Older Uberti New Army question

[Texas77]

Hi,

I bought a used Uberti Remington 1858 New Army revolver a while back and after doing a bit of searching found out that it's made in 1972!

Now are these early Ubertis considered not to be as good (quality control,etc.) as the newer made ones?

Also, would the steel be just as strong as a modern Uberti New Army, I was thinking about getting a conversion cylinder for .45 LC but then thought that perhaps these are made to specs for the newer models (1980's-present).

Any thoughts? Am I just being paranoid? :grin:

 

[mykeal]

...Am I just being paranoid? :grin:

No, prudent would be a better word. 1972 (XX8) is early in Uberti's product line, and there were problems with all the Italian replicas from that era. However, Uberti has always been one of the better manufacturers.

Your risk is in the action parts, generally the hand spring, trigger/bolt spring and the bolt itself. There were also soft trigger sears and hammers. All these parts are fairly easy to replace and are available from Dixie or VTI.

As for a conversion cylinder - they're made to ammunition specs, not the gun specs. I would not be concerned about the gun frame withstanding the cylinder loads, assuming of course that you restrict the cartridge loads to the recommended ones. The bigger concern is whether the cylinder will fit; that's always a concern with ANY new cylinder and ANY frame regardless of age. So I'd go for it, and be sure you have the ability to return the cylinder if you can't make it work.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I concur with mykeal!

BTW: Some of the CAS folks I know say to send the frame to the converter company for a really good fit, to avoid any potential frame-to-cylinder spacing problems altogether. This may be wise advise given the age of your piece :wink: .

Good luck and have a BLAST! Just remember to only shoot "cowboy" or softer .45 LC loads in that conversion

Dave