Timing for my Texas Dragoon

[griswold]

I just received a new pawl, (hand) for my Uberti Texas Dragoon, got it installed and found the timing is off, the cylinder rotates to set the hammer between the nipples........how do I adjust the timing?

Griswold

[Fox Creek Kid]

Did you need a new hand in the first place or just a new hand spring?

[Coffinmaker]

Same question as FCK.  Added:  Is the new hand dropping the cylinder short or pushing it past??  Where is the bolt coming up in relationship to the cylinder slots??  Stock trigger/bolt spring??

Coffinmaker

[griswold]

This little hand cannon has been hanging on the inside of my safe door for the past 30 odd years.......I lost the pawl way back then, the internet didn't exist for me then nor finding replacement parts........so I reassembled everything and hung it up. Recently I decided to get the old thing working and ordered a new pawl from VTI.............

Coffin..........it rotates past the nipple pulling the hammer all the way back......about a quarter of the distance between..pulling back to the second notch or click it lines up ok, but all the way back it goes past..after playing with it, after posting here on this forum, I think either the bolt spring needs to be adjusted or the bolt replaced..it ain't locking and the thing......back 30 years ago when I knew nothing of gun kit building or had access to knowledgeable folks like on this forum,....... I think I lowered the bolt too much as it was dragging pretty bad on the cylinder....and it still drags now...anyway it ain't locking.......haven't had time to fool with it due to family visiting.........will adjust the spring tomorrow. If that don't get it, I'll get a new bolt.

griswold

[Coffinmaker]

Well .... The Pawl or Hand, take your pick, is too long.  It needs to be fit.  It needs to be fit with the trigger and bolt initially out of the gun.
I'd also suggest you get another one so you can screw it up without fear.  Correctly fit, the cylinder will stop it's rotation when the chamber is in battery and the cylinder bolt slot directly over the bolt window in the frame.  If it pushes past at all, not more than a hair.  Wait, I don't have much hair, so, not more than a tiny bit. 
the bolt should NOT drag in the cylinder.  that is not caused by the bolt being too tall.  It's caused by the hammer cam and bolt leg relationship not being correct.  Almost the instant the hammer starts to move, the cam should engage the bolt leg and start to withdraw the bolt.  the bolt should be completely out of the cylinder when the Hand (Pawl) begins the cylinder rotation.
There is a good possibility, with the age of your gun, you may also need to replace the bolt and the hammer.  I doubt the specs of the new parts are anywhere near your old parts.  Uberti likes to make lots of changes.
I don't remember (I don't remember a lot) if your gun has leads to the bolt slots or not.  You may have lots of fun with the timing.

Coffinmaker

[45 Dragoon]

Yap, CM is right.
About the only time I get to shorten a hand to fit is when installing a new one. Since I use an action stop in my service, they are pretty much always too short (brand new in the box). Adding a bolt block to the mix won't allow any slop in bolt movement which tasks the hand to definitely get the chamber to battery so, I stretch basically every hand in a S.A.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com

[griswold]

Well, after rereading all the reply's here several times to understand and research what I didn't, including pulling up several photos of Dragoon bolts I figured I might as well try to salvage the original one on this hand cannon. By the grace of God and luck I guess, I got the timing pretty tight. Bolt don't drag anymore either.......Locks up slick as a whistle where it should.

Now it is out to the range in a few days to shoot this monster for the first time in 35 years...........I still have some Lee 220 and 200 grain conical's I poured way back then as well, so I'll use them up.

I'll take both my Rebel guns, the Griswold and this Dragoon. Should be some fun. (history: 'Texas Arms' in Richardson Texas secured a 1500 gun contract for Dragoons (2nd model, don't ask me why) from the Confederacy late in the war. They built around 300 before the war was over).

Many thanks to all the advice.......some times modern contraptions such as this computer are pretty handy finding help.

Griswold,