Travis Bickle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Upper Lower Middle Alberta
Alright. I promised I would do a review on this revolver for a while.
I always wanted a big old powerful single action revolver. Something about them just screams "bad ass". I'm a one hand gun guy so I sold my Makarov and picked up this with the funds raised.
Pietta SAA 1873 Revolver in .357 Mag/.38 Spl. 7.5" barrel. Case hardened frame. Walnut grips. Modern Transfer Bar safety (firing pin is on a bar which the hammer strikes vice being on the hammer directly) allowing for 100% safe carry of all 6 cartridges in the revolver with the hammer dropped vice the 5 shot carry. Picked up from Marstar brand new for around $500 tax and shipping in.
First impressions:
It's big. It's heavy. It's very well machined. The finish is immaculate! The wood grips are beautiful.
It's almost a sin to call it a "clone" in the negative sense. It's built like a tank. It feels solid. I would confidently drop it from chest height onto hard ground and bet a lot of money that it would still fire like it never made the hard trip to the floor.
Mechanically:
The hammer draws smooth and clean. No friction on the frame and solid positive clicks in the half #### position and the full #### position.
The trigger is LIGHT! I mean sneeze on it light. Which lent to the impressive accuracy and ease of shooting this gun (more on that later) Crisp, sharp, clean break with zero slack.
The cylinder spins very smooth in the half #### position. It locks up solid tight after each chamber rotates past the cylinder stop. There is no slop in it at all. Timing of the cylinder is almost perfect. On inspecting the brass for firing pin strike location on the primers; it is dead center on the primer however a few cases did have primer strikes only a hair offside.
Lock up of the cylinder in the full #### position is rock solid with not a hair of play.
The loading gate snaps open with a flick of the finger and closes positively. There is no slop, looseness or play whatsoever in the gun. It's tight. It's well built and well machined.
Here are some pic of the quality of the machining and finish on these revolvers. It's impressive to say the least:
So it's a well made gun to say the least on physical appearance. All good so far BUT how does it shoot you ask! Well....it's unbelievably accurate. Scary accurate.
Accuracy and Firing:
Ammo for .38 SPL loads was bulk Federal 130gr FMJ Brass Case
.357 Mag ammunition was Blazer 158gr JHP Aluminum Case (Hey I'm cheap that's why I bought a Pietta and not an overpriced Colt
)
My initial concern was that the sights on this old monster were fixed and set. Depending on what ammunition you shoot then, your POI could be well below or above your POA. My concerns were unfounded it turned out however.
Here are the best groups of the day with the .38 SPL at 10 meters, standing unsupported. Target is a 1" black patch:
The very cheap notoriously bad Blazer .357 Mag:
Here is two cylinders full!
Another two cylinders on the same patch:
Then back to 15 meters. Again standing unsupported on 3" circles:
It was easy to shoot. That's an understatement actually. The recoil with .38 SPL was almost not even noticeable because of the heavy weight and balance of the gun. The .357 Mag kicked slightly more but still easily manageable.
I put 350 rounds of .38 SPL through it in this range trip and 12 rounds of .357 Mag. I shot fast and reloaded fast. I shot it hard. Cocked the hammer hard. Ejected the cases with the ejector hard. It heated up were it was almost smoking at one point after going through 4 cylinders as fast as I could. I was essentially trying to make it jam or seize. It didn't. Actually my fingers were getting sore by the end of the session from trying to make it my ##### and it laughed at me....
The sights were bang on POA to POI with the two natures and grain projectiles I shot. The gun is definitely more accurate than I am. Windage was perfect. Elevation was bang on. This was my first time ever shooting a single action for a long length of time. I have put 6 rounds down range of friends' guns here and there (including an actual Colt SAA repro in .45LC actually).
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
The price. Compared to a Colt especially. They are very affordable to your average working man with two kids on a single income.
The fit and finish. It's immaculate. The Italians are known for attention to detail when they manufacture something. They out did themselves. I was expecting flaking and chipping of the finish on the cylinder faces etc but not a single scratch or flake.
Trigger and mechanical function. Almost flawless. Everything is very tight. Timed. It just feels like quality. Trigger is perfect just as is. There was one issue (see cons)
Accuracy. Again beyond expectations. I was beyond impressed with how it shoots. I'm not the best hand gun shooter in the world. Average on my best day. The gun is capable of better than I got today but with hand loads or even quality ammo it might as well be shooting lazer beams.
Reliability. Outstanding. 350 rounds shot hard, fast and with no lube/oil at all. Not a single issue to report on.
and a few Cons:
Screws. When I got the gun I fondled it and held it and dry fired 1000 times watching The Wild Bunch while my wife was grumpy and on facetwit or whatever.
3 screws would come loose! The two back strap screws and the one that holds the trigger guard to the frame. I would tighten them and over time they would loose out again. I took the screws out and after 3 drops of loctite blue, they haven't budged a hair. That's including after 350 + rounds of hard handling range time.
Unloading. On one occasion during the 350+ rounds of the day, after firing all 6 shots in the cylinder, I experienced what I would call a stiff cylinder. I developed the habit of holding the gun muzzle up with the gate open, spinning the cylinder with left hand thumb and middle finger and pumping the ejector with the index finger to punch out the cases. This one time I noticed that there was some friction from the cart case rim on the back of the breach face on the frame. It made the cylinder very stiff to turn. I dropped the hammer from half ####. Pulled back on it hard to full ####, released. Back to half #### and then it spun freely. Did not happen again. Might have been a badly turned cartridge case, it may have been my method of unloading I settled on causing the cases to rest on the breech of the frame.
Front Sight. The top of the front sight blade seems to be on an ever so slight angle instead of being flat cut. It's obviously a machine flaw but I'm talking barely noticeable angle. The blade itself is dead center and perfectly perpendicular and it clearly did not affect the shooting of this gun.
Accessories. There are none! But that's not really a con because it's perfect how it is. Accessories are ### anyway and I'm no tactical mall ninja. I carry my ammo loose in my Value Village jeans pocket like a fackin' man!
Final Thoughts!
The Pietta 1873 is a damned good gun. It's almost too good for the money. I was skeptical at first because of the price. I had my heart set on a Colt after shooting a friends in .45LC. Then I saw their prices. F**k that. It's a restricted range toy. I will never defend myself with it from a charging hog or African Lion in a back alley in Detroit with it. It shoots paper....on a range....probably twice a year if the wife's in a good mood and the f**king NDP are going to take it off me after the next election anyway. I like to shoot my guns and if they are finicky, they don't stay in my safe. Period. I hate finicky firearms. I like reliability and I like to abuse my guns and shoot them hard. I don't collect them. I don't own them so I can show them off to people while wearing white satin gloves and then gently bury it back in the safe.
So this gun fits my needs perfectly.
That being said, I would trust my a*s to this gun any day. Based on it's accuracy, reliability, ease of handling, quality of manufacture, it's an incredible deal.
Yes I know it's not a Colt. You know what, I'm glad it's not. F**k Colt. I used to think they were overpriced. Now that I've shot this thing, I know they are over priced. I bought a gun that shoots as good as any Colt out there. Looks as good as any Colt out there for a quarter of the price leaving me with a lot more money for ammo and reloading stores. The Italians invented Fascism and switchblades and they also made a revolver of extremely high quality for a very affordable price that puts Colts bloated US union-wage labour to shame.
The Pietta 1873 SAA is Travis Bickle approved!
Now here is some more gun ####!
I always wanted a big old powerful single action revolver. Something about them just screams "bad ass". I'm a one hand gun guy so I sold my Makarov and picked up this with the funds raised.
Pietta SAA 1873 Revolver in .357 Mag/.38 Spl. 7.5" barrel. Case hardened frame. Walnut grips. Modern Transfer Bar safety (firing pin is on a bar which the hammer strikes vice being on the hammer directly) allowing for 100% safe carry of all 6 cartridges in the revolver with the hammer dropped vice the 5 shot carry. Picked up from Marstar brand new for around $500 tax and shipping in.
First impressions:
It's big. It's heavy. It's very well machined. The finish is immaculate! The wood grips are beautiful.
It's almost a sin to call it a "clone" in the negative sense. It's built like a tank. It feels solid. I would confidently drop it from chest height onto hard ground and bet a lot of money that it would still fire like it never made the hard trip to the floor.
Mechanically:
The hammer draws smooth and clean. No friction on the frame and solid positive clicks in the half #### position and the full #### position.
The trigger is LIGHT! I mean sneeze on it light. Which lent to the impressive accuracy and ease of shooting this gun (more on that later) Crisp, sharp, clean break with zero slack.
The cylinder spins very smooth in the half #### position. It locks up solid tight after each chamber rotates past the cylinder stop. There is no slop in it at all. Timing of the cylinder is almost perfect. On inspecting the brass for firing pin strike location on the primers; it is dead center on the primer however a few cases did have primer strikes only a hair offside.
Lock up of the cylinder in the full #### position is rock solid with not a hair of play.
The loading gate snaps open with a flick of the finger and closes positively. There is no slop, looseness or play whatsoever in the gun. It's tight. It's well built and well machined.
Here are some pic of the quality of the machining and finish on these revolvers. It's impressive to say the least:
So it's a well made gun to say the least on physical appearance. All good so far BUT how does it shoot you ask! Well....it's unbelievably accurate. Scary accurate.
Accuracy and Firing:
Ammo for .38 SPL loads was bulk Federal 130gr FMJ Brass Case
.357 Mag ammunition was Blazer 158gr JHP Aluminum Case (Hey I'm cheap that's why I bought a Pietta and not an overpriced Colt
) My initial concern was that the sights on this old monster were fixed and set. Depending on what ammunition you shoot then, your POI could be well below or above your POA. My concerns were unfounded it turned out however.
Here are the best groups of the day with the .38 SPL at 10 meters, standing unsupported. Target is a 1" black patch:
The very cheap notoriously bad Blazer .357 Mag:
Here is two cylinders full!
Another two cylinders on the same patch:
Then back to 15 meters. Again standing unsupported on 3" circles:
It was easy to shoot. That's an understatement actually. The recoil with .38 SPL was almost not even noticeable because of the heavy weight and balance of the gun. The .357 Mag kicked slightly more but still easily manageable.
I put 350 rounds of .38 SPL through it in this range trip and 12 rounds of .357 Mag. I shot fast and reloaded fast. I shot it hard. Cocked the hammer hard. Ejected the cases with the ejector hard. It heated up were it was almost smoking at one point after going through 4 cylinders as fast as I could. I was essentially trying to make it jam or seize. It didn't. Actually my fingers were getting sore by the end of the session from trying to make it my ##### and it laughed at me....
The sights were bang on POA to POI with the two natures and grain projectiles I shot. The gun is definitely more accurate than I am. Windage was perfect. Elevation was bang on. This was my first time ever shooting a single action for a long length of time. I have put 6 rounds down range of friends' guns here and there (including an actual Colt SAA repro in .45LC actually).
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
The price. Compared to a Colt especially. They are very affordable to your average working man with two kids on a single income.
The fit and finish. It's immaculate. The Italians are known for attention to detail when they manufacture something. They out did themselves. I was expecting flaking and chipping of the finish on the cylinder faces etc but not a single scratch or flake.
Trigger and mechanical function. Almost flawless. Everything is very tight. Timed. It just feels like quality. Trigger is perfect just as is. There was one issue (see cons)
Accuracy. Again beyond expectations. I was beyond impressed with how it shoots. I'm not the best hand gun shooter in the world. Average on my best day. The gun is capable of better than I got today but with hand loads or even quality ammo it might as well be shooting lazer beams.
Reliability. Outstanding. 350 rounds shot hard, fast and with no lube/oil at all. Not a single issue to report on.
and a few Cons:
Screws. When I got the gun I fondled it and held it and dry fired 1000 times watching The Wild Bunch while my wife was grumpy and on facetwit or whatever.
3 screws would come loose! The two back strap screws and the one that holds the trigger guard to the frame. I would tighten them and over time they would loose out again. I took the screws out and after 3 drops of loctite blue, they haven't budged a hair. That's including after 350 + rounds of hard handling range time.
Unloading. On one occasion during the 350+ rounds of the day, after firing all 6 shots in the cylinder, I experienced what I would call a stiff cylinder. I developed the habit of holding the gun muzzle up with the gate open, spinning the cylinder with left hand thumb and middle finger and pumping the ejector with the index finger to punch out the cases. This one time I noticed that there was some friction from the cart case rim on the back of the breach face on the frame. It made the cylinder very stiff to turn. I dropped the hammer from half ####. Pulled back on it hard to full ####, released. Back to half #### and then it spun freely. Did not happen again. Might have been a badly turned cartridge case, it may have been my method of unloading I settled on causing the cases to rest on the breech of the frame.
Front Sight. The top of the front sight blade seems to be on an ever so slight angle instead of being flat cut. It's obviously a machine flaw but I'm talking barely noticeable angle. The blade itself is dead center and perfectly perpendicular and it clearly did not affect the shooting of this gun.
Accessories. There are none! But that's not really a con because it's perfect how it is. Accessories are ### anyway and I'm no tactical mall ninja. I carry my ammo loose in my Value Village jeans pocket like a fackin' man!
Final Thoughts!
The Pietta 1873 is a damned good gun. It's almost too good for the money. I was skeptical at first because of the price. I had my heart set on a Colt after shooting a friends in .45LC. Then I saw their prices. F**k that. It's a restricted range toy. I will never defend myself with it from a charging hog or African Lion in a back alley in Detroit with it. It shoots paper....on a range....probably twice a year if the wife's in a good mood and the f**king NDP are going to take it off me after the next election anyway. I like to shoot my guns and if they are finicky, they don't stay in my safe. Period. I hate finicky firearms. I like reliability and I like to abuse my guns and shoot them hard. I don't collect them. I don't own them so I can show them off to people while wearing white satin gloves and then gently bury it back in the safe.
So this gun fits my needs perfectly.
That being said, I would trust my a*s to this gun any day. Based on it's accuracy, reliability, ease of handling, quality of manufacture, it's an incredible deal.
Yes I know it's not a Colt. You know what, I'm glad it's not. F**k Colt. I used to think they were overpriced. Now that I've shot this thing, I know they are over priced. I bought a gun that shoots as good as any Colt out there. Looks as good as any Colt out there for a quarter of the price leaving me with a lot more money for ammo and reloading stores. The Italians invented Fascism and switchblades and they also made a revolver of extremely high quality for a very affordable price that puts Colts bloated US union-wage labour to shame.
The Pietta 1873 SAA is Travis Bickle approved!
Now here is some more gun ####!
