Earlier this year, while planning a European holiday I got the idea to send an e-mail to Aldo Uberti S.p.A asking whether I may visit their factory and see their production facilities and the firearms they manufacture. Being a collector of Old West type firearms and avid Cowboy Action Shooter I have grown to appreciate the quality of Uberti products. In no time I received a friendly reply from Suzanne Webb, sales manager at Uberti, that I would be most welcome, the envisaged date would be perfect and if I needed directions?

With mounting excitement my wife and I made our way through the somewhat chaotic italian traffic to Gardone Val Trompia and found Uberti in Beretta's massive industrial complex. We were warmly greeted by Suzanne Webb and the glow of an incredible array of firearms in two exhibition rooms. Suddenly I felt like a little boy in toy-land and couldn't get enough admiring, scrutinizing and handling all the goods on display. I've known Uberti products for many years and lately found them to be probably the best quality reproductions of Western firearms. While you normally only find standard finish Colt SAA or Remington 1875 models as well as cap & ball revolvers in circulation here in South Africa the multitude of variants and models on display was truly stunning. Almost every model of Colt cap & ball revolvers in various finishes, engraved, inlayed, an 1860 Army Presentation model with Tiffany engraving and grips as well as full silver and gold plating had me speechless. While I had seen photos of such old originals before, the possibility of touching and handling these marvellous re-creations played tricks on my financial sanity. Surely we could do with one car less and instead have one of this and one of that and...?

In my view this is one of the reasons for the outstanding success of Uberti's products. You can buy faithfull reproductions of classic firearms without breaking the bank and also enjoy shooting them. Unthinkable to most collectors of old originals where one enthusiastic load might blow a relic to pieces. Another reason for success is the commitment to quality and authenticity that can be felt in every product. But what struck me most was the enthusiasm of everyone I met at Uberti for the firearms and their history. There is clearly a passion for creating and manufacturing items that carry the spirit of the old times. When, in 1959, Aldo Uberti took on the project of producing replicas of the 1851 Navy Colt to commemorate the centennial of the American Civil War they were so well received that his newly founded company could build on that reputation and become the first large scale manufacturer of Old West type reproduction firearms. The product range grew over the years and in 1965 the 1866 Winchester marked the first lever action replica in the catalog while the following year saw the introduction of the Colt Single Action Army copy, named the "Cattleman". Over time countless movie sets were outfitted with Uberti's products. Amongst others all the early Westerns starring Clint Eastwood, like the "Fistful of Dollars" trilogy and "The Outlaw Josey Wales" as well as the Kevin Kostner epic "Dances with Wolves" and my all-time favourite Western "Tombstone" starring Kurt Russel and Val Kilmer featured firearms made in Italy. The stairway leading up to the reception area in the Uberti Building is lined with an impressive array of framed movie posters documenting their product's Hollywood career.

On occassion Uberti ventured into producing firearms that were actually based in the 20th century. In the early 1980s they produced a copy of the Colt Detective double-action revolver model in 22 lr for Franchi and Mauser but this model was discontinued for various economical reasons. As quality and workmanship were outstanding, there was no significant price difference possible to the original. The 2002 catalog shows the Tornado Single Action revolver in .454 Casull in a brushed stainless finish, with optional compensator or muzzle brake. Looking somewhat like the love-child of a Freedom Arms revolver paired with a Single Action Army it is currently not in production but may be again in the future.

Today Uberti is the world's biggest producer of replica Wild West firearms, with sixty employees manufacturing about 40' 000 units annually, ca. 30' 000 handguns and 10' 000 long guns. Since 2000 the basic parts are produced using highly accurate CNC-machinery while the fitting and assembly is still performed by skilled artisans who I had the pleasure to watch perform their magic. The products are marketed by Uberti directly and also by various distributors in the USA, like Cimarron, Taylor's and Navy Arms. Some of the current models have been developed in co-operation with these distributors and some offer exclusive configurations. When in the 1970s Colt started to release their so-called second generation cap & ball revolvers they marketed them as real original Colts, as opposed to the commonly availlable replicas. In reality - since Colt didn't have the necessary tooling any longer - all the parts were made by Uberti and then shipped to the USA to be assembled by Colt.

The "Cattleman" is now produced in barrel length from 3" to 18", blackpowder or smokeless frames, Flattop or pinched frames, blued, "in the white", nickel plated and other finishes, different grip frames, different sights, different hammers, different calibers etc. Mixing up all those options would give over 600' 000 possible variations just of the 1873 SAA. In the catalog you will also find Cartridge conversions like the Richards-Mason, Thuer and Richards as well as Open Top 1872 models, Remington revolvers and my personal favourites, the Smith & Wesson Schofield and Russian models. One day, with the kind permission of the Central Firearms Register, I will own a Schofield, "in the white" and with standard engraving! The list of lever action models encompasses the 1860 Henry, 1866 Yellow Boy, '73 Winchester and from September 2006 on also the 1876 Winchester in various old rifle calibers.

Another great find is Uberti's version of the Colt Lightning pump action rifle and carbine. Originally produced from 1885, these pump action rilfles were in serious competition to the Winchester long guns. The model reproduced by Uberti resembles the medium frame version and comes - like in the old days - in various handgun calibers. And it sure looks and feels stunning. The one I handled had to be pried from my fingers.

During my visit I had the pleasure to meet Signore Giacomo Merlino, the company's managing director. With obvious pride he showed me a whole array of miniature models they also produce. These scaled down versions are really intricate little works of art. Availlable are some of the blackpowder revolvers and the Cattleman as well as the Winchester Yellowboy in a multitude of finishes. Being classified as "non-firearms" in Italy (and in South Africa according to my local DFO) because the barrels are plugged and the chambers are too small to accept any ammunition, these miniatures otherwise exhibit all the features of their big brothers. Turning cylinder, opening loading gate, rifled barrel, etc. Close inspection easily shows why they are collector's items and why they cost almost as much as their big brothers.

The recent closure of the Winchester factory and subsequent production stop of their famed Model 94 came as a shock to many who enjoy that cowboy allure of a lever action. Happily, the Wild West is thriving in the form of Cowboy Action Shooting and it's related activities - to a large degree thanks to the dedicated and enthusiastic crowd at Uberti. While CAS is huge in the USA, more and more enthusiasts all over the world come together to enjoy this shooting sport. In the Cape Town area the Cape SAAACA Western Shooters Association holds monthly shoots were friendly people dress up in cowboy gear and strap on their gunbelts in a social and family friendly atmosphere. It seems that the heart of cowboy gun manufacturing is found in Italy these days and that modern day cowpokes can "go heeled" (be armed) in a dignified manner with the awesome variety of quality reproductions by Uberti - just like their Hollywood counterparts. Now, if only I could have found a dignified way to beg for a job at this place... "Will work for guns"!

You can admire the offerings at www.ubertireplicas.com and buy them from their local agent Classic Arms in Witbank, Tel.: 013 - 656 2923. The Cape Town cowboy crowd is on the web at www.westernshooters.co.za