new toy on the way!

[1911nutjob]

Spending part of my tax refund on an 1860 army. I know I could've found one dirt cheap at cabela's, but came across the uberti offering with charcoal blue finish. It was so purty, that I had to spend the extra $$ for it. I've owned piettas and pedersolis, but this will be my first uberti. Any quirks with their product line I should know about? I ordered a spare handspring and a couple of extra nipples with it. Do you need to do anything different to preserve the charcoal finish?

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

The charcoal finish revolver is one of the most accurate guns that Uberti makes! I'm currently using the one I gave my son for Christmas to make Distinguished Expert in the Winchester/NRA Qualification Program! Two of my friends in the same club have that same revolver, and all three examples exude quality in fit, finish and tack-driving accuracy! I use a 27 grain charge of 3Fg Goex, a pre-lubed wonder-wad and a .454 Hornady ball. At 50 yards shooting strong-hand only, I've already gotten a 82x100, so like I said, that model is a great shooter1

As far as the charcoal finish goes, it isn't the sturdiest according to Gregg Dixon (who also uses one reenacting), but I was told to keep the revolver out of the leather, and I've done so up to now and no ill effects are noticed.

In general, I would have to say that the charcoal blue revolver with the fluted cylinder seems to be tighter and shoot straighter than any other reproduction I own....well worth the extra money!

Good luck with yours!

Dave

 

[1911nutjob]

Mine has the non-fluted cylinder. Hope it shoots as well as yours does when it gets here. I have an original example, made in late '62 or early 1863 going by the serial number, which I've had for over a year and still haven't gotten around to firing. It will be interesting to see how the two compare. Does uberti do something different with the charcoal models, that makes them so accurate?

 

[Zonie]

"...Any quirks with their product line I should know about?..."
--------
The only quirk I'm aware of is the thread size for the nipples.

While most Italian C&B pistols use a 6mm X 0.75mm thead, the Uberti uses a 5.5mm X 0.9mm thread (except in its Dragoons and Walker).

 

[1911nutjob]

Yeah, became aware of the nipple threads in my researching, hence my reason for ordering a few extras to keep around. Does the uberti metric thread translate to the colt english thread? I thought I remembered reading that in the DGW catalog, but I could be wrong. I normally clean my BP stuff in a bucket of soapy water-can I do this with the charcoal finish, or do you recommend a different approach?

 

[Zonie]

A 5.5mm X 0.9mm thread is .2165 in diameter and has 28.222 threads per inch.
That pretty much matches a #12-28 UNF thread.

I don't know how close that comes to an original Colt. Dixie mentions a 32 thread per inch nipple when talking about some of those guns.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Mine has the non-fluted cylinder. Hope it shoots as well as yours does when it gets here. I have an original example, made in late '62 or early 1863 going by the serial number, which I've had for over a year and still haven't gotten around to firing. It will be interesting to see how the two compare. Does uberti do something different with the charcoal models, that makes them so accurate?

I'm not sure, although when you put these revolvers into battery at full cock, they're lockwork is tight and no side to side wobble of the cylinders on any of the three of them. They just "feel right" as if all of the parts mated correctly, they even "sound" right. It's hard to describe in terms of C&B revolvers, so I'll try this way: I have a .45 ACP Springfield that was match-tuned with a laundry list of stuff done to it, and it's really "smooth" right down to the trigger pull. The charcoal Uberti's have that same feeling to me. Tight as a clam's......and smooth at the same time!

Dave

 

[redwing]

Wasn't the 1860 Army with the fluted Cyl. known as the "Wade Hampton", Mdl. I think Hampton was a CSA General.

 

[1911nutjob]

Mine has the non-fluted cylinder. Hope it shoots as well as yours does when it gets here. I have an original example, made in late '62 or early 1863 going by the serial number, which I've had for over a year and still haven't gotten around to firing. It will be interesting to see how the two compare. Does uberti do something different with the charcoal models, that makes them so accurate?

I'm not sure, although when you put these revolvers into battery at full cock, they're lockwork is tight and no side to side wobble of the cylinders on any of the three of them. They just "feel right" as if all of the parts mated correctly, they even "sound" right. It's hard to describe in terms of C&B revolvers, so I'll try this way: I have a .45 ACP Springfield that was match-tuned with a laundry list of stuff done to it, and it's really "smooth" right down to the trigger pull. The charcoal Uberti's have that same feeling to me. Tight as a clam's......and smooth at the same time!

Dave

Given the premium they charge for the charcoal finish, I wonder if uberti maybe handselects the better specimens of a production lot for the process. The type of customer buying these won't put up with timing issues or quality that is "passable", and uberti wouldn't want to eat a returned product for one of those concerns.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Wasn't the 1860 Army with the fluted Cyl. known as the "Wade Hampton", Mdl. I think Hampton was a CSA General.

I just did some investigating on the web...Hampton was a CSA General. I saw a write-up for a .22 revolver and a separate write-up for a special edition .44 cal gold plated collectible. I just looked at the Uberti box that my son's revolver came in last Christmas and no mention of a named model, just charcoal blue on the box. I might be wrong, but Taylors only buys the fluted cylinder example of the charcoal blue revolver, OR that's the only way it's imported? Again, not sure, but their web site only has the Uberti with 8" barrel, and fluted cylinder.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

That makes sense to me!

All I know is that from 50 yards away, I've already gotten four 10's in a single target (out of 10 shots fired for score). I once witnessed out league chairman put two rounds out of five through the X-ring (the size of a quarter) at 50 yards. So it's not just my specimen!

 

[1911nutjob]

Wasn't the 1860 Army with the fluted Cyl. known as the "Wade Hampton", Mdl. I think Hampton was a CSA General.

I just did some investigating on the web...Hampton was a CSA General. I saw a write-up for a .22 revolver and a separate write-up for a special edition .44 cal gold plated collectible. I just looked at the Uberti box that my son's revolver came in last Christmas and no mention of a named model, just charcoal blue on the box. I might be wrong, but Taylors only buys the fluted cylinder example of the charcoal blue revolver, OR that's the only way it's imported? Again, not sure, but their web site only has the Uberti with 8" barrel, and fluted cylinder.

Yep, thought I was getting a standard cylinder, but recieved the gun today with the fluted model. I will be ordering a spare rebated cylinder, and looking for a gunsmith who can match the finish with the rest of the gun-just gotta have that naval scene! This might turn out to be my first "customized" pistol that doesn't get fed by a certain, fat, rimless cartridge that I'm fond of.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Good luck with it! Keep me in the loop when you get the details on a spare cylinder. I might consider one also, be it fluted or not.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[1911nutjob]

Already ordered it :grin: . Dixie lists it at fifteen bucks cheaper than taylor's, but they had none in stock with no backorder estimate listed, so taylor's it was. There aren't too many smiths doing charcoal blue out there, but I got lucky. In my searching I found a reputable one doing charcoal guns and nitre blueing of small parts, along with full restorations, and he's a fifteen minute drive from me. I'll be calling for a quote on monday. He charges two to four hundred for a charcoaled gun depending on the model/type, so I'm hoping it'll be a hundred or less for just a cylinder strip and refinish.

P.S.-you were right about the "feel" of the uberti. The action is smooth and very crisp, but I think it'll improve with a little break in. The quality is a notch above my fifteen year old pietta. The one oddity I noticed (if you could call it that), is that when you slowly thumb the hammer back with the colt or the pietta, you can hear the four distinct clicks. I can only hear three clicks with the uberti, no matter how slowly I work the action. I think a high amount of polishing is done before the blue is applied, as the italian proof marks on mine are almost invisible. The case coloring is not as pretty as the pietta, but I suppose that could vary from one example to another. The colt address on the barrel would make this gun a perfect companion to my original, but I'll just settle for the cylinder.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Too bad you can't order a charcoal replacement cylinder!

As to the "feel" I'm glad you understand what I was trying to say. None of my Uberti's will go four clicks--just three!

Thanks for the info. Let me know how you make out time & expense wise, as I might consider doing the same.

Good luck with the project!

Dave

 

[Poor Private]

Have you tried contacting VTI gunparts about a cylinder? I needed a beaded mat finished one for a Mellenium Uberti 1858 Remington, mine got lost(a very long story). Not one of my usual suppliers had one or could get one. I called VTI and boom I had one by the end of the week.

 

[1911nutjob]

Forgot about VTI, so I checked there, no dice. Thanks anyway. You can order a replacement charcoal fluted cylinder no prob, just can't get one with the naval scene. They just don't seem to be made, or at least imported.

Dave, I'll keep you posted with my project. I'm not computer savvy, but if I ever learn to post pics, I'll take a few when all is said and done so you can decide if it's worth the bother. Even if it costs a little more than I wanted, I'm kind of on a mission now if yaknowwhutimean.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Thanks for the lead. I never thought of VTI for the spare. In reading 1911 Nutjob's next post, it seems he tried there already, but thanks for the idea!

Dave

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

O-K, but remember to enjoy shooting it as much as the collecting part :wink:


Dave

 

[1911nutjob]

Cylinder arrived today via big brown toy wagon. I put off calling the smith until I could check it out. I wanted to make sure the timing was spot-on before setting up the work, and it was, felt no different than the cylinder that came with the pistol. Finish and quality of engraving was as expected. The color match was close enough that I considered abandoning the project, but I want the finish to wear evenly over time, so I'll be proceeding. I'm calling the smith in the morning for a quote on time and expense. I'll yet ya know! P.S.-It's my understanding that fluted cylinders were created with the idea of saving weight. Between the two, I couldn't tell the difference when handling the gun, and wonder if the 1/2 ounce or so really made a difference to our forefathers who fielded the originals. Fluted cylinders look at home on a chief's special or an anaconda, but they're butt ugly on a percussion gun.