Hand spring breakage

[Texas Moon]

I shoot a pair of recently made Uberti Walkers.
Seems like the hand springs in these two guns break fairly often.
Getting about 400-500 rds and then they break. Sometimes more, sometimes less.
I keep a spares on hand so the guns aren't down for long.
Had one break on a brand new Uberti 1860 Army before the first shot was even fired from it.
I do run these Walkers quite hard. Up over 3000rds per gun now. Everything seems to be holding up except for the hand springs.


Just curious what kind of spring life you folks are getting?

 

[45 Dragoon]

TM, you need to reduce the tension on the spring. They are set up to leave the factory in "working " condition. There needn't be near the tension they come with. It's also possible that the over travel of the hammer is pushing the spring into the top of the hand passage. To keep over travel of the hammer from happening, install a hammer stop and you will keep parts breakage to a min. to non existent.

There is a thread about this. "Colt opentop clones/copies, What mods do you . . . " This info is there.

45 Dragoon

 

[Hellgate]

Dragoon's hammer stop is the best advice for longer spring life. I have replaced hand springs by taking a wood chisel and slightly flaring the crimped slot in the hand that holds the old spring and then putting a similar shaped length of a bobby pin to replace the spring. I grind a slight hourglass shape into the part of the spring that is inserted into the slit in the hand and then stake the spring in so it can't come out. Try to match the same curves as with the original spring. That way you don't need to fit a new hand. All the spring needs to do is hold the hand forward so it can engage the ratchet on the cylinder. I've had a lot of hand springs break in quite new guns but once replaced I haven't had to replace them a second time. It sounds like there is something going on with your guns to over stress the spring and the hammer stop is the most sensible sounding cure.

 

[BowerR64]

It might be because its the largest of the blackpowder pistols. I know when mine fire the whole cylinder moves back. Maybe the recoil of the load is slamming the cylinder against the hand enough to really stress the hand spring?

 

[madcratebuilder]

You can fabricate a bullet proof hand springs from a automotive "feeler gauge". Can be labor intensive but the end result is worth the effort. Absolute reliability.

 

[CraigC]

I've been shooting traditional single actions for nearly 30yrs and have only ever had one hand spring break. That was on a high mileage Frontier Scout that wasn't even mine. I'm always curious in threads like these what folks are doing different.

 

[BowerR64]

I broke a bolt and a hand spring and ive only been shooting about 3 months.

I dont know how i did it either. Ill admit im not the sharpest tool in the shed but i wasnt throwing it of the roof of my house or at the target either.

The funny part is they broke right where you would figure a stress part would be just after the little slit in the hand that holds it.

The bolt i cant figure that one either.


Now i was told that these 2 parts are the most common that fail but my dad claims he never broke anything on them but he also said he could shoot one hole into the other with these and i havnt been able to do that with them either lol.