Thanks Craig! I've since read an article that said the same thing as you. 800 Euros or $1,100 for a repro. I guess I can look at it this way, my .58 cal. 1863 Springfield Rifle which I bought 30 years ago for $225 could go for a fairly high price should I decide to sell it. I'd make back my money and then some. I suppose that the same holds true for my .69 ca. 1848 Smoothbore Springfield which I bought about 10 years ago for $425. I wonder what my pistols would go for? Oh well, I'm not ready to sell just yet.
It was about thirty five or forty years ago that the Italian repros of US Civil War models
started to become available. From what I understand they were sometimes more than an original
of the same model.
Some of the early Italian (and British) repros were actually very decent. I am looking at a
Zoli US 1841 sitting on my fireplace mantle and it is a pretty accurate reproduction. The Parker Hale
P53 Enfield long rifle sitting in my closet was also very well made. Both are at least thirty five
years old. Most of the more recently produced Italian repros have been garbage by comparison.
The exception being the Armi Sport US 1842. The 150th anniversary edition of those are
actually pretty nice. They fixed the oddly shaped ramrod for one thing.
Think of it this way. The originals in shooting condition are getting scarce, or will get scarce.
The same will happen with the rebuild projects and disassociated parts guns. Then all that will be around will
be the repros. At least Pedersoli will provide a high quality option, if their Civil War line is anything
like their other guns.