Problem with Taylor's '63 44-40 Conversion

[PJ Hardtack]

On one of my new consecutively numbered Taylor's 44-40 '63 conversions, I have to push back the ejector rod from it's 'rest' position in order to lock it in place with the loading lever. Those of you familiar with the design will know what I'm talking about .....
The notch cut in the loading lever was cut 1/16th" too far forward. I swapped out the lever with the one from the other pistol and it didn't help.
I called Taylor's and spoke to a tech who had me mike some dimensions. I also learned a few things about the guns .....
Despite their consecutive #s, it appears that they were likely assembled by different workers at the Uberti plant. The tube that the ejector rod slides in is brazed to the frame and therefore unmoveable.
His opinion is that whoever assembled the gun fitted it with the lever that most closely fitted the ejector rod when locked in position. I asked for a blank lever that I could cut myself and was told he didn't have one to offer me.

So - that leaves me with a few options ..... a) live with it; a minor PITA, and don't use the gun in a stage with a 1 or 2 rd reload;
b) cut the notch wider and live with the wider than necessary gap in the lever; c) cut the notch, weld up the gap and have the lever polished and blued.
Esthetically, I'm probably the only one who would notice the wider gap. Functionally, it will make no never mind.

[Deadeye Don]

Did you ask Taylors for a new gun?  I know that would wreak the consecutive numbered thing, but at least you would have a fully functioning firearm.

[Raven]

Why don't you swap the loading lever with one from a percussion gun and cut a new notch?

I may have a couple around here.....or give Lisa a call at VTI I'm sure she has one.

Raven

[PJ Hardtack]

Deadeye

I haven't yet checked to see if the loading lever from one of my three Rem C&B guns would fit. Good Idea! The finish won't match, but I could live with that.
I don't think the issue is worth losing the cachet of having consecutively #'d guns over. As far as function goes, it's a minor inconvenience.

Raven

Who's VTI? And do they have the export licence to ship gun parts to Kanuckistan? Big outfits like Brownells and BACO have enough business here to make it worthwhile. I believe that Midwest will not.

[Raven]

VTI Gun Parts is the only place you should be buying parts for your reproduction firearms!!! 
If you buy them from anyone else your buying them 2nd hand from VTI.
VTI used to be Uberti America but now carry the widest selection of parts for Re-pops anywhere.

Call Lisa at VTI 860-435-8068
I'm sure she can ship to Tim-Buck-Two.

I dont think the finish is any different between the  percussion or the conversion lever-- it's the same part!

Raven

[Harley Starr]

(saved for future referrence)

[Abilene]

VTI Gun Parts is the only place you should be buying parts for your reproduction firearms!!! 
If you buy them from anyone else your buying them 2nd hand from VTI.
VTI used to be Uberti America but now carry the widest selection of parts for Re-pops anywhere.

Call Lisa at VTI 860-435-8068
I'm sure she can ship to Tim-Buck-Two.

I dont think the finish is any different between the  percussion or the conversion lever-- it's the same part!

Raven

Actually, the Uberti importers get most of their parts directly from Uberti, not from VTI.  Occasionally the importers call VTI for parts that they are out of (or don't carry) and occasionally VTI calls the importers for parts when they run low.  But in general, yeah VTI does have the best selection and as parts is all they do, they are very good at it.

I haven't had them in front of me lately, but seems like maybe the '58 conversions are more highly polished than the percussion guns.

[PJ Hardtack]

Got out my screwdriver and set to work on my three Remington C&Bs - 0ne Dixie, one Uberti and one Pietta. The loading lever on the Uberti fit the conversion just fine; but the same was NOT true in reverse! The finish on the C&B is not as high lustre as the conversion. Easily rectified if it couldn't be lived with.

Putting things back together, I went to the range with two loads - a 200gr RNFP and 6 grs of Tite Group and 6 grs of Red Dot. The winner was the Red Dot load at 15 and 25 yards, giving best overall groups.
While ejecting from the problem gun, something looked odd ..... the tube that the ejector rod slides in had moved forward! It's mounted on a plate that fits into a shallow dovetail in the frame. According to the 'tech' I spoke with at Taylor's, it is 'brazed or 'soldered' in place. Au contraire, mes amis!
There was no sign of solder or brazing metal which gives me the impression that whoever cut the notch in the loading lever slid the part in place (incorrectly), marked the lever and made his cut. The bluing on the ejector tube and in the dovetail was evident, and you don't solder on blued parts.

My solution? I'm going to either stake or fix the ejector tube in place with permanent lock-tite, or both. That gives me the option of using  the original loading lever or cannibalizing the one from the C&B, cutting the notch to match the other gun and replacing the lever on the C&B with one from VTI.
All in all, one PITA and a real disappointment on a new gun. Shipping it back to the dealer is an even larger PITA as I have discovered by returning a new Shiloh rifle 2 days after receiving it. I'd be losing the gun for months.

[Raven]

I have exhamined several of these. We had some issues with Uberti over it being convertable and our Patent, which is why they screwed the Ring to the frame.

I have not seen any in which the ejector housing was soldered to the frame. They are interference fit in the dovetail and retained by the loading lever screw.

I would try lock tite.

Raven

[PJ Hardtack]

Raven - thanks for the input!

on the non-problem gun, the loading lever screw protrudes thorough the frame and looks as though it might bear on the ejector rod unit.
On the problem gun, the screw is flush with the frame. That may have been the problem. What thread do the Italians use these days? Have they gone SAAMI for export reasons?

If lock-tite does not cure the problem, I may simply remove the ejector system entirely. I have several pics of Remington cartridge conversions that lack an ejector rod; especially the early .46 RF models. Punching out the empties with a rod will not devastate me.

[PJ Hardtack]

Raven - I tried to call Lisa at VTI with: 1-860 435-8068 and got a recorded message telling me to use the area code before dialling .... :>(

Anyone got another VTI contact number .... ?

[Raven]

I had the same problem. I'm sure they will get it fixed. Also Lisa was out today so try again tommorow.

Raven

[Major 2]

I have one in 45 LC ...it is one of the first Taylor's had and the very one Tuolumne Lawman wrote his Gun test article on.

I was about to mention the ejector tube was a key-way fitted not soldered.... on mine when it arrived from Bernie (Tuolumne Lawman) the tiny screw that holds the ejector rod was missing.

An email to Susan Webb @ Uberti.... netted me 4 replacement screws at no cost for part or postage 

Great shooter BTW

[PJ Hardtack]

Major 2 - I sure don't have any complaints about how the guns shoot. They do need to come up with an improvement on the attachment of the ejector rod assembly.

I take it that the email address for Susan Webb is the usual: Susan_Webb@Uberti.com or info@Uberti.com ....?

[PJ Hardtack]

I finally got in touch with the justifiably highly regarded "Lisa" at VTI ..... she returned my call as promised, but I was on the 'puter (dial-up) so I had to call her back.
She instantly understood the problem and knew more about the guns than the 'tech' I spoke to at Taylor's. I told her how the loading lever from a Uberti C&B fit the conversion, but not vice-versa. "Of course not," was the reply, "some conversion parts are dimensionally larger so as to prevent the swapping of parts from C&B to conversion." Duh .... ;>)
I told her that the conversions would not fit holsters for the C&Bs, a fact that she didn't know, but correctly surmised that it was because other dimensions were larger as well. Bright gal!
She measured the screw lengths of the loading lever screw from a C&B and the conversion and I have a pair of the longer screws coming; along with a replacement loading lever. She had four on hand and again, I had her measure the distance from the front of the rod to the notch to make sure it would fit. She apologized that her quality caliper was off the road and she had to use a plastic cheapo!
All of the loading levers had evidence of bluing salts at the latch, but she said I could boil that off and gave me a 10% discount!
All up, it's going to cost me in excess of $50 to put right what ought to have been correct from the get-go. I sent emails to both Uberti and Taylor's telling them of my concerns. We'll see what they have to say about it .....

[Bottom Dealin Mike]

I'm sorry to ask what is probably an un-necessary question, but just in case...

Did you check to see that the head of the ejector is screwed tightly down to the shaft?

On mine the head tends to unscrew a bit, which leads to a similar dimensional problem if if isn't screwed back tight.

[PJ Hardtack]

The ejector rod appears to be a one-piece design. I'm surprised to hear otherwise. It is the same length as on the other gun.
The retaining notch in the lever is definitely not in the same place as on the othe gun; quite noticeable just eye-balling it.

I got both an email response and a phone call from Taylor's on Friday. I'll set up a time for a call on Monday. This whole thing is taking on a life of it's own .... ;>)  All I wanted was a pair of trouble free 44-40s to match my rifles.

I'm enjoying the guns despite this aggravation. Their sheer size and weight makes them pussycats to shoot. We'll see how I feel after packing them around a few matches. There won't be 25 rds in my belt, fer sure! Just a half dozen in a cap pouch, as fitting a percussion conversion.