Old West Replicas

We have Civil War reenactors, Italian movie producers and Cowboy Action shooters to thank for creating a market for replica revolvers, rifles and shotguns. These replicas cover the gamut of firearms available from the days of the American Revolution, the American Civil War and the taming of the Old West. Prices on these replicas put them within reach for many of us who cannot justify springing for an original Colt Single Action Army, Winchester 1873 or other collectible firearms from these historic eras.

The old guns had a lot of handwork and fitting, while today’s products are produced using CNC tooling and automation. Are the replicas as good or maybe even better? It’s an interesting question because some of the value is in the history of the firearm rather than the workmanship. It’s because the old guns are scarce — and maybe a bit fragile — we have such an abundance of replicas from which to choose.

Uberti

After he’d apprenticed with Beretta from the time he was 14 years old, Aldo Uberti founded his own manufacturing company in Italy. Uberti was launched when Aldo was approached by an American businessman who wanted to cater to the American Civil War reenactment market. It was a particularly busy time for the reenactors because they were commemorating the 100th anniversary of the war. The first firearm Uberti built was a replica of the 1851 Colt Navy Revolver. It was followed by replicas of other Colt and Remington firearms of the era. Not long after Uberti began building his black powder replicas, Colt ceased production of the Colt Single Action Army revolver. This action created a ready market for Uberti to begin building clones of the iconic firearm.

By the 1970s, the company was producing internationally recognized Civil War and Old West firearms. Uberti built his guns with receivers forged from solid steel rather than castings or alloys, and the parts were fitted with a level of quality sometimes exceeding the early Colt and Remington products.

When Aldo died in 1998, his sons took over the company. In 2000, Beretta acquired the company and invested in a new manufacturing facility with modernized CNC equipment. Even so, there’s still a certain amount of handfitting and finishing used in the process of creating the quality firearms for which the company is known. Beretta’s ownership provided the capital to expand the product line and the market even further.

Uberti firearms are imported to the U.S. by Stoeger, another Beretta subsidiary known for its own brand of shotguns and pistols. The Uberti product line has something for everyone’s taste if you’re into historical firearms from the 1800s. Uberti offers 20 different black powder revolvers and more than 100 cartridge revolvers. Many of the revolvers are replicas of guns used by famous American Western heroes and outlaws such as Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holliday, Billy the Kid and Frank and Jesse James. They don’t just make handguns, but rifles, too, including the Sharps, Springfield Trap Door, 1873 and 1886 Winchesters and brass-frame Henrys — all built with meticulous detail for authenticity and quality.

Not All From Italy

EAA Corp. imports the Bounty Hunter single-action revolver from Germany, where it is manufactured by Weihrauch. These single-action revolvers are available in .22 LR/.22 WMR, .357 Mag., .44 Mag. and .45 Colt. Although the Bounty Hunter is a traditional six shot single-action revolver with a traditional resting notch, it also has a transfer bar and recessed chambers.

The .22/.22 WMR version holds eight rounds on a full-sized frame, so Cowboy Action shooters can practice with a rimfire or just go plinking. Available in blued or nickel finishes, these are beautiful revolvers with a very smooth action. Double-barrel shotguns such as the one Wyatt Earp used at the O.K. Corral are popular imports. Stoeger’s Coach Gun is very popular, but some of the double barrels, such as the JW-2000, are made in China.

In Brazil, Rossi manufactures the R92 lever-action rifle, a replica of the Winchester 92 rifle from 1892. In past years, Rossi has also produced the Rio Grande series of excellent replicas of the Marlin 1895 and M336 rifles.

Ruger’s entire Blackhawk line is a tribute to the 1873 SAA, but the Vaquero models are particularly well-liked by Cowboy Action shooters. All of Ruger’s guns are of high quality. I’d not really call them replicas, but original designs carrying history forward.

Why The Demand?

Here in cowboy-loving America there’s obviously a market, but why did so many of these firearms originate in Italy? In addition to Uberti’s good fortune in finding the market for black powder replicas for American Civil War reenactments, another big demand came from movies, and many were filmed in Italy. I’m sure you’re familiar with the Fistful of Dollars trilogy created by Sierra Leone starring Clint Eastwood.

But you may not be aware Italian producers have been making movies about the American West as far back as 1908. Wikipedia has a list of Western films made in Italy since that time, and there are well over 500 titles. The Eastwood movies are just a drop in the bucket. And think about the resurgence of Westerns made here in the U.S. in recent years. While Caravan West Productions can offer a reasonable number of authentic guns to well-heeled studios, you can bet lots of guns used in those movies aren’t real Colts and Winchesters.

Another big demand for the replica guns comes from the Single Action Shooting Society and Cowboy Action shooting in general. With clubs and shooting matches across the country, members keep the demand for Old Western guns alive, be they revolvers, rifles or shotguns. Many of these members have the resources to acquire collectible guns of old, but would rather use replicas for the wear and tear of numerous shooting matches. Their reviews of the Uberti, Pietta, Pedersoli and Rossi firearms seem to reflect a quality you may not expect from a gun built to substitute for the real thing.

David’s Experience

I for one am thankful for the clones. As what you might call a “low budget” collector, I don’t have the resources to support a bucket list of expensive guns. A lot of my enjoyment in owning an assortment of firearms is in sharing them with others, especially youngsters, under close supervision of course. Invariably the young shooters are drawn to my cowboy guns far more than anything else.

My first cowboy gun was one of those impulse purchases shop owners love and buyers sometimes regret. In this case, I’ve never regretted purchasing the Uberti Hombre I found on sale at a Bass Pro Shop some years ago. The Hombre is Uberti’s basic Single Action Army clone with a matte finish, brass trigger and grip frame. It’s an authentic representation of the Colt 1873 Single Action Army right down to the “load one, skip one, load four” routine of keeping an empty chamber under the hammer.

The action on the gun is so smooth I can’t think of any way to make it better. Once cocked, the hammer falls with just a touch of the trigger. As far as accuracy, the bullet goes where the gun is pointed. The sights are simple, but effective — a notch in the top of the frame for the rear sight and a tall blade for the front sight. I have since refinished the gun with a Birchwood Casey simulated color case-hardened look, and it’s a popular “go to” gun in my collection.

That first Uberti has led to the purchase of an 1873 Bird’s Head Single-Action Cattleman, an El Patron 1873 Cattleman and a 10-shot .22 Stallion model of the 1873. I also have a nickel-plated Beretta Stampede manufactured by Uberti. The kids, grandkids and their friends enjoy shooting the cowboy guns more than anything else available to them, so they get a lot of use. The El Patron seems to be the number one favorite of any gun I have to offer.

Reliable?

The replica guns have not been 100% trouble-free, but the same is true of SAA revolvers of any make, including Colt and Remington. Like many 1911 “clones” they often need the touch of a stone or a carrying hand to keep things running smoothly. The Uberti .22 Stallion had a lock-up problem when it was new. I could have sent it back for warranty repair but decided instead to replace the bolt spring — an easy job. Parts for the Ubertis are readily available through Numrich Arms so I ordered the parts, replaced the bolt and its spring and have had no problems since.

The Beretta Stampede also developed a strange lock-up problem. You couldn’t cock it if it was level, but if you pointed the muzzle toward the ground, you could. I took it to my local gunsmith where two smiths took it apart, put it back together, couldn’t find anything wrong with it, but it still had the problem. Here’s where it gets interesting.

I sent it to Beretta in Accokeek, Md., which at the time was the only warranty center listed on the web. That has since changed. The folks there put my Stampede in a nice plastic case and mailed it back to me with a letter telling me to send it to Midwest Gun Works. I never got around to doing it — I just put up with pointing it at the ground to cock it. One day my youngest son, who is one of those people gifted with mechanical aptitude, pointed to the hand and said, “Look at that little burr there. It needs to be filed off.” We did, and the cocking problem was solved.

From my experience and from reviews and reports I’ve followed over several years from Cowboy Action shooters, match competitors, as well as magazine and YouTube reviewers, all the Italian imports have a reputation for being quality products. All my actions are smooth, the trigger pulls light and the accuracy on par with any of the original Colts or Winchesters I’ve had the opportunity to shoot. These are guns you can enjoy shooting, and they are likely to provide generations of fun without the worry of damaging a priceless original. 

For more info:

www.uberti-usa.com

www.pietta.us

www.davide-pedersoli.com

www.chiappafirearms.com

www.rossiusa.com

www.ruger.com

www.stoegerindustries.com

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