Uberti Cap&Ball colt cattleman cylinder Gap

[WHITE14]

Hello
I have Uberti Cap&Ball colt cattleman with steel frame
Today i noticed pretty big cylinder gap and was wondering is there anything i should do about it?
Is it safe to shoot? Should i worry?

 

[44 Dave]

The thing to check is the cylinder back and forth slop, with the closed frame and cylinder bushing it is a "different animal" from an open top.

 

[dirt-poor]

Have you checked the gap with a feeler gauge? If it's .006 to 008", it's within factory specs. .009" or more is getting a bit too wide. It also appears as though the face of the cylinder and the face of the forcing cone are not square with each other. That's a common issue among revolvers.

I wouldn't consider it unsafe to shoot based on what I see here.

 

[44 Dave]

It also appears as though the face of the cylinder and the face of the forcing cone are not square with each other. That's a common issue among revolvers.

Being loaded is there some lube or something making the gap look wider at the top

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Dang. Some serious work needs doing there. No safety issue, but it must have one horrendous flash when you shoot it.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

That's a common issue among revolvers.

Well, maybe the ones built by drunk monkeys.

 

[44 Dave]

Cartridge Colts with cylinder bushing, that controls the cylinder forward/ back movement and deflects flash.have larger barrel/cylinder specifications.

 

[dirt-poor]

Well, maybe the ones built by drunk monkeys.

Common as revolver issues go. An issue more common in percussion revolvers than in cartridge guns, in my experience. Not usually out of square to that extent, but often imperfect.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Check for end shake, movement front to back, if it's excessive a new bushing can be fitted to the front of the cylinder. I don't remember off the top of my head what the spec is, I will look it up.

 

[woodnbow]

Check for end shake, movement front to back, if it's excessive a new bushing can be fitted to the front of the cylinder. I don't remember off the top of my head what the spec is, I will look it up.

That seems excessive from here. I don’t believe those cap and ball peacemakers have separate bushings. I believe the “bushing” is integral to the cylinder.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Is it safe too shoot?- Probably yes, with safety glasses for sure.

Is it annoying and detracts from pride of ownership?- If it was mine, absolutely yes.

Would it be headed to the sale barn?- If it were mine, probably yes. I can't stand things like that.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Thanks Woodnbow, I did not notice the caps on the back of the cylinder, so I thought it was a cartridge gun. I still think a guy can replace the bushing, just gotta figure out if it's worth the effort. Plus it still won't change the barrel to cylinder gap. That's gonna require the barrel to be set back. My thoughts are if a guy is gonna go through all that effort it may be more cost effective to get a new gun.

 

[Jack Ryan]

If you've never shot it before why worry about it now?

 

[woodnbow]

Thanks Woodnbow, I did not notice the caps on the back of the cylinder, so I thought it was a cartridge gun. I still think a guy can replace the bushing, just gotta figure out if it's worth the effort. Plus it still won't change the barrel to cylinder gap. That's gonna require the barrel to be set back. My thoughts are if a guy is gonna go through all that effort it may be more cost effective to get a new gun.

Like most things these days the c&b peacemaker is hard to come by (near $500.00 if you do.) so it may be worth a trip to the local saa expert to analyze the situation. Set the barrel back a turn and square and recut the forcing cone I’ll bet it would shoot nicely…

 

[dirt-poor]

...Plus it still won't change the barrel to cylinder gap...

Or would it? If it straightened up that gap to a consistent width from top to bottom, then I'd guess it would be a decent gap, depending on just how narrow you want it to be. Couldn't hurt for the sake of accuracy in any case.

Or what about replacing the cylinder? If the forcing cone is as it should be, maybe that would solve everything.

 

[44 Dave]

Colt spects. are .006 for jacket bullets and .008 for lubed lead. most open top cap and ball "wizards" go less than .002 Yours is in the category it can go in the .008 range, it's gap is set by the cylinder bushing keeping the cylinder against the recoil shield. It should be a separate piece, not like a Ruger.

 

[LaneP]

OP, is your pistol design similar to the one shown in this post?

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/cap-ball-colt-1873-saa.900928/#post-12195311

If so, there is the potential for the b/c gap to slightly increase over time with wear. Wanted to point that out if you were not aware.

 

[hawg]

Just shoot it and enjoy it.