The “internet experts” who see metal around the firing pin hole in the recoil shield must be seeing primer or brass debris from the cartridge case. The metal on the firing pin and recoil shield is to hard that shaving would be practically impossible. I have never observed this in the countless rounds fired through my gun. I wonder if these “experts” own or even fired a Cattleman II revolver. You have purchased a fine revolver that will probably last longer than you with proper care.
Howdy
I am perhaps the "internet expert" being referred to here. I can tell you I had a big problem with an Uberti Cattleman. No, it was not primer or brass debris, it was a steel burr raised so high that it was scraping across the case heads and primers of live ammunition so badly that I could not rotate the cylinder and had a devil of a time unloading the revolver.
First, a little bit of background. This happened close to 20 years ago. I had just bought a used Uberti Cattleman. I did not know quite as much about revolvers then as I do now and yes, I made the dumb mistake of loading it with live rounds in my basement before taking it to the range to try it out. So much for the disclaimer.
The burr was so high that it was scraping across the case heads and primers of the live ammunition in the cylinder, and was completely preventing the cylinder from rotating. Which meant I could not unload the revolver, even with the hammer at half cock. The cylinder would not budge to rotate to the unloading gate. I was able to get the cylinder pin out, but even with the pin removed and the loading gate swung open I could not remove the cylinder to unload it. I finally managed to get the cylinder out with brute force and a great deal of gnashing of teeth. There were deep gouges across a couple of case heads
and primers. I felt lucky to have gotten the cylinder out without mishap.
I have taken the liberty of posting a photo from Jerry Kuhnhausen's
The Colt Single Action Revolvers a Shop Manual, Volumes 1 & 2, which partially illustrates the problem. As I said in a recent post, the firing pin on a Colt, or most other replica single action revolvers travels through an arc as the hammer falls. If one were to draw a circle on this photo, centered on the hammer pivot screw, one would see the front tip of the firing pin is not on the arc, it is a bit in front. As can be seen in this drawing, the hole in the frame for the firing pin is not a simple through hole, it has a large diameter, then it funnels down to where it emerges through the frame of the revolver. I have said many times that because of the geometry as the firing pin enters the hole, it has to 'find its way' through the hole. That is why the firing pin in a Colt or other traditional colt style revolvers is pinned to the hammer and is allowed to wiggle a little bit up and down. So the firing pin can find its way through the hole in the frame.
I have no idea what the history was of that Uberti before I bought it. I have no idea why the burr was so bad. Perhaps that is why the original owner decided to unload it and fat, dumb, happy me was glad to buy it. If I knew then what I know now about burrs on the frame I would never have bought it. Yes, the firing pin is hardened steel. No, the frame is not, it is relatively soft steel. No, the firing pin was not 'shaving' metal. As the firing pin rubbed at high speed against the softer steel of the frame it displaced some metal, causing it to rise through the hole as a burr. As I said, this was a really bad burr. Yes, I took a file and gently filed the burr down until it was flush with the frame.
Guess what? The burr returned. Because the firing pin was still displacing metal from the frame as it flashed through the firing pin hole. I filed the burr down again, but it kept returning. I eventually sold that revolver.
Guess what? I few years later I bought another Cattleman and it exhibited the same problem. Not as bad as the first one, but I could clearly see a burr was starting to form around the firing pin hole.
I still have that Cattleman. My solution was to create a slight countersink around the firing pin hole, so any metal raised as a burr would rise at the bottom of the countersink, and not raise itself high enough to interfere with loaded rounds in the chamber.
It is a bit crude, but I was able to prevent a burr from rising any more in this Cattleman by taping a long drill bit and inserting it through the barrel, and very gently, by hand, turning the bit to create a slight countersink around the hole. I don't shoot this revolver much any more, and have not had a recurrence of the offending burr.
All of which is why Colt has been pressing a hardened bushing into the frames of their revolvers for over 100 years. The bushing is harder than the frame, and the firing pin does not raise a burr as it flashes through the hole.
That is my story and I am sticking to it. So far burrs raised on Uberti revolvers has been 100% of the two that I have owned. I suggest you Doubting Thomases take a close look at your Ubertis and you may be surprised to see a slight burr forming.
I do not think this has anything to do with dry firing, I think it is related to the total number of times the hammer has fallen, whether in dry fire or actual fire. The firing pin does not care if there is a loaded round in the chamber if it rubs against the frame as it flashes through the hole.
I also think this problem will be worse or better on different firearms because of the manufacturing tolerances involved. To put it simply, some will experience a burr raising, some will not.
Regarding the new Ubertis with the retractable firing pin, my experience with that model is very, very limited. I have only fired one at the range once, it belonged to somebody else.
So I have no idea if the new Uberti revolvers with the retractable firing pin will exhibit this problem or not.
If Uberti has started installing a hardened bushing in the frame, I doubt it will be a problem.
If they have not, I have no idea if it will be a problem with the new design, there may have been some redesign that took place to solve the problem.
P.S. Smith and Wesson has been installing a hardened bushing in the frame of their revolvers for many years, for the exact same reason. This 38 Military and Police left the factory in 1908.
This K-38 left the factory in 1957.
