Gregorelli & Uberti on gunbroker

[LonesomePigeon]

 Hi folks, there is a Gregorelli & Uberti 1851 Navy, pre-proofmark, serial #20 on gunbroker now for $350. I have two of these already and I think they are very cool and unique.
 
It will probably take some work to get a GU running smooth and shooting accurate but IMHO they are way worth it. What makes them so cool and unique is the ergonomics. They are like no other repro '51 I know of. GU's are lighter and have a smaller frame and narrower barrel than others. They may be closer dimensionaly to the originals but I don't know for sure, since I don't have an original. However, I have a Colt 2nd Gen and a new Uberti and I can say that as good as they are for ergonomics, they both feel "bulky" in comparision to a GU. The GU's are verrry unique.

Anyways, here is the link and if anyone wants me to go into detail about my GU's I will. I have no connection to the seller and cannot vouch for him in any way. I just think the GU's are really neat and this is an opportunity for a forum member to get one at a somewhat reasonable price. There's 2 or 3 other GU's out there now but they are all in the $500-600 range, they don't seem to sell at that price.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=558852227

[LonesomePigeon]

I have only worked on one of my GU's. The other one, the cylinder is still soaking in Kroil to get the nipples out.

The one that I worked on, no caps would fit properly and the mainspring was blowing back even with light 12-15 grain loads. The nipple threads are the same as original Colt's so I replaced the nipples with Track of The Wolf POC-I nipples, they were still too long so I filed the cone portion down. I also had to file the ring on the recoil shield to make it smaller in diameter, to allow the cylinder to rotate freely without the #11 caps scraping. Then I replaced the mainspring, or rather a friend replaced the mainspring with an old one he had from his parts box, I don't know what kind it was, I had to file it a bit shorter.

This got the gun running and it is accurate enough within 10 yards. At 25 yards it will still stay on paper but the groups are pretty wide. I have not checked the chamber to bore relationship nor the timing. There is almost no forcing cone and no crown on the muzzle. I think the arbor might be fine, or if it is short it's only by a few thousandths. Eventually I will do, or have all of this stuff done for both guns by a professional gunsmith. I may even have them reblued and the color case hardening redone because I really like these guns.

[LonesomePigeon]

 Another interesting thing about these guns is the major parts are not interchangeable, it appears each one was hand fitted. I have serial numbers 1967 and 5061. The cylinders and barrels do not interchange.

There are some other differences. 1967 has a super fast twist barrel, looks like about 1 in 8" twist. It has no muzzle crown and a very small forcing cone.

5061 has a much slower twist, I'm guessing about 1 in 32". It has a slight crown to the muzzle and a normal forcing cone.

Both of them have slightly chamferd cylinder chambers and square sight notches in the hammer.

[45 Dragoon]

So .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . you want another one .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ?

Just curious .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  but only a little. (lol)


Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks

[LonesomePigeon]

Can you tell I'm excited? I have a pair already. That's enough for me, for now anyways, lol. I just wanted to let others know what I know about them and that one was available. This one on gunbroker started off at $1,000(presumably because it's serial #20) and now it's down to $350. I paid $325 for my first one and $185 for my second one.

[LonesomePigeon]

It sold for $325.
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/564649089

[ssb73q]

Hi Lonesome, what makes the Gregorelli & Uberti 1851 Navy different from the Uberti 1851 of today?

Regards,
Richard

[LonesomePigeon]

The main things are the dimensions of the grips, frame and barrel. They are all slightly smaller and narrower which IMHO offer better ergonomics. They may be closer to the originals too. I know the taper and outer diameter of the barrel is closer to the originals than the Uberti or 2nd Gen Colt's. Not sure about the grips and the frame but I suspect they are closer to the originals as well.

There are also some ways in which they are less like the originals, such as the cylinder is not engraved, the rear sight notch is a square instead of a V and the hammer just has horizontal lines instead of checkering. The rifling twist on the very early GU's is super fast, like 1:8. This is probably a minus if you're shooting round ball but might be good for conicals. The twist on the later production GU's is not as fast.

I do have a new Uberti 1851 Navy and I have to say it is a more accurate and reliable shooter than my GU's. So I am definately not knocking the Uberti's. I just think these GU's offer ergonomics that can't be found elswhere, except for maybe on the originals. They will be a labor of love for me. If I can get them shooting accurately and get them to be reliable I think they will be really special.