Pietta’s King Trio Wheelgun
A Spaghetti Western 3 (or 4) for 1
Spaghetti Westerns were the rage of the early ’60s. Italians loved America’s Wild West culture, displaying this affection (or maybe affliction) in the form of making shoot ’em-up “Westerns.” Of course, every Western has guns — lots of guns. And we Americans appreciated these films, too!
Rather than going through traditional red tape routes of importing sixguns from the States, Italy used guns made in their own backyard. Manufacturers such as Uberti and Pietta made clones of popular makes and models our cowboys used at the turn of the century.
With Pietta opening its doors back in 1962, it quickly earned a reputation for making fine reproduction firearms with a Western flair. Recently, they released a dandy of a gun called the King Trio. A close copy clone of a Colt SAA, the King Trio comes with three cylinders, making it capable of shooting four different cartridges, earning King status on versatility for six-shooters.
Unboxing
The King Trio single-action shooter has very deep bluing on the barrel, offset by beautiful case coloring on the frame. It’s stunning! Like a bear tearing through a beehive, I couldn’t wait to get this honey of a gun out of its plastic bag and into my hands. It was well oiled — everywhere — and in need of a good wipe down. Considering how far it traveled, this is a good thing.
The extra cylinders were well-wrapped and oiled, too. The brass grip frame was expertly fitted to the cylinder frame as if it were one piece. The reddish-stained walnut stocks were also fitted to perfection. Cocking the case-colored hammer brought pure joy, being smooth and easy, the way a single action should be, with the required four clicks bringing it to full cock. The hammer spur is expertly checkered, providing a positive grip and adding flair.
The gun frame is marked like a vintage Colt, with the patent date on the frame, with .38 Super etched neatly on the left side of the barrel. Factory markings are well hidden on the bottom of the barrel next to ERH. The overall fit and finish are excellent, making anyone who owns a King Trio single action rightfully proud.
The Cartridges
First up is the .38 Super. The .38 Super came out in the late 1920s and is a favorite cartridge for Mexicans. Being illegal to own firearms capable of shooting cartridges of war, like 9mm and .45 ACP, the .38 Super is a popular choice by having the power to take care of business in the famous 1911 platform.
Having a cylinder for .38 Super adds to the versatility of the King Trio revolver while upping the cool factor by 10!
Next is the .357 Magnum/.38 Special cylinder. Who doesn’t love the power of the .357 Magnum? Capable of taking deer-sized game, as well as being a proven one-shot man stopper, the .357 may be our most balanced and practical cartridge for everyday chores.
That .38 Special can be fired in the same cylinder, making it doubly good! Usually abundant and cheaper than most ammunition, the mild loads are great for practice, small game and teaching youth how to shoot without all the nasty muzzle-blast the .357 Magnum is known for.
Lastly, we have the 9mm. For plain plinking fun and varmints, the 9mm is hard to beat. Again, children will love shooting this mild-mannered cartridge while having a blast doing so.
Wheelgun “Widgetry”
I love single-action sixguns. What could be easier to operate? Cock the hammer and shoot the gun, right? Even loading a single action is relaxing in its own simple way. Manipulating a single action correctly is a series of basic steps.
You need to know how to bring the hammer to half-cock. Traditional, or clone guns, usually require cocking the hammer two clicks when pulling the hammer back, allowing the cylinder to spin freely for loading.
With the gun at half-cock, the loading gate is lifted for insertion of your first cartridge. Using the cowboy loading technique, skip the next chamber hole and load the next four cartridges. After the last cartridge is loaded, close the loading gate and fully cock the hammer.
This cycles the cylinder so the empty chamber is resting under the hammer. Lower the hammer onto the empty chamber for safe carry. When cocking the hammer, the cylinder rotates to a live round and is ready for the next four cartridges after that.
Emptying the cylinder is done pretty much the same way, with either live or fired cartridge cases. Bring the hammer back to half-cock, open the loading gate and use the ejector rod to punch out the empties. Live cartridges will usually fall free from the chamber from their own weight.
Swapping cylinders is a snap. Bringing the hammer to half-cock, push the cylinder locking pin in and remove the base pin. Choose your cylinder and place it in the window frame. With everything lined up, insert the base pin to the first locking notch. You’re done!
Notch Your Gun Safely
To be able to ship guns into the States, a safety of some sort is required. I give Pietta a big round of applause for theirs. It’s so simple and unobtrusive, it’s perfect. I hate lawyer induced, frivolous lawsuit, safety devices, but can easily live with this one.
Pietta simply has two notches filed into the base pin for the base pin latch to hold it in place. With the base pin inserted all the way, and notch caught, it keeps the hammer mounted firing pin from striking a cartridge primer. Releasing the latch and pulling the base pin out until the second notch catches allows firing, while still locking the base pin in place. Pure genius!
The “Hole” Story
Shooting was done at 50 feet, giving my eyes every advantage with traditional single-action fixed sights, consisting of blade front sight and hog trough rear. But at 50 feet, the gun was very accurate. Most groups were in the 1″ to 1.5″ range, with several smaller groups. This gun had no cartridge preference, either. Groups of five were shot from the bench, throwing out the worst shot (to account for operator error) before measuring group size.
The 9mm loads shot just as well as the .357 despite the long cylinder jump to the throat. Also, the gun showed no preference for cast or jacketed bullets, and both shot equally well. In fact, cast slugs may have shot better, demonstrating superior barrel quality. The fact there was no leading when shooting cast bullets speaks well of the barrel’s smoothness and diameter consistency, demonstrating it is constriction-free.
.38 Super
Handloads were assembled using Lee Precision dies, using MP Molds 140-grain RFN slugs sized to 0.358″ and loaded over 10.2 grains of AA #9. Velocity was 1,070 FPS, with groups running under an inch. I also had two Buffalo Bore factory loads, one a 115-grain JHP clocking just over 1,400 FPS, and the other, a 147-grain JHP that went 1,045 FPS. Both these loads shot under 1″.
.357 Magnum/.38 Special
Buffalo Bore’s .357 Magnum Outdoorsman took top honors in the velocity race at 1,487 FPS using a 180-grain cast bullet with excellent accuracy, shooting under an inch at 50 feet. This may be the perfect all-around outdoorsman’s load, capable of taking game or any other heavy shooting chores. SIG SAUER’s 125-grain FMJ load clocked 1,435 FPS. Both loads shot under 1″.
Handloads consisted of cast 180-grain wide flat-nosed gas-checked slugs loaded over 15 grains of H110. Velocity was 1,480 FPS, again with groups running around 1″.
For .38 Special, I had SIG SAUER 125-grain FMJ loads. They clocked 855 FPS with good accuracy, going into 1.5″ groups. Handloads using 147-grain MP mold slugs loaded over 4.2 grains of 231 clocked 878 FPS.
9mm
This cartridge surprised me with all the bullet jump required to exit the cylinder. But it was one of the most accurate cartridges I shot. Using Lee Precision 125-grain radiused flat-nose bullets (90306), sized to 0.358″, it almost shot one-hole groups at 50 feet. Velocity was 1,275 FPS using 5.0 grains of 231. It’s a favorite 9mm load of mine. The same 147-grain MP Molds bullet used in the .38 Special loaded over 5.5 grains of Unique went 1,165 FPS. Both loads were +/- 1″.
Factory ammo included Buffalo Bore’s Outdoorsman load featuring 147-grain FN cast bullets clocking at 1,107 FPS. Again, accuracy was good, going sub-1″ for most groups.
Shooting this rendition of an old thumb-buster was fun! Swapping cylinders is easy, providing you the option of choosing the ammo you feel like shooting or choosing the correct ammo for the task at hand. You have many options available, and multiple options are a good thing in today’s ammo market reliability.
Leather
I had Doc Barranti of Barranti Leather make one of his new Hondo holsters for the King Trio shooter. Carrying the King Trio in a Hondo rough side-out holster was comfortable and secure. A minimalist holster, it is well-boned, providing a snug fit while still being easy to draw from. Re-holstering is just as easy with the leather’s stiffness, which is all you want for a sharp-looking, slim carry rig.
King Trio, A Crown Jewel
Pietta’s King Trio single-action Colt clone is one fun gun. You’ll have a blast shooting, loading and carrying it. You’ll show it off to your buddies for sure. The three cylinders provide many ammunition options, providing you the freedom to shoot more and experiment with different cartridges.
The Pietta King Trio is a Davidson’s Exclusive. Have your local gun shop contact them if you’re interested in having a stylishly cool six-shooter capable of handling four different cartridges.
For more info: GalleryofGuns.com
