UBERTI FIREARMS

The heritage of the Old West is the birthright of every American, and a source of fascination to people from other lands. It’s perhaps ironic, but an arms maker in the mountains of Northern Italy has done more than any other firearms manufacturer to preserve America’s Old West heritage.

A Uberti, Srl. was founded in 1959. Its first guns were cap-and-ball revolvers that were used in centennial reenactments of the Civil War. In the 44 years since, its product line has expanded from percussion revolvers to cartridge revolvers, single-shot and lever-action rifles, and even miniature arms.

When you select an Uberti revolver or rifle, you’ll be getting the best of a four-decade transatlantic partnership: classic American design combined with fine Italian craftsmanship.

In 1846, Captain Samuel H. Walker, former Texas Ranger and captain of the United States Mounted Rifles, ordered 1,000 revolvers of an improved design from Samuel Colt. Tested on the battlefields of the Mexican War the formidable four pound, nine ounce Walker, with its .44-caliber bullet propelled by a heavy charge of black powder, remained the most powerful handgun until the introduction of the .357 Magnum in the 1930s.

In 1847 Colt introduced a new revolver—the Dragoon. The first 240 pistols, manufactured for Colt by Eli Whitney’s Whitneyville, Connecticut factory, featured superior materials, a shortened cylinder and barrel, improved loading lever and lighter weight. The big .44-caliber revolvers were purchased by the U.S. military during the turbulent era of the 1850s and soon became favorites of American frontiersmen and '49ers. Between 1847 and 1860 Colt’s Hartford factory produced three models of the Dragoon.

Specifications - .44 caliber 6 shot - 7 1/2" Barrel with 7 groves and a left twist - forged steel color case hardened frame with steel back strap and brass trigger guard and a one piece Walnut grip. Weighs 4.06 pounds and is 13 2/5" long.

1st Model Dragoon has a Square Brass Trigger Guard with oval shaped notches on the cylinder.

2nd Model Dragoon has a Square Brass Trigger Guard with Rectangular shaped notches on the cylinder.

3rd Model Dragoon has a Round Brass Trigger Guard with Rectangular shaped notches on the cylinder.

Colt's famous 1851 "Navy" revolver featured sleek lines and a cylinder ornamented with a rolled engraving of the Texas Navy's 1843 victory over the Mexican fleet. The basic 1851 Navy was a .36-caliber, six-shot, single-action percussion revolver with a 7-1/2" octagonal barrel and the first 4,200 were produced with a square-backed trigger guard. The Navy was purchased in large numbers by both the US and British armed forces. British officers carried the revolver in the Crimea and Indian Mutiny and it served with distinction on the American frontier and became a mainstay of both sides during the Civil War.

Specifications - .36 caliber 6 shot - 7 1/2" or 5" Barrel with 7 groves and a left twist - forged steel color case hardened frame with steel back strap and brass trigger guard and a one piece Walnut grip. Weighs 2.60 pounds and is 13" long.

Colt's famous 1851 "Navy" revolver featured sleek lines and a cylinder ornamented with a rolled engraving of the Texas Navy's 1843 victory over the Mexican fleet. The basic 1851 Navy was a .36-caliber, six-shot, single-action percussion revolver with a 7-1/2" octagonal barrel and the first 4,200 were produced with a square-backed trigger guard.

Specifications - .36 caliber 6 shot - 7 1/2" Barrel with 7 groves and a left twist - forged steel color case hardened frame with steel back strap and brass trigger guard and a one piece Walnut grip. Weighs 2.60 pounds and is 13" long.

In 1860, using superior "silver spring steel," Colt designed the 1860 Army revolver, a .44-caliber pistol built around the lightweight frame of the 1851 Navy. The pistol was lighter and easier to handle and featured a "creeping" loading lever and round, streamlined barrel. The first models had a fluted cylinder and later production models were made with round, roll-engraved cylinders. With more than 129,000 issued to Northern forces alone during the Civil War, the Colt 1860 Army was perhaps the ultimate combat percussion handgun.

Specifications - .44 caliber 6 shot - 8" Barrel with 7 groves and a left twist - forged steel color case hardened frame with steel back strap and brass trigger guard and a one piece Walnut grip. Weighs 2.62 pounds and is 13 4/5" long.

Colt's .36-caliber 1861 Navy featured the streamlined barrel design and "creeping" loading lever of the 1860 Army. About 38,000 were made between 1861 and 1873, and many regard it as one of the most handsome of all the percussion Colts.

Specifications - .36 caliber 6 shot - 7 1/2" Barrel with 7 groves and a left twist - forged steel color case hardened frame with steel back strap and brass trigger guard and a one piece Walnut grip. Weighs 2.60 pounds and is 13" long.

In 1862 Colt upgraded its line of pocket pistols to the more potent .36-caliber Navy. The 1862 New Model Pocket Revolver, or Pocket Navy, retained the octagon barrel and hinged loading lever of the larger 1851 Navy, while the 1862 New Model Police is a miniature of the 1860 Army, with fluted cylinder, streamlined round barrel and "creeping" loading lever. These were Colt's last cap and ball revolvers, and their designs were adapted to cartridge ammunition, both as conversions and new-fashioned guns.

Specifications - .36 caliber 5 shot - 5 1/2" or 6 1/2" Barrel with 7 groves and a left twist - forged steel color case hardened frame with steel back strap and brass trigger guard and a one piece Walnut grip. Weighs 1.68 lbs. Pocket/1.59 lbs. Police

In 1848 Colt produced the first of a line of small revolvers intended for the civilian market. At 23 ounces, the .31-caliber five-shot “Wells Fargo” could be carried easily in a pocket or belt holster. The following year, Colt added a loading lever to produce the 1849 Pocket Model. Ultimately, between 1849 and the end of percussion production in 1873, Colt produced more than 350,000 of the small, effective revolvers.

Remington introduced its powerful .44-caliber New Model Army revolver in 1863. Based on an 1858 patent, the sturdy New Model Army, with its solid steel frame, screw-in barrel, improved sights, was in many ways superior to its chief rival—the Colt Army. Remington sold the government more than 115,000 of the sturdy pistols, making the New Army the second most common revolver used by the North during the Civil War. Uberti offers both an authentic version with blued and case-hardened steel, or a stainless steel model with target sights for competition shooting or hunting.

Specifications - .44 caliber 6 shot - 8" Barrel with 7 groves and a left twist - steel  or stainless steel frame and brass trigger guard and two piece Walnut grip. Weighs 2.69 lbs. and is 13 5/8" in length.

This is one of the first muzzleloading revolving carbines. About 3,000 models were produced between 1866-1879. This revolving carbine features an octagonal tapered barrel, steel frame, and walnut stock with an adjustable sight.

Specifications - .44 caliber 6 shot - 18" Barrel with 7 groves and a left twist - steel frame, adjustable sights, brass trigger guard and Walnut Stock. Weighs 4.41 lbs. and is 35 3/10" in length.