For "them as runs" Uberti 1860s ...

[Oregon Bill]

I've been reading posts and watching Youtubes on correcting all the grievous ills of the Uberti percussion revolver until I am blue in the face and fairly confused. Don't have the money or the time to have them corrected by a pistolsmith, or the tools to complete a Pettifogger fix, so here is what I propose to do: degrease, clean and re-oil with Ballistol, break all surfaces, deburr and "de-fang" the hammer safety notch to reduce cap-sucking, per Mike/Duelist54 using an Arkansas stone. Install Slixshot nipples. Commit armed robbery to secure a small supply of caps. 
I may consider dropping a 5mm washer or two down the arbor hole to pay homage to the notorious Uberti short arbor issue.
Then I will just shoot the danged things and hope for an outcome that isn't totally humiliating. Sound like a plan?

[DeaconKC]

Sounds good! Run that beast!

[Cheyenne Logan]

  You'll be fine.

[Crow Choker]

Bill, If yer talking about a 5mm split washer I was never impressed in their use. Sometimes the thickness was to much and didn't care for the springiness of using them. I've found very satisfactory success using four thicknesses of brass washers the approx diameter of the arbor, selecting the right combination of washers to take up the space if the arbor was to short. I even thinned a few down on a whetstone to get the proper combination. Works very well, just remember they may come out when dismantling the revolver and stick em back in.

[Coffinmaker]

  Oregon Bill
Please allow me to simplify.  The first step with a Uberti, is correcting the abysmal Barrel to Arbor fit.  Two simple, cheap, no skill required methods.  First up is a #10 Stainless Split washer down the Barrel bore.  Shove the gun together and install the wedge.  You may have to re-fit the wedge by rubbing the flat side on a file or 220 Sandpaper.  Next up is Crow Choker's solution with brass flat washers.  Next up is a correct thickness brass flat washer, fit to the end of the Arbor with JB Weld.  Fixing the fit will cure a lot of ills.  THEN:

Clean up the internals.  You may find a lot of "rough".  Some judicious rubbin-n-buffin with either 400 or 600 grit wet/dry onna stick will work wonders.  Pay particular attention to the Hammer Channel.  Don't want drag.  Slix Shot nipples.  You're already de-fainging the hammer nose.  You may also want to consider a lighter Main Spring.  The OEM Main Spring actually belongs under a Dodge Ram.  I would suggest a Wolff main Spring and a nice wire Trigger/Bolt spring.

Use BP compatible Lube.  I suggest Mobil 1 synthetic, 20/40.  If you need grease, Mobil 1 Grease.


I forgot to include, when using JB Weld, be sure to lightly coat the Bore in the Lug with a releasing agent.

This is all maybe a couple hours quality time with your gun.  Then go shoot the heck out of it.

For cleaning and pampering, I recommend PAM.  PAM is an acronym for equal parts Hydrogen Peroxide, Denatured Alcohol and Murphy Oil Soap.  Put it inna Little spritz bottle and keep it out of direct sunlight.  The hydrogen peroxide doesn't lay well with sunlight.

[Oregon Bill]

Thankee Coffinmaker. This simplifies matters. I am somewhat baffled by petroleum-based oils --even synthetics -- being compatible with BP fouling, but perhaps the conventional wisdom has fallen by the wayside.

[Coffinmaker]

  Ah Bill

Petroleum based lubricants have never played nice nice with Black Powder.  The bestest synthetics have no petroleum anything to interact with BP.  Atz why I recommend Mobil 1 goodies.  True synthetics with no petroleum.  You will be amazed at how far a quart of Mobil 1 20/50 will go.  I've been working on a quart for at least 5 years now.  The tube of grease, same same.  A single tube of Mobil 1 Grease is actually a lifetime supply.  Happy Trails

[wildman1]

Synthetics are fine with BP. I make a BP lube for my 45-90 bullets with 50-50 mix of lucas #2 red grease and beeswax. The ratio can vary depending on what part of the country I'm shooting in. Varies by relative humidity.
wM1

[Coffinmaker]

  Hey Wildman

Wowzers.  Never thought of that.  Ima retired Gunplumber and sorta specialized in for a while in Cap Guns and found Mobil 1 oil and grease to be super compatible with BP when used for assembly, general lubrication and maintenance.  Never entered my mind to consider mixing Mobil 1 Synthetic Grease with Beeswax for a BP Bullet Lube.  Velly Interestink (Quote Sgt Schultz)

Of course my primary and secondary Propellents are APP Synthetic which require NO LUBE at all, never really thought about it for myself.  But, yea, mixing with beeswax for BP compatible Bullet Lube should work a trix.

[Cliff Fendley]

Mobile 1 synthetic grease is pure synthetic with no petroleum but that is not the case for Mobile 1 oil. They do contain petroleum base stocks.

[1860]

For quick cleaning, GO-JO gel hand cleaner and a tooth brush, it cuts the crud and leaves a little bit of lanolin/lube that slows down or stops rust.  Full cleaning is still hot soapy water.  Lube is crisco stiffened up with bees wax, kind of like that old TC bore butter, brush it on with an old tooth brush...

For the pin, wrap a little bit of play dough in a couple layers of saran wrap, put it in the hole and assemble the gun...might take a few tries to get the right amount... carefully remove the playdough and measure the length, cut the end of a proper diameter bolt just a tad longer and file to fit...done for ever...

Polishing the internals,... Don't just attack them with sand paper, you run the risk of changing the geometry and squareness/sharpness of the edges.  If you don't have polishing stones then wrap a layer of crocus cloth around an appropriate sized file or hard object and carefully polish the surface.. using a little light oil when you are near done really makes things smooth and shiny.. take your time, especially with the hammer and trigger...

60

[Coffinmaker]

  Cliff

Perhaps I am not chemically savvy enough, but reading the information provided on a container of Mobil 1 Motor Oil doesn't reveal any Petroleum stuff to me.  Never has actually.  You have a sample example??

[Griff]

Hmmm... maybe I are just lucky, but I've shooting the same ASM marked 1851 assembled with parts left over from Uberti's contract w/ Colt for their 2nd Gen guns.  I bought this gun in 1986 from EMF.  Made in 1985, and the only difference between it & my 2nd Gen 1851s is the quality of the finish & frame/barrel pin spacing.  All internals interchange like drop in parts would.  I shot this gun for several months in "as issued" condition until the hand spring broke a week before EOT 1987.  The gun went off to a local SoCal gunsmith of some repute among cowboy shooters.  It was delivered back to me at the safety meeting for EOT 6 days later.  It had a Ruger plunger & coil handspring, along with a wire trigger/bolt spring.  I was able to finish "not last" (I seem to remember 5th)... In those days it was the BP category and shot two handed (if you wanted), and only one handgun was ever used.  The hammer was faced off, eliminating the "safety notch", but it still occasionaly suched caps.  The following year I dabbled with an 1858 but, it never felt comfortable and I eventually traded it off.  Then in 1990, the BP category was eliminated in favor of the new, better attended Frontier Cartridge category. I skipped the 1989 match, something about the cost of it...
Fast forward to 1997 and viola, the Frontiersman category was inaugurated.  I found a 2nd Gen Colt "C" series and it & that ASM went back to Rowdy Yates for the same fixes as done previously along with his now recommended "Manhattan" conversion.  Somewhere around 2005/6 another pair of Colt 1851s were sent back to Rowdy for his handiwork, as I needed a backup set... or so I thought!  With either Treso or SlixShot nipples, cap sucking was a thing of the past.  If only I practiced and shot more, I'm convinced I would have been on the podium at several matches.  Notice that I've not said a word about this so-called "short arbor" thing?  Aye, that's right, 'cause I'd not heard of it.  Nor read of it on forums here and other places.  Mind you, that by this time I'd developed a fairly fool-proof method of setting my cylinder gap (narrow by most opines, @ 1-2 thousandths).  But I knew that I could shoot a 6 stage match without bothering to clean or otherwise adjust my guns... had shot a few 2-3 days matches in the same manner...  The first I've ever read out "short arbor" was about 2019... when I've been shooting and playing (competing?) with cap guns for a bit over 30 years.  I understand the concept of the "short arbor" and possibly the ease with which it controls cylinder gap... but, by my experience it's not truly mandatory.  Maybe I'll change my mind with I finally get around to set a gun up to do that... but... spend money on it?  Not at present...

[Abilene]

Griff, I shot two pair of '51 Richards-Masons for 20 years before hearing about the short arbor.  I never had a bit of problem with them and shot lots of clean matches.  HOWEVER, the wedge was pushing almost all the way in due to wear, so I then started dropping the split washer down the arbor hole and it tightened them up some, so now I use the washers on all my conversions, primarily to limit wear.  If you just shoot your '51's with round balls, probably somewhat less wear on them than cartridges.

[Griff]

Yeah, mostly round balls.  That ASM has had maybe 25 conicals thru it.  Its only appreciable wear is of the holster type, but actually from a sonic cleaner bath with case cleaner and the heat on... Probably didn't NEED that 2nd cycle...  Ok, so the case colors are a light...  some experiments don't need repeating!      

[Abilene]

Always heard that ASM guns were really good until late in their existence.  After they moved their factory away from where all the others were, they lost some of their talent as well, and that's when they started making the Schofields and Conversions that lacked quality.