1858 cylinder spin?

[ricky5042]

Hi all a quick question the uberti 1858 revolver im getting the cylinder spins 3-4 revolutions on half cock, is this normal for a gun which has allegedly only been fired twice (12 balls)? iv used a couple of the other guys down the club and none of theirs spin as freely as that? also the hammer is really hard for me to cock! I can cock the other revolvers with my left hand thumb but not on the one im getting, I have to use the palm of my hand! does this mean the gun is quiet new?
Thanks

Rick

 

[necchi]

Hi all a quick question the uberti 1858 revolver im getting the cylinder spins 3-4 revolutions on half cock, is this normal

Sure, with being clean and proper lube.

also the hammer is really hard for me to cock!,,,
I have to use the palm of my hand!

That's messed up, it should need a thump only for cocking,, :idunno:

 

[mjulihn]

Should cock easily with just your thumb. The mainspring tension can be adjusted with the set screw on the inside curve of the grip. Could also just need lubrication. The cylinder should spin freely on half-cock. Number of revolutions is a pure physics question involving rotational force minus friction. If it looks barely used, it probably is.

 

[ricky5042]

Thanks guys I have weak thumbs due to my condition so could just be my weak thumbs and the spring tension could be tight, if loosening the screw doesn't help is there a way of weakening it without wrecking it?
Here is a pic and the only real wear I could see was on the cylinder, is this bad or average markings?

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Thanks

Rick

 

[necchi]

Average, it's hard to get rid of that cylinder stop scratch.

 

[cynthialee]

Average, it's hard to get rid of that cylinder stop scratch.

if it really bugs you then the option to have a revolver specialized smith tune up the timing is available, of course you will need a new cylinder that isn't marred ...
Never really bothered me much as long as it isn't extreme.

 

[ricky5042]

Hi im not to worried about it but does it look like its only been loaded and fired twice? (12 balls) and if so that seems a lot of wear for such little use! im planning on using it on a weekly basis firing up to 48 balls a session what is it going to look like after 6 months or more? I like the stainless firearms but this will stick out like a sore thumb! and make it look tatty

Rick

 

[necchi]

I bought one from a guy at work that was never fired, the packing grease was still evident in the cylinders and barrel,
But he sure must have liked playing Cowboy with it, the cylinder did have that drag mark worn in well, the nipples where peened bad and the hammer had a nice mark carved in it from the nipples!

 

[ricky5042]

Hi so im guessing these markes are normal for these types of firearms and nothing to much to worry about then? I am going to give it a full clean and lube when I get it so hoping I going to give me years of fun

Rick

 

[necchi]

Hi so im guessing these markes are normal for these types of firearms and nothing to much to worry about then?

Yup, you can do a little work to them before they happen that'll help keep the drag mark smaller but it's common.
Here ya go, tear the thing apart; http://www.scorrs.org/articles/1858disassembly.htm
Just use a hollow ground screwdriver of the proper size. Most of the "tip's" found in those magnetic assorted screwdriver kit's are hollow ground.
Here's some more stuff; http://www.scorrs.org/gunsmith.htm

 

[ricky5042]

Hi thanks necchi il have a look

Rick

 

[Many Klatch]

You can soften the spring by removing metal from the sides of the spring not the faces. Just be careful and my advice is that if you try to reduce the spring this way to get a spare spring before you start.

Many Klatch

 

[ricky5042]

Hi thanks for the heads up il try the tension screw and a few cylinders through it and see if it softens up if not il try taking small amounts of the spring.

Rick

 

[mjulihn]

I bought one from a guy at work that was never fired, the packing grease was still evident in the cylinders and barrel,
But he sure must have liked playing Cowboy with it, the cylinder did have that drag mark worn in well, the nipples where peened bad and the hammer had a nice mark carved in it from the nipples!

^^^^^^This is a likely explanation for the observed wear if you trust the seller's claim of only 12 shots fired.

 

[ricky5042]

Hi I want to trust him as hes our club chairman and seems ok, iv asked for the 2 letters near the proof marks but not reply yet so depending what they are it will give me some idea how old the firearm is.
Has any one had a new stainless 1858 who can tell me how quick they noticed any marks on theirs.

Rick

 

[Wes/Tex]

Thanks guys I have weak thumbs due to my condition so could just be my weak thumbs and the spring tension could be tight, if loosening the screw doesn't help is there a way of weakening it without wrecking it?
Rick

An old trick I've used to lighten a mainspring in a revolver is to cut a small square of thin leather, punch a hole in the center and put it between the spring and the grip frame. You need to use a thin piece of something soft like chamois or you'll get a funny spring to hammer fit! :thumbsup:

 

[ricky5042]

Hi all I picked the revolver up today and as usual I took it apart to give it a darn good clean and once apart I noticed some marks on cylinder and it looks like the hammer is striking the sides of the cylinder pic 1

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when I half cock it fast I noticed the cylinder was spinning to far and out of line so he obviously didn't see this and fired the gun causing the marks!
I took the gun apart and noticed the piece that's attached to the hammer didn't look right so I checked and sure enough its missing the spring part which I presume is under tension and this is the what would stop the cylinder free spinning like my one does! pic 2

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are these easy to get hold of?
and finally I have a question on age of this firearm? pic 3

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to me it looks like an AF in the box which would make it a 1980 firearm! and he still says he got it new and only fired 12 balls out of it in total so in your opinions does this look like a firearm that is more than 30 years old?
Thanks

Rick

 

[Many Klatch]

That part is easy to find Dixie Gunworks has them. https://www.dixiegunworks.com/prod...cts_id=4256&osCsid=c7oler0h3c7q1fpo21vu8hjsm6

I recently fixed my broken hand spring by soldering in a piece of a bobby pin. It seems to work better than the original.

Many Klatch

 

[ricky5042]

Hi thanks for that over here this piece is just over £16 so il e-mail them to see what postage to the uk would be?

Rick

 

[Wes/Tex]

I can truly say I've never seen that happen to a percussion revolver. With out the spring attached, the hand will definitely have trouble indexing the cylinder but good grief, he should have known something odd was going on and stopped before it got that far. The gun can certainly be a 1980 vintage, the design hasn't changed in 156 years! :wink: