cabelas 1873 uberti peacemaker

[email protected] · March 13, 2008, 11:07 PM

I just bought this from cabelas and i was wondering if anyone new how much powder and what size ball to use.. no instructions came with it. i have a few 1858`s and i load 30 grain powder and pellets but the cylinders on the 73`s look a little smaller..

Hawg · March 14, 2008, 02:21 AM

I think Mykeal has one and can tell you more but just load the powder and leave room for the ball and you'll be ok.

mykeal · March 14, 2008, 10:58 AM

Not my favorite gun.

I assume you mean their catalog number Item:2UG-216473, the cap and ball version of the Single Action Army called a Cattleman.

Fine, lightweight, shoots well. It has little clearance between the back of the cylinder and the recoil shield, and spent caps or fragments of spent caps very often get caught between them, jamming the action. There is a modification, described in Cumpston and Bates book on percussion revolvers, that reportedly fixes the problem. It's not a difficult mod. This cap problem prevents it from being on my favorite list.

Also, be advised that the ejector rod is useless and the cylinder must be removed from the gun and loaded in a stand, as Cabela's listing suggests. The stand they offer is not a good one, in my opinion, as there is no adjustment for the location of the fulcrum or the location of the cylinder; it's possible to be off center when ramming the ball home. However, the alternative is expensive: $60 at Powder, Inc.

My notes show 30 gr fffg real bp, wonder wad and then .454 round ball shot best, using CCI No. 10 caps. The notes also indicate CCI No. 10 is probably not the right size but I didn't pursue it, so I can't advise further.

Raider2000 · March 14, 2008, 09:36 PM

I will admit that they are neat looking & all but they are not my cup of tea, being that the 1873 Colt was a cartridge firing revolver not a cap & ball revolver, & you have to load it with an external loading tool makes it one that I will not have in my collection & from hearing mykeal's accounts with his kinda make me wonder shy they were made...

mykeal · March 14, 2008, 10:58 PM

Why they were made is easy. Cartridge handgun possession in the UK and some other European countries is prohibited, but cap and ball or flintlock handguns are allowed, albeit with some crawling through broken glass.

These guns were made for those markets - a Colt SAA 'deconversion' so that a citizen could buy a gun that at least looked like the old Peacemaker and was still legal to own and shoot.

We Americans sometimes forget that, as bad as we think we're treated, we really have it pretty damn good here. There are many, many others who don't have what we do.

dmb3006 · March 22, 2008, 05:01 PM

Can anyone tell me where I can buy the Cylinder loader that Powder INC. used to stock.Its been on the sold out list for some time.Phone conversation with them says they are having no luck getting the producer to build them again.I shoot >36&.44 1858 Remingtons and will have a Ruger Old Army stainless very soon.Looking to buy that well made bench loader.I have the $15.00 style for both .36&[email protected]

scrat · March 23, 2008, 01:57 PM

The possible shop has them thats where i got mine.
14.99. I will warn you though. the wooden lever that it comes with is junk. But then for 15.00 what do you expect. It works really good. actually i find it fast to load my revolvers on this little bench. than by using the loading lever of the gun. Especially if you shoot brass frame revolvers the less amount of stress you put on the gun the better.

Now as far as the lever im still debating how to make a better one. i was thinking of threading the end of the metal handle then taking some stock steel and drilling and tapping the end. then hardeneing it. a longer lever would give more leverage and make loading a snap.

here is the link.

http://www.possibleshop.com/cap-ball-supplies.htm

scrat · March 23, 2008, 02:02 PM

On another note once you see the product you will realize its such a simple item to make. Off the top of my head. a small steel plate. Drill a hole 1/2 way in the center. tap it. screw a stud in it. Drill another hole 2 inches away or weld a 3 inch stud on it. Drill a 1/4 inch hole at the top. use a machine yoke with a 1/4 inch bolt screw on a long hardend rod. 1 inch from the left end drill a hole in the rod. use another yoke with a small stud with coned shape in the bottom. all in all about an hours worth of work.

mykeal · March 23, 2008, 06:31 PM

scrat - wrong cylinder loader. The one you're referring to is the cheap (you're correct about that) one that only works for one cylinder size (the fulcrum and cylinder mounting point are not adjustable). The one he's talking about costs much more (about $65); it's fully adjustble to handle any cylinder and comes with mutiple loading jags for various calibers:

scrat · March 23, 2008, 07:33 PM

Thats so cool. now that i have a pic. I think i need to start drawing up some plans. I know i can make that thing.

Hawg · March 23, 2008, 07:40 PM

Ought to be pretty easy to make one to load all six at the same time.

scrat · March 23, 2008, 07:54 PM

agree its possible i think i would like to make one up that will do one or two cylinders.

sundance44s · March 24, 2008, 08:41 AM

I have one of the cylinder loading stands like Mykeal has ...it sure has been a good one , the rammer rod is long enough to get the ball seated even on light loads ..came with the parts to load 36 cal or 44 cal ...I bought mine at Powderinc .about 3 years ago ..I`ve heard they lost their supplyer , or he is no longer makeing these ..thats ..bad these are really tough loading stands , built very strong ..I would have worn the loading lever pins out on my Remmies if I hadn`t had the loading stand . As you can tell from the picture it`s built like a tank .

scrat · March 24, 2008, 12:39 PM

yep and i think im going to make one. i need to see a few more details of it though. One the cylinder it looks like you use a hex wrench to tighten down the cylinder is this true. Then if so what does the bottom of the cylinder base look like. i imagine it cant be just flat or it will eventually where down the crosses on the back of the cylinder. I like the grip knob for sure.

mykeal · March 24, 2008, 12:49 PM

The cylinder sits on a plate that can slide to ensure the chambers line up straight with the ram; the plate can be fastened down with the hex head screws once that position is determined. The plate has an arbor that fits within the center of the cylinder (two different sized arbors are provided to essentially accommodate the Colt and Remington cylinders). As mentioned above the unit also comes with loading jags for .36 and .44 cal cylinders; I also purchased a third jag for .31 cal cylinders.

Jbar4Ranch · March 25, 2008, 10:36 AM

I had one of these a few years ago that I tried to convert to .45 Colt. A Uberti centerfire cylinder dropped right in, but the hammer has an off-center firing pin for the percussion cylinder and the hole in the recoil shield is also off-center to prevent such a simple conversion. A centerfire firing pin was swapped out on the hammer and I egged out the hole in the recoil shield sideways a bit to accommodate it. I slid five rounds in, stepped outside, thumbed the hammer back, and squeezed one off. The recoil seemed a bit more than it should have been, so I looked things over, opened the loading gate, and discovered that three rounds had been fired... Two of them were sans primers, and the third primer was lodged in the egged out recoil shield hole. Apparently, the hole was just large enough to allow the primer to blow out of the primer pocket, swage through the hole, and escaping gases would blow the hammer back, rotate the cylinder, and the hammer would then drop on the next round, continuing until either the trigger was released or the thing jammed up, as it happened to do. I debated trying my hand at welding up the recoil shield, but finally just reinstalled the percussion cylinder and original firing pin, and it worked just fine as a percussion revolver again. Since BP doesn't have enough pressure to produce similar results with the percussion cylinder, I've often wondered if it would have worked if I had used black powder .45's instead of smokeless rounds.

sundance44s · March 25, 2008, 10:57 AM

JBar ..thanks for the insight , wow not good ..it does look like an easy to convert ..hummm I`m wondering if the off center hole for the fireing pin could be drilled out and a bushing installed center for the hammer with the fireing pin centered..instead of the egg shape hole you made ..might not be worth the trouble unless you live in the UK or something ..The cartridge fireing model of this pistol just isn`t that expencive . I`ve got one of the Cartridge models they are nice pistols ..fit my large paws better than most Colt clones.

murpyh · March 31, 2008, 05:26 PM

I'm brand new here to the firing line.Looks like a great forum,was wondering if any of you have the Uberti 1873 cattleman revolver converted to cap & ball.And if so would you like to sell it.Thanks for the time,murphy

greywolf444 · April 4, 2008, 10:23 PM

I've had one since they came out. A 5 1/2 model by uberti. my brother has the same model by pietta, Both shoot well, Plinking out to 50 yds is minute of soda can. I use a full moon clip and 10mm cases to speed load all six at once with powder. You do have to lube the cylinder pin each time or fouling will eventually stick it. Not an Old Army, but ,loads of fun. I carry it when small game hunting with a BP double. They are really pretty slick.

Daniel Shays · April 6, 2008, 09:55 PM

Celtic,
I have the Pietta. The manual for the Pietta says to use a .454 ball. I also use .451 w/ no problem. It also says to use 22gr of powder. I use 30 w/ no problem. I also like the .44/ .45 cal Pyrodex Pellets in 30 gr. Both loads w/ #11 Remington caps. The old Remmie caps were total garbage. The new ones have been more reliable for me than CCI or RWS.

I take the "ejector" off. It just gets in the way and gives one more darn thing to clean and rust. The gun feels better balanced w/out it too.
Keep that cyl. pin clean and lubed!!
I don't mind the limitations of the gun and while the aforementioned loading stand is cheesy it will work. You do not need a lot of force to seat the balls.

I have never had the cap frags jam the thing but I did have a chain fire with caps on all cylinders and wads in all cylinders. I think it came in the front. It looks like the barrel was sized with cartridges in mind and may shoot a jet into the cylinders on either side of the firing cylinder. I now use Ox-Yoke Wonder SEALS (not Wads) with it now and it seems to be fine.
I would remove the cyl pin after shooting or you may find it very difficult to remove.

simonkenton · April 25, 2008, 01:30 PM

I have a Uberti Cattleman in cap and ball.
This is a great pistol. Fit and finish are beautiful. I have a couple of Pietta cap and ball pisols but the Uberti is better.
I did remove the cartridge ejection mechanism. This makes the gun lighter and better balanced.
I have never had a chain fire. I have never had a problem with a cap jamming the cylinder. However on my Pietta 1860 Army I fairly often have a spent cap jam the cylinder.
No complaints at all about the Uberti. I can see why they are popular in England, since they can't buy the real thing.

I am glad to learn that Cabelas is selling them again. I bought mine a couple years ago and Cabelas had stopped selling them at that time.

March 14, 2008, 10:58 AM	#3
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	Yep, sure do. Not my favorite gun. I assume you mean their catalog number Item:2UG-216473, the cap and ball version of the Single Action Army called a Cattleman. Fine, lightweight, shoots well. It has little clearance between the back of the cylinder and the recoil shield, and spent caps or fragments of spent caps very often get caught between them, jamming the action. There is a modification, described in Cumpston and Bates book on percussion revolvers, that reportedly fixes the problem. It's not a difficult mod. This cap problem prevents it from being on my favorite list. Also, be advised that the ejector rod is useless and the cylinder must be removed from the gun and loaded in a stand, as Cabela's listing suggests. The stand they offer is not a good one, in my opinion, as there is no adjustment for the location of the fulcrum or the location of the cylinder; it's possible to be off center when ramming the ball home. However, the alternative is expensive: $60 at Powder, Inc. My notes show 30 gr fffg real bp, wonder wad and then .454 round ball shot best, using CCI No. 10 caps. The notes also indicate CCI No. 10 is probably not the right size but I didn't pursue it, so I can't advise further.

March 14, 2008, 10:58 PM	#5
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	Why... Why they were made is easy. Cartridge handgun possession in the UK and some other European countries is prohibited, but cap and ball or flintlock handguns are allowed, albeit with some crawling through broken glass. These guns were made for those markets - a Colt SAA 'deconversion' so that a citizen could buy a gun that at least looked like the old Peacemaker and was still legal to own and shoot. We Americans sometimes forget that, as bad as we think we're treated, we really have it pretty damn good here. There are many, many others who don't have what we do.

March 22, 2008, 05:01 PM	#6
dmb3006 Member Join Date: January 15, 2008 Posts: 38	Bench Cylinder loader WTB Can anyone tell me where I can buy the Cylinder loader that Powder INC. used to stock.Its been on the sold out list for some time.Phone conversation with them says they are having no luck getting the producer to build them again.I shoot >36&.44 1858 Remingtons and will have a Ruger Old Army stainless very soon.Looking to buy that well made bench loader.I have the $15.00 style for both .36&[email protected] Last edited by dmb3006; March 22, 2008 at 05:02 PM. Reason: left out a word my typing sucks

March 23, 2008, 06:31 PM	#9
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	scrat - wrong cylinder loader. The one you're referring to is the cheap (you're correct about that) one that only works for one cylinder size (the fulcrum and cylinder mounting point are not adjustable). The one he's talking about costs much more (about $65); it's fully adjustble to handle any cylinder and comes with mutiple loading jags for various calibers: Last edited by mykeal; March 23, 2008 at 06:34 PM. Reason: Spelling. Or is it speling?

March 25, 2008, 10:36 AM	#16
Jbar4Ranch Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 1999 Location: Near Helena, Montana Posts: 1,719	I had one of these a few years ago that I tried to convert to .45 Colt. A Uberti centerfire cylinder dropped right in, but the hammer has an off-center firing pin for the percussion cylinder and the hole in the recoil shield is also off-center to prevent such a simple conversion. A centerfire firing pin was swapped out on the hammer and I egged out the hole in the recoil shield sideways a bit to accommodate it. I slid five rounds in, stepped outside, thumbed the hammer back, and squeezed one off. The recoil seemed a bit more than it should have been, so I looked things over, opened the loading gate, and discovered that three rounds had been fired... Two of them were sans primers, and the third primer was lodged in the egged out recoil shield hole. Apparently, the hole was just large enough to allow the primer to blow out of the primer pocket, swage through the hole, and escaping gases would blow the hammer back, rotate the cylinder, and the hammer would then drop on the next round, continuing until either the trigger was released or the thing jammed up, as it happened to do. I debated trying my hand at welding up the recoil shield, but finally just reinstalled the percussion cylinder and original firing pin, and it worked just fine as a percussion revolver again. Since BP doesn't have enough pressure to produce similar results with the percussion cylinder, I've often wondered if it would have worked if I had used black powder .45's instead of smokeless rounds. __________________ Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets replaced... SASS 47015

March 13, 2008, 11:07 PM	#1
[email protected] Junior Member Join Date: March 13, 2008 Posts: 1	cabelas 1873 uberti peacemaker I just bought this from cabelas and i was wondering if anyone new how much powder and what size ball to use.. no instructions came with it. i have a few 1858`s and i load 30 grain powder and pellets but the cylinders on the 73`s look a little smaller..

March 14, 2008, 02:21 AM	#2
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,189	I think Mykeal has one and can tell you more but just load the powder and leave room for the ball and you'll be ok.

March 14, 2008, 09:36 PM	#4
Raider2000 Senior Member Join Date: July 23, 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 719	I will admit that they are neat looking & all but they are not my cup of tea, being that the 1873 Colt was a cartridge firing revolver not a cap & ball revolver, & you have to load it with an external loading tool makes it one that I will not have in my collection & from hearing mykeal's accounts with his kinda make me wonder shy they were made...

March 23, 2008, 01:57 PM	#7
scrat Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2008 Posts: 214	The possible shop has them thats where i got mine. 14.99. I will warn you though. the wooden lever that it comes with is junk. But then for 15.00 what do you expect. It works really good. actually i find it fast to load my revolvers on this little bench. than by using the loading lever of the gun. Especially if you shoot brass frame revolvers the less amount of stress you put on the gun the better. Now as far as the lever im still debating how to make a better one. i was thinking of threading the end of the metal handle then taking some stock steel and drilling and tapping the end. then hardeneing it. a longer lever would give more leverage and make loading a snap. here is the link. http://www.possibleshop.com/cap-ball-supplies.htm

March 23, 2008, 02:02 PM	#8
scrat Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2008 Posts: 214	On another note once you see the product you will realize its such a simple item to make. Off the top of my head. a small steel plate. Drill a hole 1/2 way in the center. tap it. screw a stud in it. Drill another hole 2 inches away or weld a 3 inch stud on it. Drill a 1/4 inch hole at the top. use a machine yoke with a 1/4 inch bolt screw on a long hardend rod. 1 inch from the left end drill a hole in the rod. use another yoke with a small stud with coned shape in the bottom. all in all about an hours worth of work.

March 23, 2008, 07:33 PM	#10
scrat Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2008 Posts: 214	Thats so cool. now that i have a pic. I think i need to start drawing up some plans. I know i can make that thing.

March 23, 2008, 07:40 PM	#11
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,189	Ought to be pretty easy to make one to load all six at the same time.

March 23, 2008, 07:54 PM	#12
scrat Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2008 Posts: 214	agree its possible i think i would like to make one up that will do one or two cylinders.

March 24, 2008, 08:41 AM	#13
sundance44s Senior Member Join Date: February 6, 2006 Location: Hernando , Ms. Posts: 579	I have one of the cylinder loading stands like Mykeal has ...it sure has been a good one , the rammer rod is long enough to get the ball seated even on light loads ..came with the parts to load 36 cal or 44 cal ...I bought mine at Powderinc .about 3 years ago ..I`ve heard they lost their supplyer , or he is no longer makeing these ..thats ..bad these are really tough loading stands , built very strong ..I would have worn the loading lever pins out on my Remmies if I hadn`t had the loading stand . As you can tell from the picture it`s built like a tank .

March 24, 2008, 12:39 PM	#14
scrat Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2008 Posts: 214	yep and i think im going to make one. i need to see a few more details of it though. One the cylinder it looks like you use a hex wrench to tighten down the cylinder is this true. Then if so what does the bottom of the cylinder base look like. i imagine it cant be just flat or it will eventually where down the crosses on the back of the cylinder. I like the grip knob for sure.

March 24, 2008, 12:49 PM	#15
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	The cylinder sits on a plate that can slide to ensure the chambers line up straight with the ram; the plate can be fastened down with the hex head screws once that position is determined. The plate has an arbor that fits within the center of the cylinder (two different sized arbors are provided to essentially accommodate the Colt and Remington cylinders). As mentioned above the unit also comes with loading jags for .36 and .44 cal cylinders; I also purchased a third jag for .31 cal cylinders.

March 25, 2008, 10:57 AM	#17
sundance44s Senior Member Join Date: February 6, 2006 Location: Hernando , Ms. Posts: 579	JBar ..thanks for the insight , wow not good ..it does look like an easy to convert ..hummm I`m wondering if the off center hole for the fireing pin could be drilled out and a bushing installed center for the hammer with the fireing pin centered..instead of the egg shape hole you made ..might not be worth the trouble unless you live in the UK or something ..The cartridge fireing model of this pistol just isn`t that expencive . I`ve got one of the Cartridge models they are nice pistols ..fit my large paws better than most Colt clones.

March 31, 2008, 05:26 PM	#18
murpyh Junior Member Join Date: March 31, 2008 Posts: 1	WTB uberti cattleman cap & ball revolver I'm brand new here to the firing line.Looks like a great forum,was wondering if any of you have the Uberti 1873 cattleman revolver converted to cap & ball.And if so would you like to sell it.Thanks for the time,murphy

April 4, 2008, 10:23 PM	#19
greywolf444 Member Join Date: February 9, 2008 Posts: 16	I've had one since they came out. A 5 1/2 model by uberti. my brother has the same model by pietta, Both shoot well, Plinking out to 50 yds is minute of soda can. I use a full moon clip and 10mm cases to speed load all six at once with powder. You do have to lube the cylinder pin each time or fouling will eventually stick it. Not an Old Army, but ,loads of fun. I carry it when small game hunting with a BP double. They are really pretty slick.

April 6, 2008, 09:55 PM	#20
Daniel Shays Junior Member Join Date: April 1, 2008 Posts: 11	Celtic, I have the Pietta. The manual for the Pietta says to use a .454 ball. I also use .451 w/ no problem. It also says to use 22gr of powder. I use 30 w/ no problem. I also like the .44/ .45 cal Pyrodex Pellets in 30 gr. Both loads w/ #11 Remington caps. The old Remmie caps were total garbage. The new ones have been more reliable for me than CCI or RWS. I take the "ejector" off. It just gets in the way and gives one more darn thing to clean and rust. The gun feels better balanced w/out it too. Keep that cyl. pin clean and lubed!! I don't mind the limitations of the gun and while the aforementioned loading stand is cheesy it will work. You do not need a lot of force to seat the balls. I have never had the cap frags jam the thing but I did have a chain fire with caps on all cylinders and wads in all cylinders. I think it came in the front. It looks like the barrel was sized with cartridges in mind and may shoot a jet into the cylinders on either side of the firing cylinder. I now use Ox-Yoke Wonder SEALS (not Wads) with it now and it seems to be fine. I would remove the cyl pin after shooting or you may find it very difficult to remove.

April 25, 2008, 01:30 PM	#21
simonkenton Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2008 Posts: 891	it shoot I have a Uberti Cattleman in cap and ball. This is a great pistol. Fit and finish are beautiful. I have a couple of Pietta cap and ball pisols but the Uberti is better. I did remove the cartridge ejection mechanism. This makes the gun lighter and better balanced. I have never had a chain fire. I have never had a problem with a cap jamming the cylinder. However on my Pietta 1860 Army I fairly often have a spent cap jam the cylinder. No complaints at all about the Uberti. I can see why they are popular in England, since they can't buy the real thing. I am glad to learn that Cabelas is selling them again. I bought mine a couple years ago and Cabelas had stopped selling them at that time.