Old Uberti 1858 V New Uberti 1858

[Certus]

I bought my first Uberti Remington NMA revolver back in 1997 when the breech loading pistol ban was introduced here in the UK preventing the use of more modern pistols. I recently retired my old revolver and replaced it with a brand new Uberti 1858, but kept the old one for mainly sentimental reasons and occasional light use. The old revolver worked flawlessly right out of the box and won quite a few competitions in its time, but unfortunately the same can't be said of the new pistol. After many light strikes when the caps were failing to ignite until the second time they were hit by the hammer, I messed around with different brands of cap and ensured that the caps wre fully seated on the nipple by using a wooden dowel to press them home. Eventually, I fixed the problem by replacing the hammer spring with the one fitted to my old revolver and hey presto the caps would ignite every time the hammer fell. The old revolver also had a nice patina to the brass trigger guard so I thought I might also switch these two items to give the new gun a bit of character. Well, this wasn't possible as the new trigger guard and the area of the frame where it fits are now slightly different in size and shape. The pistol is proving as reliable and accurate as the old one, but it took quote a bit of what should have been unnecessary messing around to get there.

Regards
Brian

[arcticap]

Glad it's all worked out for now and hope that you can get your old Remmy back up and running.
Thanks for the update on Uberti's quality control and what's going on with their 1858's.
Perhaps when they switched to forged frames, the pattern got changed a little so the old trigger guard wouldn't fit?

[Certus]

Hi,
I certainly intend to restore my old Remington to full working order,but am reluctant to source a replacement spring from the Uberti importers incase it turns out to be just as weak as the original part. I am however aware of a supplier over here who is advertising replacement hammer springs described as being suitable for all Italian made reproduction revolvers, so that will probably be my next step. I don't intend taking the old gun out of retirement on too many occasions but when I do, it has to go bang more times than not.
Regards
Brian

[Hellgate]

Sometimes when a new production is started thymawee have changed the supplier or dimensions of the nipples. The slope of the cone makes a huge difference in cap fit.

[Certus]

Hi,
After experimenting with different caps and using a wooden dowel to fully seat them, I first switched the cylinders between the old and new guns without curing the problem. It was only by replacing the new hammer spring with the old one that the issue was finally resolved. I spent quite a bit of time at the range yesterday and experienced no further problems with inconsistent cap ignition.

Regards
Brian

[RickB]

My understanding is that "early" reproduction Remington cap 'n' ball revolvers were not built to the same dimensions as originals, but that more modern versions are dimensionally accurate; that might explain why the trigger guards aren't interchangeable.

[arcticap]

I would try to send the defective spring back to Uberti and ask for a replacement at their expense.
You can always buy another replacement if their replacement is not up to par.
I wouldn't think that too many defective springs would get shipped before they realize it.
It could just be an isolated case.

[45 Dragoon]

Certus,
It's not the spring, it's the bolt spring having too much tension, a hand spring with too much tension, a hammer cam that is too tall and rough, possibly a hammer rubbing the side of the hammer slot (left side) because of a too thick bolt arm (the left one). Let's face it, . . . . your Remie is just way too tense!!!

The factory cure for "assembly line" fitting is a strong enough spring to "make it work anyway"!! You would do better to find a good tuner that would put back in your hands an easy to handle revolver that you don't have to fight with just to cock it each time along with sure fire reliability. I know there are those "real men" that shoot them fine "just like it came from the factory"!!! And that's ok, it's just that the " top guns" don't shoot "assembly line" revolvers (for a reason). I also know everyone isn't out to be "top gun" but there's nothing wrong with having better than assembly line equipment!!

Think about it, an 8 lb. hammer draw cycled 6 times is moving 48 lbs. A 4 lb. draw cuts that down to 24 lbs (20 lbs if yer just shooting 5)!! Look at the difference over a day of shooting!!

There really is a difference between a Yugo and a Porsche. One is a little more refined . . . .
find a tuner (or, learn some of it if your inclined).
Good luck.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks

[swathdiver]

Originally Posted by Certus

I bought my first Uberti Remington NMA revolver back in 1997 when the breech loading pistol ban was introduced here in the UK preventing the use of more modern pistols. I recently retired my old revolver and replaced it with a brand new Uberti 1858...

Brian, FYI, your new NMA is the same size, weight and shape as the originals. They were redesigned in 2007 with forged frames. However, the cylinders are still interchangeable with the old ones, and the originals.

It's frustrating and rewarding at the same time to get them going so they'll be reliable and accurate. Works for me.

[Certus]

Originally Posted by 45 Dragoon

Certus,
It's not the spring, it's the bolt spring having too much tension, a hand spring with too much tension, a hammer cam that is too tall and rough, possibly a hammer rubbing the side of the hammer slot (left side) because of a too thick bolt arm (the left one). Let's face it, . . . . your Remie is just way too tense!!!

The factory cure for "assembly line" fitting is a strong enough spring to "make it work anyway"!! You would do better to find a good tuner that would put back in your hands an easy to handle revolver that you don't have to fight with just to cock it each time along with sure fire reliability. I know there are those "real men" that shoot them fine "just like it came from the factory"!!! And that's ok, it's just that the " top guns" don't shoot "assembly line" revolvers (for a reason). I also know everyone isn't out to be "top gun" but there's nothing wrong with having better than assembly line equipment!!

Think about it, an 8 lb. hammer draw cycled 6 times is moving 48 lbs. A 4 lb. draw cuts that down to 24 lbs (20 lbs if yer just shooting 5)!! Look at the difference over a day of shooting!!

There really is a difference between a Yugo and a Porsche. One is a little more refined . . . .
find a tuner (or, learn some of it if your inclined).
Good luck.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks

Hello Mike,
The hammer operation was always smooth and never hard to cock with the original hammer spring fitted to the old revolver and remains so now that it has been fitted to the new one. The fact that the problem transferred to the old revolver would suggest that the weak hammer spring was the primary reason for the inconsistent cap ignition.

The new Remington is now performing well and it only remains for me to source a stronger hammer spring for the old revolver to bring it back to albeit limited, but reliable use.

Regards
Brian

[45 Dragoon]

Certus,
Ok, never mind.


Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks