Uberti Thuer pics

[Abilene]

Since not too many of us have McDowell's conversion book, and the Thuer tends to draw a fair amount of interest, I recently took a few pics of the prototype Uberti Thuer in Cimarron's possession.  Mike Harvey has always said that he'd like to get Uberti to go into production with it, but it is so hard these days to get a new product made that one with only a niche market has a lower priority.  The third pic shows the way the right side of the barrel is relieved to allow for the empty brass to be ejected forward.  And the last pic is a bit blurry but you can see the "E" and "F" stamped into the conversion ring.  Rotate it to F to Fire, and E to Eject.  Sure wouldn't mind having one of these.

[Fingers McGee]

   Sweet 

I'd love to have my SS 2nd Gen Colt 1860 Army converted.

FM

[Long Johns Wolf]

Beautiful piece of art. I wonder how many of these "original" Uberti prototypes were made.
Long Johns Wolf

[Major 2]

I seem to remember reading  3
Uberti has one .. an unnamed German Collector has another
and Mike Harvey has the third..perhaps the one pictured

[Abilene]

The way I heard it Two but I don't know for sure.

[Long Johns Wolf]

When I asked in 2006 and again in 2007 Uberti could not tell me the number they made. They pretended NOT to have any one left nor the Thuer conversion kit.
I know a German dealer who back then sold the Thuer conversion kit and I know a German collector who had owned an Uberti Thuer pistol but sold her...
From Abilene's pics it appears that Mike Harvey's Uberti Thuer is in the white. All the pics I have seen of the Uberti specimens were blued with case colors.
The specimens that were made last year (or earlier?) from (modified) Uberti parts for HEGE/Germany and at least one other German dealer seemed to have the white finish as well.
Abilene: I would love to hear of any range experience with the Uberti Thuer.
Long Johns Wolf

[Abilene]

This Thuer that Cimarron owns is nickle plated.  The first time or two I saw it (Cimarron took it to Shot Show a few years back) it was in a presentation case and had about 5 or 6 pieces of new brass (don't know if Uberti made the brass or had it made, don't think it had any markings on the bottom) and a few rudimentary reloading tools.  This pistol has never been shot.  My "range experience" with it consisted of inserting some of the empty brass into the cylinder, rotating the ring to E, and dropping the hammer to eject the brass out the front.

[Dakota Widowmaker]

So, lets say for argument's sake they sell these.

Where the heck would you get ammo??? Could "Thuer" cases even be reloaded???

Also, it appears the cylinder has a ridge/rim just behind the timing. That had to be fun to machine.

[Long Johns Wolf]

DM: the gunsmith Karl Nedbal makes Thuer cases from .44 Magnum empties. They work fine. And with the Thuer reloading tool they are not only easy to load but the pistol is fun to shoot as well.
Below is a comparative view of my C&B cylinder and the corresponding Thuer cylinder.
Long Johns Wolf

[Fox Creek Kid]

Wolf, since you're probably the last person on earth since 1870 to actually shoot a Thuer just how hard is it to eject & reload?

[Long Johns Wolf]

OK, FCK & all (and I don't want to steal the thread), some unplublished extracts from the Thuer page of www.1960nma.org regarding loading Thuer shells and shooting Centaure Thuer S/N 7266. Here are 2 pics of my first experience loading Thuer shells using the "cartridge loading fixtures" as the loading tool was called back then. I use large pistol primers for the cases machined by Nedbal from .44 Magnum empties. The cases are filled "to the rim" with the  holy black. Once I found my routine of turning the tool forward and backward around the arbor loading these cartridges is a simple, straight forward operation. I have an idea now how the oldtimers felt sitting around the campfires reloading Thuer empties yesteryear.
Long Johns Wolf

[Long Johns Wolf]

Dont want to highjack this thread but here we continue - Shooting the Centaure Thuer on the indoor range August 27, 2008 (1): Loading the 6 cartridges is easy. Only very little force is needed to push them into the front of the chambers...see pic below
1st round fired downrange from 25 meters...provides a solid first impression: nice boom, pretty thick smoke, but significant recoil of the 280 grainers... (2nd pic)
Long Johns Wolf

[Long Johns Wolf]

Shooting of the Centaure Thuer cont'd (2):
...Next 5 rounds fired in quick succession produced satisfactory  POA/POI at 8 meters... (pic 1)
...and positive ejection of the shells after all chambers were emptied (pic 2). It is a joy to shoot ths Nedbal Thuer. She functions reliably if I do my part...but you have to pay attention to the details ond don't get over-exited...count your empties...
Long Johns Wolf

[Long Johns Wolf]

Shooting the Centaure Thuer cont'd (3).
...if you do not wish to end up with a "Thuer Magnum" like I did (pic 1), i. e. fresh round loaded on top of an empty.
...At 15 meters she is printing a bit high (280 gr bullets!) and to the left (pic 2)
She has her personality. this is not what I would call a "forgiving" pistol. I am very happy to have her and look forward to putting her through the paces of serious target shooting. Potential for great accuracy is there but I have to establish the right load (200 gr bullets!) with proper lube first.
Long Johns Wolf

[Abilene]

Long Johns Wolf,
Excellent info, especially since you're probably the only guy around here who can tell us this stuff! 

Have you had any problem with any cartridges becoming unseated from recoil?

[Long Johns Wolf]

Abilene: there were 2 issues with the second cylinder.
# I did not count the ejected empties (of the first cylinder) and loaded one round on top of an empty case still in the chamber. To remove that "Thuer-Magnum" I had to disassemble the pistol, no deal. The deal was to separate the empty from the life round.
#2 I had 2 situations were the cylinder would not turn, from cartridges becoming unseated from recoil, stopped by bullets coming in contact with the cone...again purely my fault because I applied less pressure to seat the cartridges  when I loaded this 2nd cylinder, compared to the first cylinder.
Long Johns Wolf

[Dakota Widowmaker]

How difficult is it to cut down 44mag shells into Thuer carts? Just chuck it in a lathe?

How much was the conversion? (if you don't mind me asking)

Lastly, what bullet mold do you use?

[Long Johns Wolf]

Dakota Widowwmaker:
#Regarding the shells - I don't know because Nedbal provided them with the pistol...and he tells me it is a PITA to lathe them. I'll be seeing him this week and aks
# Price: I provided the Centaure C&B pistol with one separate (factory engraved) Centaure cylinder. The pistol was preowned and had 40 years of service in bulls eye shooting. Nedbal converted the separate cylinder into a Thuer cylinder, recountured the barrel, altered the plunger to accept the loading tool, made minor adjustments to the hammer, made the loading tool, 12 Thuer cases and a handfull of bullets, a complete finishing job incl. new rust bluing, and had the pistol proof tested by the Vienna proof house. Total less then € 1000,00, at today's exchange rate less then $ 1300,00 incl. taxes.
#bullets: I using (now) commercially available soft lead bullets, 200 gr without heal of .450 dia and press/fit them with the loading tool into the case, easy deal.
Long Johns Wolf

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

So Wolf;  About 2,00 Euro's? total?  Owning a unique piece - PRICELESS!

[Long Johns Wolf]

Sir Charles: a friend of mine and me are just back from visiting Nedbal. My friend saw one of Nedbal's Uberti 1860 based Thuers in the shop, fell for it and purchased it, total € 1550,00 incl. loading tool, spare C&B cylinder and cases.
So, we have an underground Thuer movement over here, ha, ha.
Nedbal has 2 other Uberti based Thuers there in different stages of completion...
Long Johns Wolf