#10
Ron Wood Moderator 2010 LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Santa Teresa New Mexico just outside of the West Texas town of El Paso Posts: 7,040 Thanks: 1,106 Thanked 5,257 Times in 1,724 Posts	Here is an original Colt and an Italian copy. Can you spot the repro? Attached Thumbnails __________________ If it's made after 1918...it's a reproduction

11-11-2010, 06:14 PM	#11
chromeed User Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 81 Thanks: 1 Thanked 27 Times in 9 Posts	I payed as much for the Box and Acc. as for the Gun. The gun shoots good but it is not easy to clean. Ed Attached Thumbnails

11-10-2010, 10:50 PM	#3
Brickie User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: PA, USA Posts: 20 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Have you seen the new repro of the of the gun used by Blondie? Cimmaron has the open top colt with the snake in the grip. It's in 38 special. They also have the 45 single action army,with snake, used in the two other Italian westerns. They look great. Check out cimmaron's web site.

11-11-2010, 09:48 AM	#5
Brickie User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: PA, USA Posts: 20 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	At the begining of the movies the gun is flashed and the rattlesnake in the grips is shown. It's only for a second or two. Blondie's repro is their best selling gun.

11-11-2010, 01:02 PM	#8
Brickie User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: PA, USA Posts: 20 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	My dealer called cimmaron and the price to him on the open top with snake was $590. Add shipping,dealers fee,and taxes it's not cheap. It's really a sharp looking revolver.

11-11-2010, 07:41 PM	#12
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,197 Thanks: 1,416 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	I have not shot my C&B revolvers...Some years ago, an acquaintance of mine went out to the range where I was shooting a .45 auto...He had a C&B revolver, loaded with Pyrodex...I was shooting a 5-shot string; he shot all 6 chambers...By the 6th shot, I could not see the targets... That cured my desire to shoot C&B revolvers... __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

11-11-2010, 09:57 PM	#13
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,197 Thanks: 1,416 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	Just finished watching "Good/Bad/Ugly" on DVD...2 hrs 42 mins...plus deleted scenes (in Italian)... No clear pic of the grip on Blondies pistol...but there does seem to be something besides wood on the grip in the capture scene before blowing the bridge... I don't have the other two flics with Man With No Name right now...I'll try to rent them... I dug out my 2004 catalog/price list...the retail price of the 1872 Open Top has actually gone down $7.00... Don't see that very often... __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

11-12-2010, 12:12 AM	#14
chromeed User Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 81 Thanks: 1 Thanked 27 Times in 9 Posts	I use American Pioneer Jim Shockey's Gold Super Black Powder Substitute a lot less smoke and it does not leave as much of a mess it does not have the sulphur.