Colt or Uberti

[hithard]

Which would you go for if price wasn't a big concern, 1873 sa 4 3/4" bbl in 357.

Thanks for your input.

[shoot-n-lead]

Man would be a fool to not buy the Colt, if money were no object. But, with that said, I LOVE the Cimarron's (Uberti) and cannot imagine liking a Colt any better.

[DougGuy]

Money being no object, I would by an OLD COLT that was tight. 1st Generation.

[69daytona]

I have both, a first gen long flute colt and 4 ubertis. Even after having the ubertis trigger jobs and spring change they don't feel as good as the colt, and I shoot my old colt a lot, but love the ubertis as they are very close and the cost is much cheaper.
if I didn't come across this colt cheap I would be more than happy with any of my ubertis.
my last uberti was a special run of 38-40 to go with my old Win 73. Love those old cowboy guns.

[DougGuy]

What is the deal with the Ubertis? I heard they listened to the shooters and addressed concerns and issues, what kind of changes have they gone through in metallurgy and machining to make the guns better? I had a .44 mag Cattleman in the early 1990s and wasn't too impressed with the metal, it seemed soft and the screw threads were real coarse and just not machined that well. You could NOT keep the ejector housing on that gun.

[robertbank]

What is the deal with the Ubertis? I heard they listened to the shooters and addressed concerns and issues, what kind of changes have they gone through in metallurgy and machining to make the guns better? I had a .44 mag Cattleman in the early 1990s and wasn't too impressed with the metal, it seemed soft and the screw threads were real coarse and just not machined that well. You could NOT keep the ejector housing on that gun.

Loctight keeps my ejector rod in place. Clocking screws in the SAA Colt's was pretty common so I am not so sure it was just limited to Uberti guns.

If we are talking new production I would go with the Uberti. With a new Colt you are going to pay way more for nothing more than a pony on the frame and little else.

I have my Great Grand-dads old Colt and it is a fine old gun but aside from the family connection is nothing real special. I would expect new productio guns to have better steel in them and there is nothing wrong with Uberti quality for what you pay.

Take care

Bob

[bedbugbilly]

I agree with Doug - money no object - a nice 1st generation Colt but that can be pretty pricey!

I have a Uberti 4 3/4" .357 Bisley that I got last spring. I have shot a Uberti '51 Navy for a number of years. Both are excellent revolvers. I wanted to try a Bisley and I love it. Fit and finish is fantastic - accurate and way too much fun to shoot. My next purchase will be a Uberti 45 Colt - probably a Cattleman but I'm still kind of wavering between that an a Bisley.

Myself - if I could afford a 1st generation Colt - I'd probably not shoot it as much. The Uberti? I consider that a "working" gun and it will get many rounds and I'm sure will hold up just fine until I get too old to shoot. I don't have kids but it will be passed on to someone who will hopefully enjoy it as much as I do.

[Love Life]

Colt.

[lefty o]

if i was gonna run the gun hard, id buy the import. for moderate shooting, and future value id opt for the colt.

[ejcrist]

I'd get the Colt even if money was a concern. I love the Uberti's but would prefer an older Colt like DougGuy said.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

The Italian metallurgy is much softer than the new Colt's made of American steel. My local gunsmith said he couldn't believe how easy it was to cut the barrel of an Italian compared to an American steel barrel. I bought an Italian SA back in the early 80's and even the screw heads were showing signs of weakness from just tightening them up during regular maintenance.

Go ahead and flame me but I don't think new American steel is all that necessary in a single action Colt .45. The original Colt's were made of wrought iron and they withstood black powder fine. The steel was improved and Colt upgraded along with the times. When smokeless powder came of age, the quality of steel improved. Today's Italian SA's are stronger than the very early Colt's. Now a new Colt made since WW11 is certainly stronger than the original design.

What we lose in all this is the colors of the original finish. A new modern Colt cannot accept a premium finish like what the Colt's looked like when they left the factory in the 1870's. I'd love to build a Colt out of wrought iron and have it hand finished with carbona bluing and let that color case hardening finish rest on that wrought iron. But no one is going to make one of these and sell it in today's society, a smokeless round would find it's way into the chamber and the offender would get a lawyer to blame the manufacturer. The first Colt's had fire blue screws and trigger. I tried to get fire blued screws in one of my Colt's but it just was not the same. Different steels altogether.

Nowadays people want to push their Colt's to the limits of chamber pressure. Dave Scovill has a great article in this month's Handloader about this. Readers write in and ask what's safe, leaving the impression they want to know how far they can go before they wreck the gun. When I see these kinds of questions I wonder why the hot rod shooter doesn't just get a .44 Mag Vaquero. I load my Colt .45's with 8.5 gr of Unique and with a 250 gr boolit I'm perfectly pleased with the power of the 35 oz handgun. I've got a couple bombs loaded which I carry sometimes, they are max loads but I don't subject my guns to these pressures on a regular basis. And I have bigger guns too when necessary. It's illegal to shoot a deer as game in the State I live in with a .45 Colt the last time I checked. The .44 and .41 Mag are legal as long as the hunter uses a barrel at least 6 inches long.

Of course if I were at the Colt's factory I would make guns with the finest American steel I could get.

[Love Life]

You should have seen the Turnbull finished USFA I had with Carbona Bluing and CCH. Was beautiful, but wasn't a Colt.

[DougGuy]

The Italian metallurgy is much softer than the new Colt's made of American steel. My local gunsmith said he couldn't believe how easy it was to cut the barrel of an Italian compared to an American steel barrel. I bought an Italian SA back in the early 80's and even the screw heads were showing signs of weakness from just tightening them up during regular maintenance.

^^^^This.... Is what I was wondering about when I asked if they had improved the metallurgy since their 80s and early 90s production. That's a good description of it, how easy it is (or was) to burr the screwheads.

How do the Italians make steel these days? Do they use the old Bessemer process?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

True or false? Many of the component parts of the current Colt SAA are supplied by Uberti.

Observations: The Colt is still made with a recoil plate. The Uberti is not. Is that because improved metallurgy in the Uberti makes it unnecessary, or is it a manufacturing shortcut?

The Pietta is made with a recoil plate. Their revolver is improving, and may be the one to watch.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

True or false? Many of the component parts of the current Colt SAA are supplied by Uberti.

False. Everything on a Colt SAA comes from manufacturing inside the plant, even the Eagle grips.

[bigted]

all things being equal and above board with steel and manufacturing ... BUY THE COLT if you can. I waited nearly a lifetime for the privilege of owning a pony SAA and tho the wait was worth every day ... I only regret that I have lived my life without the pony's being at my house.

it is like snap on tools ... everybody says their tools are AS GOOD but if they are "as good" then why do folks that are in the know spent the extra funds for original Snap On tools .... cause they are worth every penny that's why.

same with a Colt ... when they say "its as good as a colt" ya gotta wonder why ... if being such good quality ... would they even mention the comparison. the "good as a colt" revolver should stand alone with no need for a comparison ... if indeed they are "as good" then their reputation would allow them to be referred to as VERY FINE REVOLVER ... which should stand alone without need of any propping up as in a comparison ...not "as good as".

now im not saying that the Italians are not putting out a fine product ... and I have many specimens in my possession ... but when talking about an original weapon ... there is no compromise ... get the original article every time as funds allow.

[wrench man]

Not a lot to go on here, but I've got an Uberti 1873 that's only three years old, it's been a FINE! revolver, great fit/finish, the case color is down right beautiful! and I couldn't be more pleased with it!
Either the older spaghetti guns weren't that great? and they've gotten their act together? or the Colts are all down right magical handed down by the gods?

[Love Life]

The Colts are not downright magical. Sheeoot, I've never bought a Colt and said "This is way worth the price difference over another maker!". All I've said is "Well, it's a Colt.".

If on a budget, don't buy a Colt. If money is no object, get two Colts.

You are absolutely paying for a name. I've accumulated a small stable of ponies of different varieties. They all go bang with boring regularity, but the price paid for some of them hurts when you pull them out of the box and see they aren't perfect.

I love/hate Colt with all my heart.

However, when someone asks "What are you shooting?" and you respond with "A Colt." and they respond "Who makes it?" and you respond "Colt." you grow 5 inches and add on no less than 3 inches of muscle.

[bigted]

The Colts are not downright magical. Sheeoot, I've never bought a Colt and said "This is way worth the price difference over another maker!". All I've said is "Well, it's a Colt.".

If on a budget, don't buy a Colt. If money is no object, get two Colts.

You are absolutely paying for a name. I've accumulated a small stable of ponies of different varieties. They all go bang with boring regularity, but the price paid for some of them hurts when you pull them out of the box and see they aren't perfect.

I love/hate Colt with all my heart.

However, when someone asks "What are you shooting?" and you respond with "A Colt." and they respond "Who makes it?" and you respond "Colt." you grow 5 inches and add on no less than 3 inches of muscle.


:drinks: ... more then a little truth to that! ... :drinks:

[DougGuy]

The Colts are not downright magical.

Haha LL, you just haven't owned one like some of the old ones I used to own. Dang Harley Davidson came along and ate my budding pony collection..

1878 45 x 4 3/4" patina. BP frame.

1902 45 x 4 3/4" patina - Tight as a brand new one, had nicks on the barrel and ejector housing from knocking out a window shooting at cattle rustlers, was carried by a member of the posse that brought them in. Documented Wyoming cowboy history before 1910.

1922 45 x 7 1/2" King's conversion. S&W rear sight, Patridge front sight, trigger and action job, would cloverleaf a playing card @ 85yds.

1927 45 x 5 1/2" nickeled with pearl stocks, rampant pony medallions, lettered nickel and pearl from the factory.

1972 45 x 5 1/2" 2nd Gen. Tight tight tight lockup, unbelievably accurate. This was the best modern Colt I have ever shot, owned, or even had my hands around.

Any of these would make you feel "the magic" and yes it's there, especially in the nickel and pearl gun.

[robertbank]

What Colt was and what Colt is are two very different things. IMHO you pay almost or over $1,000 for a Colt pony engraved on the gun. If the pony is worth another $1K then fill your boots. The Ubert are every bit the gun the Colt is and the present production guns have the same quality steel as the Colts. Barking a screw by using the wrong size screwdriver is no test to the quality of the steel. I have no information to confirm this but like the person who says the Ubertis are made with inferior steel you read it here. There is no magic in making steel and for the purposes of making basic handguns their are no secrets left to unearth. Colt Firearms is a hand to mouth operation at best and I doubt they would pay for any better quality steel than necessary to manufacture their guns.

As Love Life posted if money is no object buy the Colt but don't delude yourself to think you are buying a better gun.

The Colt SAA is a very weak design compared to a Ruger. Yes the gun works bit so do most guns. Cowboy action shooting has kept the gun in production along with the movies. I love to shoot the guns and carry one for Bear protection as backup to my shotgun but I need a gun I can afford to own not one I wished I owned and never could afford.

Take Care

Bob

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Bob, when you say "What Colt was and what Colt is are two very different things." What are talking about?

When you say you "pay almost or over $1,000 for a Colt pony engraved on the gun. If the pony is worth another $1K then fill your boots." I just have to point out that we have unions and the simple rules of supply and demand. The Colt is an 1873 design, to make one today costs what is costs. Basic facts of life. Guns that cost less and shoot fine are plentiful for the consumer.

"present production guns have the same quality steel as the Colts." Is simply not true. I posted the comparison of Italian and American steel used in single action guns today is largely irrelevant but the steels are different. I own brand new purchased Cimarron guns and I really like them but they are made with different steels. They all shoot fine but they are different.

"Barking a screw by using the wrong size screwdriver is no test to the quality of the steel." As a moderator you should really read a post before commenting on it. I purchased an Italian SA in 1982 for $189.00. That was a lot of money to me at that time. We did not have the screwdrivers specific to screw heads as we have today and if we had, I probably couldn't have found or afforded them. Those screws had metric threads and the screw head are specific. Please return to my post and reread what my gunsmith said about his experience. Or phone your local gunsmith and ask him.

"The Colt SAA is a very weak design compared to a Ruger." The Ruger and the Colt are two completely different products. The actions are not similar. One is forged the other is investment cast. One was made to supply soldiers in the frontier the other was made 80 years later for profit. Since the manufacturing is different one costs a lot more than the other.

Rugers are great guns, but as I sit here I can think of 2 Ruger BH's that went from shooting at the range in my hand to seizing up so bad they had to be shipped back to the factory, where they were fixed and returned to me. I can't think of Colt and quit shooting because of a factory problem that I couldn't make run again at the range. Your mileage may vary.

[Love Life]

Odd, but I didn't see Ruger as an option in this thread.

[robertbank]

[QUOTE=Silver Jack Hammer;3178799]Bob, when you say "What Colt was and what Colt is are two very different things." What are talking about
Colt was broken up several years ago with one part building the AR 15 and involved with defense contracts while the other remained in retail sales. Frankly, I blame US Business schools for the demise of so many proud American firms - Remington & a portion of Colt I suppose are now the oldest surviving American gun companies. Marlin, Winchester, Hi Standard, Ithaca to name a few are all gone now, though may survive in name only ie Winchester & Ithaca. Browning remains a distributor of FN made products in the US.

When you say you "pay almost or over $1,000 for a Colt pony engraved on the gun. If the pony is worth another $1K then fill your boots." I just have to point out that we have unions and the simple rules of supply and demand. The Colt is an 1873 design, to make one today costs what is costs. Basic facts of life. Guns that cost less and shoot fine are plentiful for the consumer.

Yes but Uberti makes the same quality gun for 1/3 the price due in part due to FX rates, and I suspect lower taxes and labour costs. From what I have been told Colt was late in transitioning to automated CNC equipment and may still rely on hand fitted parts due to older manufacturing methods, an added component to the labour cost. If the Uberti company can make money selling their product for substantially less, than it is of better value. If Colt can convince the market it is worth their while to buy the gun for the price they sell it, more power to them. I would not be to quick to equate quality with price. The two are not mutually inclusive.

You probably are aware Uberti is owned by Beretta, one of the oldest gun manufacturers in the world - I believe the company is older than the USA. I suspect they know how to make guns and know what steel to use in them. I suspect Beretta workers are unionized as well. The company is family owned I would go so far as to say that makes the difference.

"present production guns have the same quality steel as the Colts." Is simply not true. I posted the comparison of Italian and American steel used in single action guns today is largely irrelevant but the steels are different. I own brand new purchased Cimarron guns and I really like them but they are made with different steels. They all shoot fine but they are different.

Is that from feel or to you know that one alloy is different than the other? Whether they are different or not does not make much difference if both meet the requirements to do the task at hand. Both do, so I am not sure what point you are trying to make.

"Barking a screw by using the wrong size screwdriver is no test to the quality of the steel." As a moderator you should really read a post before commenting on it. I purchased an Italian SA in 1982 for $189.00. That was a lot of money to me at that time. We did not have the screwdrivers specific to screw heads as we have today and if we had, I probably couldn't have found or afforded them. Those screws had metric threads and the screw head are specific. Please return to my post and reread what my gunsmith said about his experience. Or phone your local gunsmith and ask him.

First I am not a moderator.

My Beretta Stampede did what so many SAA do and backed out the screw holding the ejector rod housing causing the latter to fly out on the range along with the screw. I replaced the screw with a screw ordered from Brownells. I too, did not use a hollow ground screw driver and I barked the screw. One of the guys had a Ruger BH lost it's ejector housing the same way. It must have to do with barrel harmonics. I suggested he loctite in the screw when it's replacement arrives.

"The Colt SAA is a very weak design compared to a Ruger." The Ruger and the Colt are two completely different products. The actions are not similar. One is forged the other is investment cast. One was made to supply soldiers in the frontier the other was made 80 years later for profit. Since the manufacturing is different one costs a lot more than the other.

I am aware of the difference the comment was made relative to the SAA. Reread the sentence I did not indicate they were the same design. The SAA sold by Colt to the US Army made Sam Colt money and it was made for a profit. Not sure what that has to do with anything here.

Rugers are great guns, but as I sit here I can think of 2 Ruger BH's that went from shooting at the range in my hand to seizing up so bad they had to be shipped back to the factory, where they were fixed and returned to me. I can't think of Colt and quit shooting because of a factory problem that I couldn't make run again at the range. Your mileage may varys

No the Rugers are kit guns to be sure. The one I have required the cylinders to be reamed out to .358 and the forcing cone cut to 11 degrees. So too my GP-100. Both of my Rugers cost more than my three Ubertis. The difference in the two manufactured guns aside from about $200 was two of the three Ubertis required no work - one had a front sight that was bent slightly to the right likely caused by shipping. The two Rugers, though stout as granite, required touching up in order for them to shoot accurately. I would suggest Ruger long ago decided it was cheaper to run a quality repair centre than maintain a quality control centre.

.[/QUOTE)

Gun companies are gun companies. When one company cannot make a profit or the owners or senior management make bad decisions over time and fail to keep up with the marketplace they wither and die. Colt limps along selling quality guns in a very crowded market dominated by either smaller companies with wider ranges of products or larger companies who have kept abreast of modern manufacturing techniques.

Sad when you think Colt should be dominating the 1911 market as well as the Cowboy Action crowd as they were the first company to manufacture the guns and apparently the last to react to the latter demand now dominated by Ruger and Uberti.

If you base your decision on value for money spent than the Uberti SAA win hands down. They are of equal quality they just cost less. The base guns are not made with hand fitted parts but don't need to be. Colt has to sell their guns based on their name in my view because they now have little else to offer. Their 1911's are nice but so are a host of others. Their SAA is an icon in the marketplace and sells on that basis. But to suggest as some might the price simply reflects better quality, I am not convinced.

Take Care

Bob

[doc1876]

Colt.

My Uberti has Colt guts in it, as the Italian steel shot craps.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Bob, Colt was not broken up into 2 companies, Colt produces under Gov't contracts and the costs associated with the red tape required for regulation and compliance is not necessary for their civilian production lines. It was a management move and a smart one at that. Colt is hardly in demise, incredibly they are able to fill any size order for their product line which is largely the AR.

I disagree with you that Uberti is the same quality as a Colt. There are many gunshops within less than 30 minutes driving time from my home and their shelves display for sale a wide variety of SA's for a lot less cost than Colt's. Colt's are much more difficult to find and bring twice the price. It's not just me saying it, the consumer is voting with their feet and their pocketbooks.

When it comes to Colt's not dominating the cowboy gun market, I can tell you lots of people shoot Colt's at SASS matches. Colt's is very well represented. The cowboy gun market exploded and then died down. Today it's the AR which is all the craze, not the SA. Sad IMO but that's the facts.

One of the biggest challenges in make a Colt SA other than labor union cost is that they are made like they were designed 140 years ago before CNC machines. They were hand fitted. To make the same gun today simple costs more.

When we discuss the cost difference, I've paid out money to purchase Colt's 10, 20, 30 years ago and today those Colts which I own I can sell for two to three times the price I paid for them.

When I examine the Italian guns in the gun shops I conclude that my money is going to be spend on Colt's.

When you question the differences in the steels, a lot has been written on the matter here and by knowledgeable men who work in the industry. I have written to a gun writer who described the steel used in manufacturing a particular single action over another asking what difference it makes. Please go back and re read what has already been said about the matter. When guns fail, like any other mechanical device, it's usually not the big parts. Wing usually don't fall off airplanes. Airplanes crash from mechanical failure because of some little servo or pressure tube that failed. So it is with guns, the receive or barrel usually doesn't let go, it's a small part. I buy Colt's and shoot them a lot. I trust them. A gun is like an automobile engine in that different steels are used for different parts. Again, I've spelled out before the difference in Italian steel and American steel used in these guns, please go back and re read.

Silver

Sam Colt died before the Single Action Army was designed. He made a lot of money, he made a lot of guns, and he know absolute poverty. Wealth did not change his constant drive to design, build and promote his guns which saved American lives.

You can shoot your Italians, I'll be shooting Colt's.

[scattershot]

Ubertis are good guns, no doubt. I have two myself. Regardless of the rhetoric back and forth, one fact is inescapable. If it ain't a Colt, it's a copy.

[johnson1942]

shot my uberti open top .38 special to day off of the deck and at 18 yards i made the 3 inch gong ring every time. rested my hand and gun on a towel on the top rail of the deck. getting really used to the gun and it really is a good shooter. nothing wrong with colt but the last one i had had some poor cosmetic things about it. the steel may have been good but the front sight was put on poorly and some of the parts not finished as they should have been, may have been a bad year. cant say anything like that about the nickle plated 1871 open to uberti except the grips. grip quality doesnt match the gun quality. saveing for some real staghorn grips for the gun. the action is smooth and she keeps hitting where i aim.

[DougGuy]

Something I noticed about my new-to-me Uberti, I closed my eyes and let the gun roll around in my hands, and it just has a "feel" to it, smooth and well finished, well blended overall. The old Colts had this, the new ones don't. I appreciated this small simple attribute the Italians chose to do to mine. They made it LOOK like a 140 year old gun, but in all honesty, it FEELS like one too!

I think the thing to do, is to appreciate each gun differently. There are things about the Uberti that can be appreciated for what it is. There are things I appreciate about a Colt too.

I want to shoot some BP metallic cartridges similar to what an original Colt might have shot back in the day, if it deteriorates anything in the finish, LOL mine already HAS a distressed/deteriorated finish, and if it rusts a bit (which I will clean it so it don't) at least it hasn't damaged the bluing of a nice expensive Colt. For this, I appreciate it is a $400 Uberti and not a $1400 Colt.

Even if the steel is not the same, I don't plan on shooting more than 8.0gr of Unique or 8.5gr Herco which I could shoot all day everyday and not stress either gun.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

DougGuy, you are right on. It's how it FEELS in the hand. I was going to buy a USFA and the seller gave it to me to try first. After a while rolling it around in my hand somewhere between my head and my hand I rejected it. It was just the one I wanted, 4 3/4" .45 blued $850.00. I gave it back and never regretted it. Then a guy gave me a AWA 5 1/2" blued 5 1/2" to sell, and in the interim I really took to that gun. It's the way they FEEL in your hand.

Johnson1942, I'm living vicariously through your stories of you strapless. Those were true blood guns of the American Frontier. A shooting buddy bought one also in .38 Special and I must say I covet his.

[Swede44mag]

I bought a Uberti .44mag the cylinder would drag while rotating I took it to a gunsmith he took out the bushing and faced off the end that rubbed against the barrel. The revolver shot fine and with the fix it was better. I have shot my cousins fathers Colt .45 in the past even with warn cylinder pins they felt great and shot fine. If I had the money it would be a Colt, but I am looking for a Stainless Ruger Bisley Hunter .45 to go with my Stainless Ruger Bisley Hunter in .44mag. Because I have read the Ruger is stronger.

[Virginia John]

Buy what you can afford and make it the best it can be. The major difference between the high priced gun and the low priced gun is the time that is spent fitting and finishing. Files, emery paper and stones are your friend. If you can afford a Dremel, better yet.

[flyingmonkey35]

The Italian metallurgy is much softer than the new Colt's made of American steel. My local gunsmith said he couldn't believe how easy it was to cut the barrel of an Italian compared to an American steel barrel. I bought an Italian SA back in the early 80's and even the screw heads were showing signs of weakness from just tightening them up during regular maintenance.

Go ahead and flame me but I don't think new American steel is all that necessary in a single action Colt .45. The original Colt's were made of wrought iron and they withstood black powder fine. The steel was improved and Colt upgraded along with the times. When smokeless powder came of age, the quality of steel improved. Today's Italian SA's are stronger than the very early Colt's. Now a new Colt made since WW11 is certainly stronger than the original design.

What we lose in all this is the colors of the original finish. A new modern Colt cannot accept a premium finish like what the Colt's looked like when they left the factory in the 1870's. I'd love to build a Colt out of wrought iron and have it hand finished with carbona bluing and let that color case hardening finish rest on that wrought iron. But no one is going to make one of these and sell it in today's society, a smokeless round would find it's way into the chamber and the offender would get a lawyer to blame the manufacturer. The first Colt's had fire blue screws and trigger. I tried to get fire blued screws in one of my Colt's but it just was not the same. Different steels altogether.

Nowadays people want to push their Colt's to the limits of chamber pressure. Dave Scovill has a great article in this month's Handloader about this. Readers write in and ask what's safe, leaving the impression they want to know how far they can go before they wreck the gun. When I see these kinds of questions I wonder why the hot rod shooter doesn't just get a .44 Mag Vaquero. I load my Colt .45's with 8.5 gr of Unique and with a 250 gr boolit I'm perfectly pleased with the power of the 35 oz handgun. I've got a couple bombs loaded which I carry sometimes, they are max loads but I don't subject my guns to these pressures on a regular basis. And I have bigger guns too when necessary. It's illegal to shoot a deer as game in the State I live in with a .45 Colt the last time I checked. The .44 and .41 Mag are legal as long as the hunter uses a barrel at least 6 inches long.

Of course if I were at the Colt's factory I would make guns with the finest American steel I could get.
I agree

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/20/55dbcf6029cba9119a5f4a6b01b96147.jpg

Yes it was most likely a over charge.

But the load I was using at the time even double charged. ....... Anyway you get what you pay for.

[lefty o]

^^^^^ think a colt wont do that or worse!! some of the "facts" in this thread are beyond silly.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Gee...I say you got more than you paid for...if you've still got both eyes and all your fingers! Looks like operator error, not gun quality.

[flyingmonkey35]

I have posted all of this before.

But if it happened to you, I would hope you would let us know about it then bury your head in the sand as some have I suggested I do.

I found uberti in a whole a good company to work with. However the way the tech treated me on the phone left a lot to be desired. As my soupouesed operator error was still below max pressure based on the docs and mnf specs of the gun.

Then again its prbly just me as its been bugging me for a year now.


Sorry for the grammar im on my phone.

[freebullet]

I can tell you I don't want an uberti.

Love life you can vote ruger. I voted xd on the glock thread and I'm still alive.

[robertbank]

Stand up and say I loaded a double charge and move on. I did TWO over the course of a five year period in a 1911 45acp. I finally changed my method of adjusting my powder measure and nothing since. Thankfully the Chinese make the Norinco 1911 out of super strong steel. The gun is no worse for wear other than new grips were ordered...twice. The gun didn't come apart with a manual load but 2 times the load and you get the gun your picture illustrates. There is enough of those types of pictures around. I have seen S&W & Colt revolvers with the top strap blown completely off as well.

Take Care

Bob
ps I keep the blown cartridge on my bench as a reminder. All you have to do to set up for a double charge is to believe it could never happen to you or your method of reloading is fool proof. Most of us no better.

[DougGuy]

Y'all can laugh if you want, but I end up weighing every charge on a digital scale. Set the brass on it, hit the tare button and it zeroes out, then charge the case and set it back on there, trickle until it weighs up. I do this with .45 Colt and .44 magnum, -every- round that gets loaded.

.45 ACP gets loaded without weighing, I visually check as I am seating a boolit. Pretty hard to miss a dbl charge OR a squib load of 231 if you are looking for the same level of powder each time you set a boolit in the case mouth..

I look at it like this.. When I am working up a load and want to know how accurate it is, I weigh every charge. When I am hunting I want to know within the space of a tennis ball where my boolit is going to strike, so I weigh every charge. And I am visibly looking down in each case while doing this. It might slow things down a little but look at the gain..

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well, I agree with you, flyingmonkey35, that this kind of accident shouldn't be just ignored or buried under the rug. They make good object lessons. Even the esteemed gun writer Mike Venturino has one or two that he periodically shows in gun magazine articles. I practice "batch reloading", where in I determine how many of what cartridge I wish to reload, then do each step on all of them before proceeding to the next step. At one stage, after sizing, priming, and adding the powder I have them all standing in bullet blocks, and using a bench light, or in some cases a flashlight, I determine that the powder level is the same in all before adding the bullets. I even used to follow this system when I participated in PPC, having read all the reports of the dreaded "small charges of Bullseye detonation in .38 wadcutter loads" reports. I think many overloads result from the use of progressive presses and a desire to achieve maximum output of ammo in a given time. "Haste makes waste", they used to say. One thing for sure, I think your Uberti photo shows the use of superior steel, contrary to what others have said. For a backstrap to bow up like that one and not break indicates both toughness and elasticity of the metal.

[flyingmonkey35]

For one

I changed they way I load all calibre's since then.

For the rifle and large caliber I use a Lee dipper for paper.

9mm I use a Lee pro auto.

But I now resize and prime sepeartly on all my cases.

And yes I'm still planning in replacing it as I loved shooting that gun.

[35 Whelen]

4 3/4" .44 Special; I have one in a 3rd Generation Colt and one in a Uberti.

The Colt is unfired, in the original box with all the paperwork, and is beautiful. I bought it thinking I would use it for my go-to, working revolver. Meanwhile I shot the Uberti, and shot it, and shot it, and shot it some more until I had burned through almost 4 cartons (4000) of primers. The Uberti, with my hunting and practice loads will do 2" at 25 yds. fired from a sitting position. It's held up to almost 4,000 round fired by me, and I bought it used, so I know it's a tough little revolver. It's digested loads ranging from my CAS loads running a 170 gr. RNFP @ 700 fps, to hunting loads running a 258 gr. SWC around 1100 fps.

So, all that being said, I intend to sell the Colt real soon as I can't imagine anything it can do that the Uberti can't except decrease in value once I start using it.

35W