Hello and greetings to all! I have an Uberti 1st model dragoon that regularly misfires in that the cap doesn't go off. I am using CCI #11s but don't think this is the problem. I believe the problem happens because the hammer just doesn't contact the percussion cap solidly upon pulling the trigger. Inspection reveals a space of about a few hundredths of an inch between the bare nipple and the hammer when it is all the way down. The hammer on my Walker appears to contact each nipple when it's placed all the way down. It seems also that there is significant freeplay with the cylinder (it can be moved forward and backward a few hundredth of an inch) even when the wedge is driven all the way in. Maybe this might be related to the problem. Leaving the nipple unscrewed about half a turn cures the problem, but I don't think this is a safe solution. Any ideas about how to fix this?
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Help with 1st model Dragoon
- Thread starter swabby
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I would suggest a shim or shims over the cylinder pin after putting the cylinder in place.
Check to make sure a fired cap hasn't fallen down in the hammer slot in the recoil shield. A flattened cap or piece of one can cause the problem you are having. And they can be hard to see if you aren't looking for them.
WV_Hillbilly
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I believe you have already indicated the cause of your problem. You noted significant freeplay in the cylinder, but you didn't tell us if the gun misfires on every chamber? or is it just on certain chambers?
Is the face of your hammer peened away any? Are the nipples battered down? You do know that you should NOT dry fire a cap-n-ball revovler, right?
In theory, the hammer should not actually ever touch the nipple, but strike close enough to detonate the percussion caps.
How long have you had this gun? Did you buy it NEW or USED? How many rounds do you think have been put through it? Do you regularly fire very heavy charges in this revolver? Doing so could cause the frame to "stretch" and the cylinder would start having that end to end/back and forth freeplay.
Sometimes a shooter will use a cap-n-ball revolver with very heavy loads--which loosen things up to where the owner no longer feels the gun is safe--and then sell it off to an unsuspecting new owner who is glad to buy an Uberti for a "really good price".
Backing out a nipple a half turn is NOT a good way to "fix the problem". You could create an even worse condition where some of the fire "leaks out" from the nipple threading and ignites an adjacent chamber or two. A "chain-fire" could be the result and it is NOT a very pleasant situation for either gun or shooter.
After you perform that "strip search" on your 1st Model Dragoon, and if you don't find anything out of the ordinary and the problem still exists... your best option is to find a good gunsmith to check the gun out for you. There are ways to fix that "headspace" problem, but it may not be inexpensive...
Good Luck! and Be Careful, OK?
WV_Hillbilly
Is the face of your hammer peened away any? Are the nipples battered down? You do know that you should NOT dry fire a cap-n-ball revovler, right?
In theory, the hammer should not actually ever touch the nipple, but strike close enough to detonate the percussion caps.
How long have you had this gun? Did you buy it NEW or USED? How many rounds do you think have been put through it? Do you regularly fire very heavy charges in this revolver? Doing so could cause the frame to "stretch" and the cylinder would start having that end to end/back and forth freeplay.
Sometimes a shooter will use a cap-n-ball revolver with very heavy loads--which loosen things up to where the owner no longer feels the gun is safe--and then sell it off to an unsuspecting new owner who is glad to buy an Uberti for a "really good price".
Backing out a nipple a half turn is NOT a good way to "fix the problem". You could create an even worse condition where some of the fire "leaks out" from the nipple threading and ignites an adjacent chamber or two. A "chain-fire" could be the result and it is NOT a very pleasant situation for either gun or shooter.
After you perform that "strip search" on your 1st Model Dragoon, and if you don't find anything out of the ordinary and the problem still exists... your best option is to find a good gunsmith to check the gun out for you. There are ways to fix that "headspace" problem, but it may not be inexpensive...
Good Luck! and Be Careful, OK?
WV_Hillbilly
Check the cylinder gap after you do this. I'm not sure but I think that the gap should not exceed .012-.015". You can probably find the tolerance on this by contacting the manufacturer or importer of your revolver. Someone at Dixie could probably furnish you with that information as well if you contact them.
Hello everybody and thank you very much for your replies! I bought the gun new, never fired before. Here is some more info:
The nipples don't appear worn and are like new. I measured the various dimensions on all 6 with a micrometer and compared them with the ones on my Walker and didn't find any really big diffs. The hammer is new and shows no ware whatsoever and has a strong, crisp, clean pull and return. The misfires started right away, and all chambers usually misfire. I checked all of the usual culprits like oil, grease, fouling, blown caps in the lockwork, etc but found none of this. It seems that the hammer is hitting against the cap with enough force to knock the priming compound off the back of the cap, but it never makes contact with the nipple to detonate : (
The cylinder gap is a bit large at around .015 - .017 and there is noticeable freeplay. The space between the hammer and each nipple when it is all the way down is probably about .02 - .025. I thought about some of the suggestions like putting shims under each nipple. But maybe I should just send it back to Uberti and have them deal with it instead? This kinda stinks because I have really good luck with my Uberti Walker and want to shoot both.
Thanks for your help with this. Enjoy!
The nipples don't appear worn and are like new. I measured the various dimensions on all 6 with a micrometer and compared them with the ones on my Walker and didn't find any really big diffs. The hammer is new and shows no ware whatsoever and has a strong, crisp, clean pull and return. The misfires started right away, and all chambers usually misfire. I checked all of the usual culprits like oil, grease, fouling, blown caps in the lockwork, etc but found none of this. It seems that the hammer is hitting against the cap with enough force to knock the priming compound off the back of the cap, but it never makes contact with the nipple to detonate : (
The cylinder gap is a bit large at around .015 - .017 and there is noticeable freeplay. The space between the hammer and each nipple when it is all the way down is probably about .02 - .025. I thought about some of the suggestions like putting shims under each nipple. But maybe I should just send it back to Uberti and have them deal with it instead? This kinda stinks because I have really good luck with my Uberti Walker and want to shoot both.
Thanks for your help with this. Enjoy!
montanadan
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Swabby-Howdy, before you send your pistol back,try taking up on the wedge. Your cylinder gap seems a bit excessive, and check the end shake(on a cartridge pistol,this would be head space) on your cylinder.If the cylinder gap is to much, the hammer will drive the cylinder forward and sometimes will not fire consistently. I use Remington caps,they seem to fire easier. I hope this helps..Respectfully Montanadan P/S-on orginal Colt's the hammer did not rest on the nipple.
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