Pietta 1873 SAA
- Thread starter Shep546
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I have a Pietta 1873 pistol in .44-40 with a 7 1/2 inch barrel and I am pleased with it. For reviews search in http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/ .
I was thinking about getting the 4 3/4" barrel. I don't plan on doing any CAS I just want to plink with it... should I really go for the long barrel?
edit: also this may sound like a stupid question, but if I buy one chambered in .357 magnum, do they work well with .38special?
The reason I ask is I saw they make these in both .357 magnum and .38 special only... why make a .38 special model if the .357 magnum can handle the 38s?
edit: also this may sound like a stupid question, but if I buy one chambered in .357 magnum, do they work well with .38special?
The reason I ask is I saw they make these in both .357 magnum and .38 special only... why make a .38 special model if the .357 magnum can handle the 38s?
When you do a search on CGN you need to change the default search time from "and newer" to " older than" to get the old threads to come up. There's quite a bit of background reading if you do this.
I've used my Pietta 73's for about two years now for plinking and CAS events. They just get better and better. I shoot them primarily with .38Spl loads but I've put about 20 or so .357Mags through them for giggles as well. They look nice and have stayed tight. The trigger is smooth and with just a little creep that is typical of the 1873 style action.
And yes, you very much can shoot .38Spl from this .357Mag gun. And in fact it's a requirement for CAS to NOT shoot any magnum power loads. Although some folks reload the lighter .38 pressure loadings in Magnum cases.
Barrel length is up to you. I prefer the more balanced look of the 5.5 inch barrel. But it's purely up to you and what you think looks nicer. If you're looking for best accuracy a longer barrel will give you a longer sight baseline. Balancing this is the possible nose heavy feel of the long 7.5 inch barrel. On the other hand the 5.5 and 4.75 both feel so similar that I can't tell one from the other (my pair is one of each barrel length).
Really though I don't think the barrel weight is an issue. I've got 8 inch barrel cap and ball revolvers as well as these Piettas and I can easily hold the longer BP guns up with nice steady sights. So I doubt you would find that a 7.5 inch 1873 would feel overly front heavy.
One point to consider. The front sights are sized faithfully to the original .45Colt models that shot black powder. With the .357/.38 version they shoot hellishly low out of the box. Like around 6 inches low at 10 yards. You're going to have to be willing to file down the front sight to suit the load you're shooting and the style of grip you use.
You'll also want to work out if you will shoot one handed duelist style in the old manner or if you'll go with two handed. It really does make a difference to the recoil and setting the front blade height. I went with one handed because.... well... that how they shoot 'em in the movies. And if it's good'nuff for The Duke and Clint then by golly it's good'nuff for me....
If all this sounds like FAR too much trouble then my suggestion is to simply get a Ruger Blackhawk. It doesn't look quite as classic but the adjustable rear sight allows you to easily set the gun to shoot any ammo, use either grip style and allow for any distance with ease.
I've used my Pietta 73's for about two years now for plinking and CAS events. They just get better and better. I shoot them primarily with .38Spl loads but I've put about 20 or so .357Mags through them for giggles as well. They look nice and have stayed tight. The trigger is smooth and with just a little creep that is typical of the 1873 style action.
And yes, you very much can shoot .38Spl from this .357Mag gun. And in fact it's a requirement for CAS to NOT shoot any magnum power loads. Although some folks reload the lighter .38 pressure loadings in Magnum cases.
Barrel length is up to you. I prefer the more balanced look of the 5.5 inch barrel. But it's purely up to you and what you think looks nicer. If you're looking for best accuracy a longer barrel will give you a longer sight baseline. Balancing this is the possible nose heavy feel of the long 7.5 inch barrel. On the other hand the 5.5 and 4.75 both feel so similar that I can't tell one from the other (my pair is one of each barrel length).
Really though I don't think the barrel weight is an issue. I've got 8 inch barrel cap and ball revolvers as well as these Piettas and I can easily hold the longer BP guns up with nice steady sights. So I doubt you would find that a 7.5 inch 1873 would feel overly front heavy.
One point to consider. The front sights are sized faithfully to the original .45Colt models that shot black powder. With the .357/.38 version they shoot hellishly low out of the box. Like around 6 inches low at 10 yards. You're going to have to be willing to file down the front sight to suit the load you're shooting and the style of grip you use.
You'll also want to work out if you will shoot one handed duelist style in the old manner or if you'll go with two handed. It really does make a difference to the recoil and setting the front blade height. I went with one handed because.... well... that how they shoot 'em in the movies. And if it's good'nuff for The Duke and Clint then by golly it's good'nuff for me....
If all this sounds like FAR too much trouble then my suggestion is to simply get a Ruger Blackhawk. It doesn't look quite as classic but the adjustable rear sight allows you to easily set the gun to shoot any ammo, use either grip style and allow for any distance with ease.
It's been a while. Perhaps it was more like 4 inches. But it WAS very low which is the point. So you need to be willing to deal with filing the sights down. Or send it off to a good cowboy gunsmith and have them zero the sights for you for the sort of hold and type of ammo you want to use.
I know what you mean about the Blackhawk. The big partridge front and lumpy rear sight sure ruin the classic lines. BUt they serve their purpose.
I know what you mean about the Blackhawk. The big partridge front and lumpy rear sight sure ruin the classic lines. BUt they serve their purpose.
curious about these as well. I was looking mainly at vaqueros, given Ruger's reputation for building robust guns that last forever and ever, but these intrigue me as well. Are they actually 'shooters,' will they hold up to thousands of rounds (spl and magnum loads alike) per year like the rugers? Or will they suffer frequent broken springs and maintenance needs at this level of use?
The Pietta faithfully copies the original Colt internal design. THis means it uses flat springs for the trigger and bolt return and hammer mainspring. And I'd have to check again but I THINK it uses a pin and small coil for the hand... which is a nice improvement over the small leaf style hand spring which tend to break too easily.
THe Rugers do not faithfully copy the original Colt design. For some, me included, this matters.
I'm willing to live with some risk over the durability of the Pietta compared to the Ruger to get the proper Colt 4 click cocking action and having to use half #### to unlock the cylinder for loading. YMMV on this count obviously.
The main spring is pretty bullet proof but the flat trigger and bolt springs tend to snap for some folks. But so far mine are fine even after about 1200'ish rounds per gun down the pipes over the last two years. The good fix is to replace them with the wire spring option sold through various dealers either when or before they let go if you're worried.
I think it's fair to say that the Vaquero is a superb and stout gun which will last literall for years and ask nothing more than the occasional cleaning. The New Model Vaquero is a slightly lighter frame scaled down to more accurately reflect the size of the orginal Colt 1873.
As for longer term durability I've seen some say on various forums that none of Italian clones or even the New Model Vaqueros will stand up to a steady diet of Magnums. Not that they'll blow up or any such thing. Just that the constant pounding of full house magnums will tend to shoot the guns loose sooner than when used with a more regular diet of .38Spl with some magnums. Other's say that even the NM Vaquero would happily shoot a steady diet of Magnums without issue. I'm not sure where the truth lays on this.
For the Pietta I don't doubt that it would suffer some premature aging if I shot lots of magnums. But then it's a gun at a lower price. I'm more than happy with mine and they are holding up to my cowboy shooting just fine. More than that I can't really say without a crystal ball.
The old original Vaquero, on the other hand, is basically the Blackhawk with fixed sights. The sturdy nature of this bigger and more solid gun would laugh at a steady diet of .357 full power magnums. My buddy shoots CAS with a pair of the old Vaqueros and to see my Pietta and his Vaqeuros side by side is enough to make one wonder how his guns grew up so much bigger.... Durable for the old Vaqueros should be part of their name.
THe Rugers do not faithfully copy the original Colt design. For some, me included, this matters.
I'm willing to live with some risk over the durability of the Pietta compared to the Ruger to get the proper Colt 4 click cocking action and having to use half #### to unlock the cylinder for loading. YMMV on this count obviously.
The main spring is pretty bullet proof but the flat trigger and bolt springs tend to snap for some folks. But so far mine are fine even after about 1200'ish rounds per gun down the pipes over the last two years. The good fix is to replace them with the wire spring option sold through various dealers either when or before they let go if you're worried.
I think it's fair to say that the Vaquero is a superb and stout gun which will last literall for years and ask nothing more than the occasional cleaning. The New Model Vaquero is a slightly lighter frame scaled down to more accurately reflect the size of the orginal Colt 1873.
As for longer term durability I've seen some say on various forums that none of Italian clones or even the New Model Vaqueros will stand up to a steady diet of Magnums. Not that they'll blow up or any such thing. Just that the constant pounding of full house magnums will tend to shoot the guns loose sooner than when used with a more regular diet of .38Spl with some magnums. Other's say that even the NM Vaquero would happily shoot a steady diet of Magnums without issue. I'm not sure where the truth lays on this.
For the Pietta I don't doubt that it would suffer some premature aging if I shot lots of magnums. But then it's a gun at a lower price. I'm more than happy with mine and they are holding up to my cowboy shooting just fine. More than that I can't really say without a crystal ball.
The old original Vaquero, on the other hand, is basically the Blackhawk with fixed sights. The sturdy nature of this bigger and more solid gun would laugh at a steady diet of .357 full power magnums. My buddy shoots CAS with a pair of the old Vaqueros and to see my Pietta and his Vaqeuros side by side is enough to make one wonder how his guns grew up so much bigger....
Durable for the old Vaqueros should be part of their name.
The Beretta Stampede is made by Uberti these days. Beretta bought them out some time back. Even before the buyout I've seen references to Uberti making the guns for Beretta. So it's likely that any new ones are Uberti guns done to Beretta's standards. Not sure if this is any better than a stock Uberti or not.
The Bisley grip frame is highly prized for the better control and less shift in the grip when shooting higher power rounds such as magnum power rounds of any sort or stout .45Colt rounds. For the lower power Spl or reduced recoil loads it's your choice based on which you prefer. Lots of folks really like the Bisley grips for any sort of SA guns regardless of what sort of ammo they send downrange.
The Bisley grip frame is highly prized for the better control and less shift in the grip when shooting higher power rounds such as magnum power rounds of any sort or stout .45Colt rounds. For the lower power Spl or reduced recoil loads it's your choice based on which you prefer. Lots of folks really like the Bisley grips for any sort of SA guns regardless of what sort of ammo they send downrange.
The standard and proper way to hold the regular plowshare grips is actually with the pinky tucked under the base of the grips. The idea with higher power loads is that the rounded shape of the grips rotates in your hold and the pinky works well to sort of lift the gun back into the proper position. If you're good and with a little practice you use the recoil shift to reach for the hammer with your thumb so as the pinky rotates the grips back to the proper position it aids your thumb in cocking the hammer for the next shot..... I'm still working on that part....
If you're coming over from some semi autos or DA S&W revolvers I know it feels wonky. But it soon becomes pretty natural. Escpecially if you shoot these old style guns in the one handed old style stance.
If you're coming over from some semi autos or DA S&W revolvers I know it feels wonky. But it soon becomes pretty natural. Escpecially if you shoot these old style guns in the one handed old style stance.
I just bought one this month and was asking same thing..
Heres my thread and see what others have said... I like it so far.. never shot or hangled many or any for that matter, single action peacemaker stuff before, so not much to compare to, except my general knowledge of guns....
For the price, I don't think you can go wrong...
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=699054
Heres my thread and see what others have said... I like it so far.. never shot or hangled many or any for that matter, single action peacemaker stuff before, so not much to compare to, except my general knowledge of guns....
For the price, I don't think you can go wrong...
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=699054
