Looking for my first BP single-action pistol and have the bug for a 1860 Army model. Who can enlighten me on the various models and "sellers" of these replicas. Price is a factor, so the Colt Black Powder makes are desired but unattainable at this point. Price-wise, I have been looking at Traditions and Cabelas steel models. Experienced feedback on these makes? How about Navy Arms, Uberti and Cimarron? Really looking for a "shooter" to start me out. Is brass a bad choice? For the money, I gather the few extra bucks are worth the investment in steel. Was even considering the cheapy Cabelas 1851 Navy Brass model just to get my feet wet in black powder. All your feedback is appreciated.
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1860 Army replicas
- Thread starter jakester
- Start date
There are really only two makes of colt repros Ubertis and Piettas. Cimarron, EMF, Navy Arms all sell Ubertis IIRC. Cabelas sells a mix of some Ubertis and mostly Piettas. You can usually tell by the price since the Pietta guns are usually about $100 less than the Uberti guns. In many cases ubertis are worth the extra money however because their fit and finish is better.
Brass frames can stretch so spend the extra $ for a steel frame. Do not buy the starter kit since you will likely replace most of it in short order.
As an aside remingtons from both Pietta and Uberti are pretty nice, have fewer problems than colts (fewer cap jams anyway). Plus you can buy conversion cylinders and shoot cowboy smokeless loads in them.
Brass frames can stretch so spend the extra $ for a steel frame. Do not buy the starter kit since you will likely replace most of it in short order.
As an aside remingtons from both Pietta and Uberti are pretty nice, have fewer problems than colts (fewer cap jams anyway). Plus you can buy conversion cylinders and shoot cowboy smokeless loads in them.
Alex Johnson
New member
Your best bet is to go somewhere where you can handle both brands and than make a decision. I work only a few blocks from Cabelas in East Grand Forks so it's easy for me to go and brouse the selection of guns that they have and they usually have a several guns in their bargain cave at greatly reduced prices. Piettas vary in quality, but my experiences with their 1860s are that they are nicely finished and good shooters. They have at least three of these sitting in the bargain cave here in EGF for about $114 so they can be had for good prices.