Uberti Cattleman 45LC With Soft Hammer

tpelle · June 28, 2011, 07:15 PM

I have a Uberti Cattleman .45LC Revolver. Bought it years ago. I only shot maybe 100 or so rounds through it before I noticed that the bolt was leaving a drag mark around the cylinder. Also, when you drew the hammer back to half-cock the bolt did not entirely clear the cylinder notches, making it difficult to rotate the cylinder to load it. If, however, you continued to draw the hammer back past the half-cock notch you could observe the bolt dropping entirely flush with the frame and the cylinder would then turn freely. I sort of got disgusted with it at the time and put it away in the back of my safe.

Recently I discovered it again, got it out, and started fooling with it. Knowing, by now, a little more about how these SA revolvers work, I took the lock work apart and examined the parts.

First, the bolt leg that rode on the hammer cam had the texture of a hacksaw blade! Secondly, the hammer cam itself had a groove cut in the top of it where the bolt leg rides.

Obviously the bolt is improperly fitted, and the hammer cam is too soft.

I did a little digging on the web and found that this is not an unknown problem with the Uberti Cattleman (with the D-Cam hammer).

I'd like to get this revolver fixed if I can do so for a price less than a replacement revolver.

Plan A: I e-mailed a noted single-action revolver gunsmith to get a quote on the work, but have not heard back from him as of yet.

Plan B: Another alternative is to buy the parts from VTI (hammer and bolt) and fit them myself. I feel that I am capable of doing this work if it only involves filing and stoning the parts.

The only issue with Plan B is with the hardness of the parts from VTI. How can I tell if the cam on the replacement hammer is properly heat-treated? If I somehow determine that it's not, how would I harden the cam?

Howard31 · June 28, 2011, 07:30 PM

Send it out to Bob Munden He will fix it.

Hawg · June 28, 2011, 07:44 PM

The drag mark comes from letting the hammer down from half cock and then the cylinder rotating till it locks. If you pull the hammer back to full cock before letting it down you wont have a drag mark. This one in 44-40 has fired a few thousand rounds.

tpelle · June 29, 2011, 12:57 PM

Nope, the drag mark comes from the fact that the bolt leg has worn a groove in the hammer cam, which was improperly hardened (or not hardened at all). If you draw the hammer back just a little more you can see the bolt withdraw flush with the frame like it's supposed to. The hammer is worn out ofter probably less than 200 rounds.

I've taken it apart, and the groove worn in the hammer cam is obvious.

I e-mailed a respected single-action gunsmith about it, and he basically said that it would be as expensive for him to fix it as to just buy a new one! He said that the issue is due to the hammer-block safety, and that this era's Uberti hammer that had that feature was not hardened at the factory, causing premature and excessive bolt cam wear. It would require replacing the parts with different model Uberti parts that did not include the hammer block safety, and I think he didn't want to take on the legal liability of disabling a safety mechanism on a customer's pistol.

If I want to get this pistol up and running again, it's likely that I will have to replace several parts, to wit: hammer, hand and spring, bolt. Personally I am not concerned with loosing the hammer block safety, as the revolver would simply revert back to the original Colt-style safety, which is between the shooter's ears, not some Mickey Mouse apparatus built into the gun.

Assuming that I can buy the parts from VTI, does anyone know which "newer" model of Uberti revolver would be a likely "donor" to provide parts that will fit? I'm obviously concerned with things like hole diameters, etc.

I am presuming that the major assemblies such as the frame, the cylinder, and barrel, etc. would remain the same when Uberti upgraded from the D-Cam hammer with the internal hammer-block to the current model with the two-position cylinder base pin.

James K · June 29, 2011, 03:45 PM

The cam is an insert; drill/drive it out and replace it with a piece of hardened drill rod.

Jim

tpelle · June 29, 2011, 06:11 PM

Are you sure it's an insert on a Uberti? I know that Colt's are like that.

June 28, 2011, 07:15 PM	#1
tpelle Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2009 Posts: 120	Uberti Cattleman 45LC With Soft Hammer I have a Uberti Cattleman .45LC Revolver. Bought it years ago. I only shot maybe 100 or so rounds through it before I noticed that the bolt was leaving a drag mark around the cylinder. Also, when you drew the hammer back to half-cock the bolt did not entirely clear the cylinder notches, making it difficult to rotate the cylinder to load it. If, however, you continued to draw the hammer back past the half-cock notch you could observe the bolt dropping entirely flush with the frame and the cylinder would then turn freely. I sort of got disgusted with it at the time and put it away in the back of my safe. Recently I discovered it again, got it out, and started fooling with it. Knowing, by now, a little more about how these SA revolvers work, I took the lock work apart and examined the parts. First, the bolt leg that rode on the hammer cam had the texture of a hacksaw blade! Secondly, the hammer cam itself had a groove cut in the top of it where the bolt leg rides. Obviously the bolt is improperly fitted, and the hammer cam is too soft. I did a little digging on the web and found that this is not an unknown problem with the Uberti Cattleman (with the D-Cam hammer). I'd like to get this revolver fixed if I can do so for a price less than a replacement revolver. Plan A: I e-mailed a noted single-action revolver gunsmith to get a quote on the work, but have not heard back from him as of yet. Plan B: Another alternative is to buy the parts from VTI (hammer and bolt) and fit them myself. I feel that I am capable of doing this work if it only involves filing and stoning the parts. The only issue with Plan B is with the hardness of the parts from VTI. How can I tell if the cam on the replacement hammer is properly heat-treated? If I somehow determine that it's not, how would I harden the cam?

June 28, 2011, 07:30 PM	#2
Howard31 Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2009 Location: Hudson Valley,NY Posts: 231	Tune up Send it out to Bob Munden He will fix it.

June 28, 2011, 07:44 PM	#3
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,190	The drag mark comes from letting the hammer down from half cock and then the cylinder rotating till it locks. If you pull the hammer back to full cock before letting it down you wont have a drag mark. This one in 44-40 has fired a few thousand rounds.

June 29, 2011, 12:57 PM	#4
tpelle Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2009 Posts: 120	Nope, the drag mark comes from the fact that the bolt leg has worn a groove in the hammer cam, which was improperly hardened (or not hardened at all). If you draw the hammer back just a little more you can see the bolt withdraw flush with the frame like it's supposed to. The hammer is worn out ofter probably less than 200 rounds. I've taken it apart, and the groove worn in the hammer cam is obvious. I e-mailed a respected single-action gunsmith about it, and he basically said that it would be as expensive for him to fix it as to just buy a new one! He said that the issue is due to the hammer-block safety, and that this era's Uberti hammer that had that feature was not hardened at the factory, causing premature and excessive bolt cam wear. It would require replacing the parts with different model Uberti parts that did not include the hammer block safety, and I think he didn't want to take on the legal liability of disabling a safety mechanism on a customer's pistol. If I want to get this pistol up and running again, it's likely that I will have to replace several parts, to wit: hammer, hand and spring, bolt. Personally I am not concerned with loosing the hammer block safety, as the revolver would simply revert back to the original Colt-style safety, which is between the shooter's ears, not some Mickey Mouse apparatus built into the gun. Assuming that I can buy the parts from VTI, does anyone know which "newer" model of Uberti revolver would be a likely "donor" to provide parts that will fit? I'm obviously concerned with things like hole diameters, etc. I am presuming that the major assemblies such as the frame, the cylinder, and barrel, etc. would remain the same when Uberti upgraded from the D-Cam hammer with the internal hammer-block to the current model with the two-position cylinder base pin.

June 29, 2011, 03:45 PM	#5
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	The cam is an insert; drill/drive it out and replace it with a piece of hardened drill rod. Jim

June 29, 2011, 06:11 PM	#6
tpelle Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2009 Posts: 120	Are you sure it's an insert on a Uberti? I know that Colt's are like that.