Uberti 1873 Cattleman Problem

atomictaco · June 05, 2013, 06:48:28 PM

I purchased a Uberti 1873 Cattleman 357 Mag a couple of years ago and just got around to shooting it for the first time yesterday. Before firing I cleaned and lubed it well. Upon initial firing the cylinder did not want to rotate when the hammer was cocked. It would rotate if the cylinder was assisted by hand. Second shot it locked up. I could not see where the primers had raised or any other interference at the rear of the cylinder. I removed the cylinder and inspected the ammunition and there were no signs of pressure or primers backing out. I re-installed the cylinder and it rotated fine. Tried firing again with a different brand of ammunition and same problem.

I contacted Taylor's & Co. for service and they told me the pistol only had a 1 year warranty which is now expired. I was using Winchester and Remington factory ammunition. I am not sure what is going on. The only problem I have really noticed otherwise is that the base pin is extremely difficult, almost impossible, to remove by hand. The fit in the frame at the rear of the cylinder is extremely tight, but this is easily remedied with some polishing.

Thank you for any suggestions you can offer.

Pettifogger · June 05, 2013, 06:57:15 PM

These things are hard to tell with a very general description of the problem. What do you mean by "locked up." If it is "locked up" will the cylinder rotate if you assist by hand? If so, the first thing to check is the cylinder gap. If the cylinder is dragging on the barrel it will get hard to cock real quick even with smokeless powder.

atomictaco · June 05, 2013, 07:31:04 PM

Quote from: Pettifogger on June 05, 2013, 06:57:15 PM
These things are hard to tell with a very general description of the problem. What do you mean by "locked up." If it is "locked up" will the cylinder rotate if you assist by hand? If so, the first thing to check is the cylinder gap. If the cylinder is dragging on the barrel it will get hard to cock real quick even with smokeless powder.

It locked up to the point the cylinder would not turn, even when assisted by hand. I had to remove the cylinder and reinstall to get it to turn. What should the barrel cylinder gap be? Eyeing it, it is obviously tighter than the Beretta Stampede that I have of the same caliber.

Pettifogger · June 05, 2013, 10:55:08 PM

For smokeless powder .002 to .004 is about right. I have seen several recent Rugers with gaps below .0015, which is the thinnest feeler gauge I have. Opened them up just a tad and they shot fine.

Shotgun Franklin · June 05, 2013, 11:31:28 PM

While it sounds like the cylinder gap is to tight, also check the cylinder pin and see how tight it is? I had to lightly turn one down because it was just to tight.
You know, you have nothing to loose by sending a letter to the ower(s) at Taylor's & Co and explain your problem. Maybe they'll at least check it for ya.

GunClick Rick · June 06, 2013, 01:02:33 AM

They make a different base pin for those that are easier to pull,and it can go all the way through to the back and acts as a safety,theothers they make are shorter also i believe,Dixie may have them,the Dakotas are the same way those ar what i have,and they can als shoot loose backing out.And ditto on the cylinder pin..VTI gun parts should have them also

The Black Spot · June 06, 2013, 07:46:49 AM

Sounds like same problem on my cattleman. Seems the face of my cylinder is not square. It is at the gunsmith now, hope to get it back this week to see if that solved the problem.
Does it do it on all the cylinders or just one spot of the cylinder?

petrinal · June 06, 2013, 09:49:56 AM

When the gun gets hot, from shooting, dillatation of steel makes the cylinder touch in some place the barrel.

very easy to correct, just with a marker paint the barrel cone face, rotate the cilinder, and file with care in the cone, not in the cylinder...where you see a mark or scratch.

I dont think that machining the front face of the cylinder seems more expensive to something you can solve with a file.

August · June 06, 2013, 02:13:56 PM

Clean your cylinder charge holes with alcohol. Wipe your cartridges with alcohol.

Revolvers need to be free of any oil in cylinders to work consistently.

If that doesn't do it, measure the end shake and report back.

End shake and cylinder/barrel gap are not the same thing (unless the cylinder hits the barrel before the bushing hits the frame).

Smokindog · March 07, 2015, 10:15:37 PM

I realize this is an old thread but I had a similar issue with my Cattleman El Patron. I took some 600 grit wet/dry and LIGHTLY spun the length of the pin through the sand paper. I then took some high temp synthetic grease and wiped it down and wiped it off as clean has I could. The pin now can be easily removed or moved to "safety" and the cylinder spins free and easy. It just was a tad too tight from the factory.