Uberti is located in Gardone V.T., a suburb of Brescia, Italy, for centuries the home to other firearm manufacturers and similar craft businesses. Independent for many years, Uberti was purchased and made into a subsidiary of Beretta Firearms and subsequently acquired by Benelli,[when?] also a member of the Beretta Holding Company.[2]
Origins and history
Aldo Uberti (d. 1998) founded his company in the foothills of the Italian Alps in 1959 to recreate long-obsolete but iconic firearms from the days of the American West and the U.S. Civil War. The factory was (and still is) in Gardone Val Trompia (Gardone V.T.) in the province of Brescia, an area renowned for arms and armor manufacturing since the late Middle Ages. In particular, a manufacturing tradition of that area (dating back to the Renaissance) has been that of replicating foreign-style armor, most notably armor in the German style to be exported to and used in Germanic countries. This was done in part to help establish the area as an important arms-manufacturing center, which it remains today, and in part to showcase the ability of local artisans and metalsmiths.[3]
Aldo Uberti had attended the Zanardelli gunsmithing school, and by age 14 he was already apprenticing with Beretta, a determining factor in his early career. He founded Uberti on the eve of the U.S. Civil War's 100th anniversary, when he was approached by U.S. businessmen who wanted to cater to the budding but promising reenactment market.[4] Uberti's first replica was the 1851 Colt Navy revolver, followed by other Colt civil-war-era models; later, he moved on to Remington and Winchester designs. It was during this era that Colt ceased production of their famous Single Action Army or "Peacemaker" revolvers.[5]
By the 1970s, Uberti had grown into an internationally recognized producer of Civil-War and Old West firearms, with high quality standards and a marked preference for forging their receivers out of solid steel rather than using casting or alloys.[6] In the year 2000, Uberti was acquired by Beretta, thanks to whose substantial financing it upgraded the factory to a brand-new facility, thereby greatly expanding production capacity. By 2002, the factory was further modernized with CNC machinery; this enabled them to expedite certain manufacturing processes, although an amount of hand-fitting and hand-finishing remains necessary to this day for this type of firearm.[7]
Today, Uberti caters to collectors, cowboy action shooters, civil war skirmishers as well as working ranchers, hunters and other outdoorsmen who need or prefer to carry traditional firearms into the field. Historically, Uberti has produced parts such as frames, cylinders, and barrels for several other manufacturers like Beretta, Taurus, Charles Daly, Colt and USFA,[5] while current firearms made by the company are offered under both the Uberti brand names and those of importers Cimarron and Taylor's.
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Thanks to modern steels and the decades-old experience of the artisans assembling the guns, Uberti's replicas are highly regarded by shooters and collectors all over the world, sometimes thought as surpassing the originals in quality.[12] It is for this reason that Uberti has been called "The King of Replicas" by U.S. shooters and collectors.[13] Furthermore, Uberti's fidelity to the originals is such that many internal parts of their current Colt replica may be interchanged with those of an original first-generation Single Action Army.[14]
Following is a list of firearm categories currently available from Uberti:[15]
Handguns
Black powder revolvers (1847 to 1860s), Colt and Remington models
Black powder conversion revolvers (late 1860s to early 1870s), Colt and Remington models
The long and varied history of Uberti importers has sometimes created confusion in the mind of the U.S. customer, with unfounded rumors about quality differences between the lines offered through various importers. The reason is that the product has been often marketed under the importer's name (e.g., Navy Arms, Cimarron, etc.) rather than the manufacturer's, with each importer naturally positioning their product as being the best.
Currently, Uberti firearms come into the United States through three main importers. The first and largest is Stoeger (under the brand Uberti USA), a member of the same parent company (Benelli, in turn a member of the Beretta Holding Company). In this case, Stoeger does not act as a brand, but only as a) the FFL under which the Uberti firearms are imported, which is why these are the only Uberti firearms to be openly marketed under the Uberti brand; and b) the company handling the 5-year warranty. The second is Taylor's, a Virginia-based company that caters in particular to cowboy-action shooters, reenactors and collectors. The third is Cimarron Arms, a Texas-based company also specializing in the Cowboy-action market.
Uberti Percussion revolver including top to bottom, Colt Paterson, Colt Walker, Colt 3rd Variation Revolving Holster Pistol (Dragoon)A Uberti-made Cimarron Model P in 32-20/32 WCF
Business units and corporate ownership
The Beretta Holding Company acquired Uberti with the explicit goal of dominating the market niche of replica firearms—a niche that up to that point Beretta had not entered. Through this acquisition, Beretta's intention was to quickly become the dominant force in this interesting market segment (particularly in the U.S.), by offering a product that reflected Beretta's own manufacturing standards.
According to the then CEO of Beretta Holding, Dott. Piero Gussalli Beretta, "the objective of this acquisition [was] that of leading the Beretta group onto the stage of America's most genuine tradition of cowboy-type firearms and shooting, through a brand that is comparable to Beretta in quality and prestige."[16] A year after the acquisition (2001), Uberti netted a record of $15M. The current Uberti CEO is Dr. Giacomo Merlino.[17]
Today, the U.S. subdivision of Uberti is located in Accokeek, Maryland, within the Benelli U.S. main offices. Uberti is in fact part of the Benelli group, in turn a member of the Beretta holding family.[18]
Remington New Model Army cased replica set
Colt Single Action cased set
Colt Thunderer replica
Colt Buntline revolver replica
1873 Horseman single action revolver
