"New to Me" Uberti Russian Model Top-Break

[RattlesnakeJack]

Well ... my latest shootin' iron has arrived!



I am well pleased with it ... I'm told it shoots well, so I look forward to trying it out ... hopefully tomorrow at the indoor range I belong to but don't seem to get to enough!

I have ordered two sets of new grips from NC Ordnance ... the Royalwood ones for "everyday" use (particularly with my NWMP impression) and also a set of the checkered faux ivory ones that caught my eye ... images of both posted above in the thread ...

[Major 2]

I would have been hard press not to order both myself....

I actually have a set of NC Ord. Colt style Ivory-Like Grips
and a set of S&W #3 on my NM

[Pitspitr]

Grant, those white ones look like the set I had Gripmaker make for my S&W Hand Ejector

[RattlesnakeJack]

Yes, a lot of the S&W grips seem to have that general configuration (for what they call "round butt" frames ... as opposed to the flared "square butt") but I presume the exact size and fit differs from one model to another ...

[DeaconKC]

RSJ, this is your fault. You just had to post that S&W with the ivory grips...
I fell victim to that siren's song...

[RattlesnakeJack]

RSJ, this is your fault. You just had to post that S&W with the ivory grips...
I fell victim to that siren's song...

Oh sure, rub it in ... you got your grips already, and mine will probably be weeks wending their way through the US Postal System, then languishing in Canada Cstoms clutches forever before being cleared, and then being finally being transported to my mailbox by Canada Post Snails ...



Mind you, so far I have received lots of encouraging updates from USPS ... apparently the grips have arrived at, and then departed, the Miami International  Distribution facility three times now!  (... on three consecutive days ...)

[RattlesnakeJack]

I do have a question for those of you who have Uberti S&W top-break revolvers ...

Having had the Russian to the indoor range twice now, I have discovered it is quite the "lead spitter" - i.e. apparently shaving lead fragments which get blasted back at me (... well, probably in all directions, but I tend to notice the ones that hit me!)

Anyway, this is much more of a problem than with any other revolver I have owned (most of which display no tendency to do this at all) ... so today I pulled the cylinder to specifically see what sort of forcing cone arrangement there is at the rear of the barrel, and if it might have to be eased a bit ...  However, I found that there isn't any forcing cone!  The rear face of the barrel is dead flat and you can literally see the rifling contours around the inner edge of that flat surface. 

Seems unlikely to me ... but is this a feature of these revolvers ... or (as I suspect is the case) did this revolver somehow miss getting a forcing cone during the manufacturing process?

I am attaching a couple of photos showing the "non-existent forcing cone" and a couple of images showing the lead fouling/smears which develop (primarily in the cylinder flutes) ...

[Pitspitr]

Grant,
My Uberti Schofield came that way too. I bought a kit from Brownell's and cut a cone and now it doesn't spit lead any more.

[Drydock]

Seen them with and without.  The forcing cone guy at Uberti takes a long lunch and the line keeps running.

[DeaconKC]

They did that [no forcing cone] when they designed it instead of lengthening the frame. That way the cylinder could be lengthened to take the .45 Colt. Thankfully I haven't noticed any spitting from my Schofield yet.

And I would send you my walnut grips, but they would probably get there the same day as your own! {firm believer in Murphy's Law}

[RattlesnakeJack]

Thanks for the responses ... including your very helpful speculation on the cause of this intermittent problem, Chuck ...  ...

General, before I even saw your response, I already had the forcing cone kit loaded in my cart on the Brownells website (... well, actually, they now sell the chamfer cutter, extension rod, handle, and centering guide as separate items ... but they are all in my cart) and was just going to watch a few more videos before taking the plunge. The first video I watched was of modifying the existing forcing cone on a Ruger, and I was wondering if the tool would work as well when there is essentially no forcing cone to start with ... I take it worked OK for you?

That one video I have watched so far (... mannyCA, "The Accurate Revolver" series, on YouTube ...) mentions that the 11° which the Brownells cutter produces is optimum for revolvers shooting non-jacketed bullets, whereas various manufacturers produce their revolvers with different angles (presumably for jacketed bullets, or as a compromise) - e.g. Ruger use 5° and S&W use 8° ... so I suppose I can potentially use the tool to improve the forcing cone on other revolvers as well, since I shoot cast/swaged bullets almost exclusively anyway ...

This morning I got out the revolver again and, with the cylinder installed, aligned a chamber with the bore and looked down into it with a light ... the sharp edge at the rear end of the bore was quite visible all the way around the perimeter of the chamber mouth!  No wonder this things shaves lead so much ... and spits so much of it back! 

I could try smaller-diameter bullets too, I suppose ... but, in view of the non-existence of any forcing cone at present, I suspect that could only alleviate the problem somewhat, without eliminating it ...

[Coffinmaker]

   Oh Swell 

Caution fixing this.  We will all note the cut at the bottom of the barrel to clear what little "gas ring" there is (diddley and squatt). 

Needs a SHALLOW cut forcing cone.  The very slightest miss-alignment between chamber mouth and barrel breach will shave and spit lead.  Not exactly on the "Fun Meter."  I would probably start with a 5 degree cut and test.  Then if necessary, go to an 11 Degree cut.  There may be some cracking at that cut but I wouldn't see it as structural.

Stay Safe Out There

[RattlesnakeJack]

DeaconKC ... your willingness to donate your grips is noted, and appreciated!   

Mind you, it appears that the Schofield and the Russian use different grip shapes - i.e. differences at both top and bottom ...

At least I haven't had a fourth notice from USPS of the package passing through the Miami facility ... so presumably it is now actually en route ...   

[Coffinmaker]

  Well just Spiffey   

Wish I'd taken a minute or 3 to read the rest of the thread.  Sasafrasafripafrasitt.

Anyway . . .

RattlesnakeJ . . . rest assured you can use the Brownells kit to cut forcing cones in virtually ANY barrel breach.  You will need different size cutters for smaller calibers however.  It will not/does not matter if there is some form of forcing cone to begin with.  The cutter doesn't care.

Use plenty of OIL with the cutter.  I actually use "Cutting Oil" but any High Viscosity oil will suffice.  Copious amounts of OIL.  NEVER.  EVER.  repeat - NEVER.  EVER. for any reason, turn the cutter head backwards.  Did I mention NEVER??  I meant to say NEVER turn it backwards.  EVER.

You will only need to cut the cone enough to clear the chamber mouth.

CAVEAT:  I don't care for (don't like) Uberti.  The cylinder should never have been altered from original specs and the Gas Ring deleted.  45 Schofield was plenty enough .45 cartridge.  Original spec Schofields will shoot BP just fine . . thank you.

[RattlesnakeJack]

Coffinmaker ... right now, this revolver is the worst I have ever seen for shaving and spitting lead ... so I cannot imagine it getting any worse!

As mentioned above, this morning, when I aligned a chamber with the bore and looked with a light, I could literally see the sharp edge at the rear of the bore around the entire circumference of the chamber mouth!

While I was reexamining the revolver, I noted various areas of lead build-up on the top strap and frame below the cylinder gap ... the siginifcant lead deposits and smearing on the cylinder, particulalry in the flutes, after a shooting session are already illustrated above ... and there are even lead deposit buildups on the upper part of the recoil shield at the rear of the cylinder!

[RattlesnakeJack]

Coffinmaker:

Read your second post after posting the above, and am somewhat more reassured.

I think I will order the kit and go for it .... keeping in mind to keep it to a minimum, to start with, and proceed further only with caution.  (As in cutting lumber and fabric ... you can always take a little more off on a second go-round, but if you take off too much, it is damn hard to put back!)

And I will keep in mind to NEVER turn the cutter head backwards  ... EVER!   

(Actually, I was thinking that this kit may have a sort of "built-in safeguard" against doing that. since the extension rod threads into the cutter head, so that trying to turn it backwards would just turn the rod out of the cutter head ... but I suppose it might have to "bite" a bit before that would start to happen, at which point the damage would be done?)

[RattlesnakeJack]

Brownells order placed ... initially I was only going to get the .45 cal bore bushing, since most of my revolvers are in that range but I added a .357/.38 bushing also, since I do have a few revolvers in that calibre range, and a few friends with some as well ...

[Jake MacReedy]

Jack, this Uberti model looks very much like the "brevet" models of the Russian made in Belgium.  Here is a photo I took from an online sale of one.  As you can see, the ejector housing beneath the barrel is very much abbreviated like yours.
Jake

[RattlesnakeJack]

Jake, that does look very similar, doesn't it!


While searching online, I also came across some images of Spanish-made knock-offs with a similar profile ...

[Jake MacReedy]

Jack, I'm sure more than a few ended up in the West...in both the U.S. and Canada!