Colt Pocket Reliable?

[PluggedNickel]

Hey buddy you do have a nice collection of toys. Went out today a shot my pocket police , lots fun but had a few cap jams.

Yeah, they are notorious for that! The book mentioned by other member above by Mike Cupston & Johnny Bates "Percussion Revolvers-A guide to their history, performance and use" does show where and how to relieve some of the area at the back stop and hammer area to improve function on them.

 

[PluggedNickel]

Here's some more pictures. OK, my work is done here. Loves me some pictures! '62 Po-Nay it's like a Po-Po and a Nay-Nay hook up! LOL No offense intended LEO's!
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[arcticap]

Someone recently posted that his new Uberti 1849 barrel and cylinder fit the frame of his Uberti 1862 Pocket Police.
The Pocket Police already needed to have a cap rake installed while the new 1849 suffered cap jams right out of the box.
That led him to install another cap rake on the 1849 frame which consisted of grinding a slot to insert part of a penny to serve as a cap rake.
Some folks don't want to shoot their small frame revolvers due to all of the cap jams.
Installing a cap rake can solve the cap jams enough to basically allow flawless performance.

 

[PluggedNickel]

Someone recently posted that his new Uberti 1849 barrel and cylinder fit the frame of his Uberti 1862 Pocket Police.
The Pocket Police already needed to have a cap rake installed while the new 1849 suffered cap jams right out of the box.
That led him to install another cap rake on the 1849 frame which consisted of grinding a slot to insert part of a penny to serve as a cap rake.
Some folks don't want to shoot their small frame revolvers due to all of the cap jams.
Installing a cap rake can solve the cap jams enough to basically allow flawless performance.

That is true. Goonsguns and others will do it for you. And there are YouTube videos show ya how to do it too.

 

[PluggedNickel]

 

[n3wyu]

I have a uberti 1849 pocket pistol and the main spring is weak. It fires hit and miss. I wasn't sure what the problem was and ended up cutting down an old hack saw blade and placing it under the main spring. It fires everytime. I would like to buy a heavier main spring if anyone knows who carries them

 

[William P Sepessy]

When I cut down standard Colt SAA mainsprings(to correct length) and installed them in both the Uberti 49 Pocket and Pocket Navy, almost all(about 90%)of the cap jam problems went away. I had also installed Slix Shot nipples. However, I was left with both guns that were, to me, too difficult to cock and may lead to premature wear on the internal parts. I could have thinned down the mainsprings, but I saw where Taylors is having a two for one sale on Uberti SAA mainsprings. These are lighter than the Colt mainsprings I cut down but should still be heavier than the original Pocket mainsprings. They should be in tomorrow so I should be able to quickly adjust the length to fit the Pockets and test soon.
By the way, some have mentioned just "flipping" the muzzle to clear the caps, but in this case it doesn't apply. What is going on with my two guns(and others reporting the same problem) is after firing a shot, the hammer blows back and sucks a cap back with it which lands down in the hammer channel. At this point the hammer is now not quite at half cock and exerting pressure against the fired cap. At the very least you have to cock the hammer a bit more and try to clear the cap. Frustrating, and really points to a mainspring that is too weak.

 

[n3wyu]

I found a site lodgewood Mfg Ltd they have a mainspring for $12.00. I think I'm going to order a couple, one for my Wells Fargo 1948 and one for my 1949 colt pocket pistol if they work I'll let you know. But I definitely think that I need a little heavy spring

 

[William P Sepessy]

Well, the Uberti springs(their standard single action) arrived from Taylor's and I just finished trimming one down to fit the Pocket Navy. Didn't have to remove that much, and after re-assembly I much prefer how the gun now feels. A little more strength than the stock spring but nowhere near as much as the cut down Colt SAA spring I installed which felt much too heavy. The standard Uberti single action mainspring they've been installing for some time almost feels like a aftermarket reduced power spring.We'll see. I had been previously shooting a .375 round ball over 15 grs. of 3F Olde Enysford or Swiss and I feel I may need to reduce the charge slightly. Looking forward to the next day that's warm enough to go shooting and test this out.

 

[n3wyu]

Good to hear I hope that it works for you. I ordered 2 springs from lodgewood Mfg. One for my 1848 wells Fargo and one for my 1849 pocket pistol, both have the same problem. They said they are made a little bit longer and I will have to cut to fit. While working on my 49 pocket I noticed that the mainspring was rubbing on the back of the hammer. I relieved it a little bit and it cocks a lot smoother.

 

[Eras Gone]

Here is how I fixed most of the cap jams in my M1849. As many have mentioned, the weak hammer spring is most of the problem.

 

[n3wyu]

FYI Here's a link to some BP pistol loading data http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/guns/bploads.html

 

[ugly old guy]

Are they accurate enough for game hunting?

Better question:
"Are they legal for hunting game?"
I know here in Idaho, a muzzleloading revolver or pistol (regardless of caliber) are not legal for taking game, other than a tree'd mountain lion, and there are restrictions on the minimum caliber you can use.

 

[n3wyu]

Well I never seen anything in PA game Commission rule book. After all you can use a bow to hunt game. I carry a 32 pocket pistol around my farm in case I come across a coon, opossum,ground hog etc. I'm not hunting them but if they are around my buildings or are causing me problems they have to go.

 

[saaman]

Had no cap problems with my Uberti 1849 that I bought back in 1985. Only problem it had was the bolt dropping too soon when cocking--that caused the cylinder to partially rotate when firing. Cured that problem by adjusting the bolt drop. It is a handy little gun that I have used to teach grandchildren.

 

[n3wyu]

Nice little gun. Sometimes you have to tweak them, however I like them.

 

[Kansas Jake]

With regard to hunting, in Kansas they wouldn't be legal for deer, but could be used for small game. Of course shooter ability and good sense would factor into whether one used one. I would try my hand with one on cotton tails and maybe squirrels.

 

[n3wyu]

Ya I agree when I go muzzleloader hunting I use a 50 caliber Hawkens. As far as the 32 I use it on varmints around my farm