Uberti vs Ruger

[bigguy6907]

I'm new to CAS and have been looking to purchase side arms. I was at the gun shop comparing the Ruger Vaqurero and Blackhawk to the Uberti. I'm not a fan of European makers, but the feel of the Uberti action was amazing, as compared to the Rugers. I'm not sure the Rugers could ever get so smooth even with best action job.

I understand the Rugers are larger and more durable, but the Uberti seems to be more of an accurate period piece, based on the Colt.

I'm looking for feedback on these comparisons. Also, which caliber, 45 or 357? I understand the financial benefits, but about performance.

 

FYI, I have a S&W 457, 45 Auto and my son. and I are looking into reloading, since we both shot 45 autos.

 

Thanks for all of the great advice. I appreciate the hospitality.

I hope to be out shooting soon.

 

Hammer Down

[Lone Dog, SASS #20401]

Which Ubertis? There are Ubertis and there are Ubertis. Ranging from Hombres to $1500 S&W copies. If you are talking Colt Peacemaker clones, I have a few. The only ones I use are my USFA high ends from Long Hunter. But mostly I use my several Long Hunter Rugers.

 

If you don't think Rugers can be slicked to be smoother than Ubertis you just haven't tried those that have been massaged by Long Hunter, Wes Fargo, Jimmy Spurs or any of our other fine smiths. There is a reason most of us shoot Rugers in CAS (not CBA) and that reason is they hold up way better. New Vaqueros are the same size as Colts and clones and are much more durable. If Ubertis didn't break so much and could hold up to the rigors of CAS like Roogers then Rugers wouldn't have the stranglehold they do.

 

But they do. I take my Rugers to CAS matches (and my USFAs), the Ubertis stay home. Shooting is fun, constantly replacing broken hand springs and bolts on Ubertis, not so much.

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

You can get some good Uberti handguns but, if you plan to compete for a long time and want handguns that will stand the test of time then Rugers are the way to go. Look at the classified section and there are, often, many sets of Rugers for sale at good prices. The Uberti guns can surely be made to work quickly but for durability the Rugers are at the top of the heap. As far as caliber, anecdotal information suggests that more 38/357 firearms are used rather than 45s. Easier to reload for, cheaper components and because of the difference in case sizes, easier to make make very light loads, if that is your preference. Performance wise, at CAS distances, that is not really an issue. As far as authenticity, the Colt clones, including Ubertis, are almost exact copies of the original Colts,while the Rugers are more obviously not. As was stated in the previous post, the New Vaqueros more closely resemble Colts. Of course, if you can afford it, and want to be authentic, real Colts are the way to go. Rugers are still more reliable but Colts, as well as Ubertis can be tuned up pretty well. Some of the gunsmiths mentioned and one or two others can really do amazing things with them. That, of course, is a financial issue.

[Anvil Al #59168]

RUGERS. Hands down. Can be made as slick as anything out there.

You can also interchange different hammers on them to your liking. And most of those are just drop in.

They can be short stroked. All kinds of things can be done on Rugers.

And they will last you forever. Try that with some other brands. Why do you think

most of the top shooters (I did not say all) but most. Are shooting Rugers.

[Cowboy Junky]

With some work the Rugers can feel as good and even better......The craftsmanship and metal is sooooooooo much better in a Ruger than the imported stuff. I wish Ruger would start making 73 rifles and I would wash my hands of Uberti forever.

[Chili Ron]

Howdy,

Did you 'try' the sass ruger model????

You might stop by a local match and ask around to try shooting colt vs ruger

both being tuned for cowboy action.

Ive tried my rugers right next to tuned colts and decided to just keep my rugers.

YMMV.

Best

CR

[Jack Houston # 35508]

RUGER!!!

[Buckshot Frank]

Buy the Rugers. Spend $15 on the spring kit and 15 minutes installing them. They will be as slick as you need them to be.

[Bart Solo]

To read this thread you would think Uberti shooters face breakdowns every match. They don't. Ubertis are reliable. Properly tuned Ubertis shoot very well. Lots of people use them. On the other hand Rugers do break. I had one break a hammer plunger about a month ago and 2 weeks ago, I saw a shooter's hammer spring break. That was a first for me to see but the pistol had seen a lot of rounds go down range.

 

All that said, I shoot Rugers and love them. They are smooth, and extremely reliable. If you go to Longhunter's site and look at what he does to tune a Uberti you see that a lot of his work is intended to bring the mid 19th century design up to modern (Ruger) standards.

 

My SASS Rugers are about the only guns I have been able to use right out of the box. Everything else had to be tuned by a smith before it functioned its best. Of course, there are factory tuned Ubertis and Ubertis from the big distributor custom shops that are very good when you get them.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I really like Taylor's Smoke Wagons. I have a pair in .44-40 with 4 3/4" barrels that are my main match guns. Thinkin about getting another pair in 5 1/2". They're slick and smooth outta the box and I've been shooting 'em for 3 years going on 4 without a hitch. I shoot BP only.

 

Rye

[Badlands Bob #61228]

With a Colt action, you'll need to replace the springs every 5,000 rounds. With a Ruger, you'll need to clean it every 5,000 rounds.

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

Also, which caliber, 45 or 357? I understand the financial benefits, but about performance.

 

FYI, I have a S&W 457, 45 Auto and my son. and I are looking into reloading, since we both shot 45 autos.

Take a look at these single-action revolvers that have 45 ACP cylinders. You could set up a progressive reloading press and crank out ammo for both your CAS revolvers and your semi-autos. Once-fired 45 ACP is cheap and readily available - just like 38 Special brass. Though 38 Special can be reloaded more cheaply, there isn't a major cost difference if you can buy once-fired 45 ACP brass. I reload to shoot and avoid spending time in the reloading room tinkering with my presses.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Performance? I assume you are talking about which cartridge to choose if you wanted to be able to shoot as fast and accurately as you can?

 

.38 spl is easier for almost everyone to master. A 105 or 125 grain bullet at about 700 FPS and you have a load with minimal recoil and yet it still burns clean and shoots accurately.

 

.45 Colt is more "traditional". It will almost always have more recoil, as you can't find conventional bullets under about 160 grain weight, even if you reload. At 600 FPS, those slugs will still churn up more recoil. If you haven't learned about the Cowboy 45 special cartridge, and you really WANT to shoot .45 caliber, take a look at it. With a little work, you can get it running in your revolvers (chambered for .45 Colt), have fairly low recoil and a clean load. Very worth looking into.

 

Cowboy 45 special link

 

Any of these three cartridges shoot accurately enough for our game. You know already that .38 special will reload for about 60-70% of the cost of the .45 cartridges. Ultimately, you will have to be satisfied with you r choice, and there may be lots of variables you have not yet told us about, or even know about, which can affect your decision.

 

Go get some time in at a couple of cowboy matches. Folks will lend you lots of guns and calibers to try out. Don't be bashful, try 'em! That may tell you better than anything we can offer from our experience which gun and load fits your needs.

 

Good luck, GJ

[Miz Pitty]

I know everyone has their favorites, and mine is RUGER! I have a pair of 32s for when I had wrist surgery and had to go to a smaller gun. They are smooth and sweet as can be. A few years ago, I got a pair of the "new" 45's, the lighter framed ones. I love them! I can even shoot duelist if I had to with them. Hogleg Smith does all our smithing, and he can make a Rugers sing! They are as smooth as a baby's cheek.

 

Get what feels best for you. As I said, everyone has their favorite. What works for one, may not work for another, no matter how good a smith you have. Try shooting the models you are thinking about before you buy, and good luck!

[Nate Kiowa Jones #6765]

My perspective on the various SAA's is from a gunsmiths view. Not what they cost or how well they retain their value. Purely from the mechanical perspective.

 

If you want tuff out of the box, Ruger is the way to go, but I don`t consider it to be a true SAA clone. The Ruger lock works were designed in the 1950's. It is nothing like the Colt style lock basically unchanged since 1836.

 

The CAS game is a race, but with guns not cars. Comparing Rugers to a colt SAA or Colt SAA clones is like comparing 60`s muscle cars to model T`s. The model "T" will race but you will do a lot more to it to make it competitive and reliable.

[Charlie Whiskers]

Like has been stated,for durability it's hard pressed to beat Rugers.Either the Vaquero's or Blackhawks.Now,having said that,I've had Rugers and sold em.Just never could get used to the feel of them in MY hands,and yes I have tried the NMV's.I now use Uberti's and a couple of Pietta's.75 Remington's,Open Top conversions,Great Western II's and have had very good luck with all of them over the last 9 years since I sold the Rugers.My advice would be to go to a shoot and try anything and everything you can.Then buy what feels best in your hands.As for 38 vs 45...the 38 is a lot more economical to shoot and reload.

[Hogleg Hunter]

Like has been stated,for durability it's hard pressed to beat Rugers.Either the Vaquero's or Blackhawks.Now,having said that,I've had Rugers and sold em.Just never could get used to the feel of them in MY hands,and yes I have tried the NMV's.I now use Uberti's and a couple of Pietta's.75 Remington's,Open Top conversions,Great Western II's and have had very good luck with all of them over the last 9 years since I sold the Rugers.My advice would be to go to a shoot and try anything and everything you can.Then buy what feels best in your hands.As for 38 vs 45...the 38 is a lot more economical to shoot and reload.

 

Never could get used to the birdshead Ruger. Wanted a half cock. Got 2 Ubertis in. 357 and couldn't be happier. Even shot a clean match my first time out with them. Sold the Ruger.

[Barry Sloe]

For handguns I gotta agree with Rugers. Got one pair of old model Vaqueros, 2 pair of new model Vaqueros, and just added a pair of 50th Anniversary Blackhawks.

 

Now for rifles that's a different story. Currently have 3 Uberti's: one model '66 and two model '73's.

 

Caliber is a personal choice. I shoot .44 special, but half my collection is .38/.357. Reloading the .38 specials is alot cheaper than the .44s, but a .44 is a .44. I'm just hard headed that way.

 

Another question: What category do you plan to shoot? Some categories require .40 or larger. Just something to keep in mind as you are making your decision.

 

Buy good quality equipment and enjoy the sport.

 

Welcome aboard.

Barry Sloe

[Mustang Gregg]

 

My gun shop sells almost ALL diff. brands of revolvers.

We shoot ONLY Ruger Vaqueros and Blackhawks in SASS.

They are very reliable and made in the USA.

 

Mustang Gregg

[Panhandle Will, SASS #49418]

FWIW... Rugers DO break. Many times, you can pack it off to Ruger and they will fix it. Many times at no charge. Uberti won't fix anything. This is not criticism - they are in Italy. You may have some luck with their distributor (Taylor's etc.) but that is due to the efforts of the distributor - not Uberti.

 

Rugers will shoot and run right out of the box - however smoothly that may or may not be. Ubertis will too - for awhile. In my experience, if you or the distributor don't do a tune-up on the Uberti, you will destroy it in short order shooting our game. If an action job is going to be mandatory on a revolver, and you like the Uberti and it's shorter average life cycle between repairs, then why worry? As for me, I will buy the Ruger AND have an action job done. I won't worry about the 1950's style lock versus the 1830's style lock. I can't feel it (except for the 4 clicks) and you can't see the difference on the range.

 

Although I like big bore kaboom, if you wish to be competitive more quickly in this game, I would recommend the .38/.357 chambering for your revolvers, and for your rifle just to match. Ammo cost is less, allowing more practice shooting, and availability of factory loads is better. Loading flexibility is better with the smaller case and our modern powders as well. This is pretty well accepted info on the subject... HOWEVER, many here can give you the exceptions to each of these generalities, so bear in mind that YMMV.

 

Welcome to the fire, and hope we see you down the trail.

 

Best,

PW

[Guest Texas Jack Black]

Both Ruger or Uberti will serve you well. Both can be slicked up as smooth as glass and many in SASS shoot the clones and have competed very well with them. As to the strength issue,Rugers are stronger because they are a bigger gun not because they are cast, even the New Vaquero is larger than the Uberti. If you like the Ubertis buy them they will perform well.

 

 

Best wishes

T J B

[Zigggy]

I have the Uberti Colt 45 replica. I swapped out the springs and the gun is a real pleasure to shoot. That said, along with what everybody else has already said, Rugers are built much better than the Uberti, but the Uberti is more of a genuine copy of the Colt as far as the action goes. Not saying it's good or bad, but the Ruger has modern safety features the Uberti does not.

 

As for the .357 vs. .45 LC, I would say if you are going to shoot primarily SASS go with the .357 and shoot .38 Special. If you plan on shooting Cowboy Fast Draw you would have to go with the .45 LC as they shoot wax bullets and the ammo is supplied by the event.

 

Whatever, have fun.

[Grizzly Dave]

When I started CAS 4 or 5 years ago, I bought a pair of Ruger New Vaqueros after trying some out at a match I visited.

 

All I've done is shoot them ALOT and clean them now and then. I've had folks try them out and ask who did the action work. LOL, I did, by shooting them a lot!

 

My opinion for someone just starting out is that getting action work done on your rifle is more important.

 

YMMV.

[Sodbuster Brown]

I recently started shooting and my first revolvers were uberti cattlemans because they were a little bit cheaper that ruger nmv. I liked them till I handled a set of SASS vaqueros. After that I sold my ubertis and bought the rugers and couldn't be happier. The only ubertis I would consider over my rugers would be the smoke wagon. As far as ammo 38s are cheaper.

[Squint Westwood SASS#2165]

My preference is for original or copies of 19th century revolvers. But, then I'm into re-enacting as opposed to just shooting. I have both Colts and Colt copies (by Uberti) that I use for SASS/NCOWS as well as re-enacting. If authenticity is your game, then the Vaquero (while still legal to use for re-enactments)is not the revolver of choice. However, most people aren't as fussy about that as I am. It's true that I have replaced the trigger and bolt spings on my guns, the last time was about 10 years ago. That probably has a lot to do with my shooting style (double duelist - "outlaw") and the fact that my guns are all .45s (shooting factory-equivalent loads), so I'll never win any matches. But, that isn't important to me - it may be to you. If speed is your motive and you plan to shoot a lot, then get a Vaquero chambered in .38 Special and load it light. It all depends upon what's important to you and how you want to play the game. Have fun. Happy trails, Squint

[Tom Bullweed]

I have some of each, like many other cowboys.

Rugers are dependable, made of the best steel, what am Colt would be making today, made in the USA and very affordable.

Ubertis are made to a finer design with smaller parts, flat springs, and very little manufacturer's support. Being boiught by Beretta in 2006 was not a benefit.

Piettas are also Italian-made, have much improved since 2008, offer different grip sizes and have a good reputation.

USFA, AWA (American-made versions) and Colts are also good guns.

When I shoot Colt copies at multi-day matches, I take a backup. Rugers=no backups. Many other shooters will echo this.

.38 and .45 are not the only cartridges.

.44 Special, .32-20, .38-40 and .44-40 are some other cartridges found at matches.

[Marshal Chance Morgun]

I have both. That Uberti feels real nice in my hand. The balance, holding it in one hand and just looking at it, s-l-o-w-l-y cocking the hammer, listening for and pausing with every click. Oh, yeah. If that was what CAS was about, that would be my gun. But when the timer goes BEEP, and I grab my gun with both hands and blast as fast as I can, well with all the adrenaline pumping, I couldn't tell you what gun I'm shooting.

[Barry Sloe]

For handguns I gotta agree with Rugers. Got one pair of old model Vaqueros, 2 pair of new model Vaqueros, and just added a pair of 50th Anniversary Blackhawks.

 

Now for rifles that's a different story. Currently have 3 Uberti's: one model '66 and two model '73's.

 

Caliber is a personal choice. I shoot .44 special, but half my collection is .38/.357. Reloading the .38 specials is alot cheaper than the .44s, but a .44 is a .44. I'm just hard headed that way.

 

Another thought on caliber, what categories are you thinking of shooting? For some categories you must have .40 or larger.

 

Buy good quality equipment and enjoy the sport.

 

Welcome aboard.

Barry Sloe

[Lefty Stone]

I started with the SASS New Model Vaqueros and picked up a Uberti Cattleman for Fast Draw. I would not change out of the Rugers for pretty much any reason as they are smooth, feel great to me, and shoot where I aim it. I chose 38/357 as I already had the reloading equipment set up for the caliber.

 

I did shoot a friend's Taylor & Co. slicked up Ubertis that were very nice also.

 

The good thing is that there are lots of choices to meet anyone's tastes.

 

I agree that you should ask around at a shoot and try whatever you are interested in, nothing beats shooting them yourself to get the feel.

[Jefro, SASS#69420]

I prefer the Colt style, both Uberti and Pietta have served me well. I started out with Cimarron Model Ps and later the Smokewagon by Uberti. I now shoot Cimarron Frontier and EMF GW II, both by Pietta. They have all had new springs and little smoothing. I tried both New and Old model Rugers, while they are great firearms and built like a tank they just don't fit my hands as well as the Colt style. I'm glad we have alota choices out there, don't ferget the USFA Rodeo and Rodeo II also. Good Luck

 

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

 

My gun shop sells almost ALL diff. brands of revolvers.

We shoot ONLY Ruger Vaqueros and Blackhawks in SASS.

They are very reliable and made in the USA.

 

Mustang Gregg

 

 

G (Dirty R.A.T.S.) G ~

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

With a Colt action, you'll need to replace the springs every 5,000 rounds. With a Ruger, you'll need to clean it every 5,000 rounds.

 

 

Hmm - seems I am about 50,000 rounds past due for spring changes in my Piettas.

Sure glad I didn't know about this "need" for spring changing when I bought the guns, might have colored my decision.

 

The cleaning schedule seems about right tho. Twice a year, whether they need it or not.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Maybe we really need a sticky for this one.

 

as in:

 

IF YOU HAVEN'T YET SHOT 3 MATCHES AT YOUR LOCAL SASS MATCH, using borrowed guns from almost every pard there, you can't possibly figure out what guns are right FOR YOU. (If you go buy something before that, you will probably be carting home irons that you will trade away or store in the back of the gun safe.)

 

Good luck, GJ

[Jacknife]

Ruger, leave the foreign stuff alone.

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy

 

Let's get a couple of things straight.

 

Rugers are not made any better than the Italian clones, or real Colts for that matter. They are simply different.

 

Long ago Bill Ruger redesigned the innards of a Single Action revolver using technology that was not available to Sam Colt. He substituted coil springs or music wire springs for all the old flat springs in the old Colts. Music wire springs simply don't tend to break as often as flat springs. It has to do with the geometry of the spring. I dunno about Colt springs needing to be replaced after 5000 rounds, I ain't been keeping track of the round count on my Colts, although I will admit that about a year ago I had to replace the trigger/bolt spring in one Colt and the bolt in the other because they broke. That's why Ruger went to music wire springs, they tend to last much longer. But coil springs are a two edged sword. Putting in coil springs means a separate plunger is needed for almost every spring. That increases the number of parts in the gun. And it also makes it more complex to take a Ruger apart and put it back together again.

 

Ruger redesigned some of the major moving parts to drive cost out. The bolt of a Colt is a complex machined part that also has to flex like a spring. It is expensive to make and often has to be fitted to the gun. The analogous part in a Ruger is a simple stamped part. Probably costs about a nickel to make it and it does not require fitting. That is typical of how Ruger drove the cost out of his revolvers, by redesigning how the parts work.

 

Ruger also went to Investment Castings for his frames, most of the small parts, and the grip frame. Investment Castings are less expensive to make than machining the parts from solid bar stock. However, I will tell you that I have sometimes seen almost as many burrs and rough finishes on the machined surfaces of Ruger's Investment Cast parts as I have seen in Uberti's pats that are machined from bar stock. And I have seen parting lines on some Uberti parts indicating that they are castings too. Whether or not they are Investment Castings I do not know.

 

Now about replacing springs. Putting new springs into a firearm is not an action job. You do not get a silky, smooth action by simply replacing springs. Any rough surfaces that were already in there, creating extra friction for the springs to work against, is still there. In fact, by changing springs without also polishing parts to remove extra friction, the shooter is skating dangerously close to making the gun unreliable. Changing springs AND removing extra friction is what is involved in a true action job, that results in a gun that is still reliable and will fire any brand of primers.

 

I will say that when I shoot my Colts at a match, I always drag along a pair of Rugers as backups. Didn't need them for almost ten years. Then I broke two springs in quick succession and I was glad I had the Rugers along. Rugers that I had changed the springs in AND polished some parts to be sure they would always be reliable.