New Colt 1860 Army questions

[Flintlock_bob]

I just received a New Uberti Colt 1860 Army from Dixie Gun Works sale priced.

1st issue the end of the wedge retaining spring has almost no lip on the end to catch the screw and keep the wedge from falling out.

The wedge is loose enough to move by hand and when pressed all the way in it hits the screw. I'm not sure how tight it should be, I have seen Youtube videos where it is moved by finger pressure but my Navy Arms Griswold and Gunnison needs to be tapped with a mallet to move it.

The bottom of the barrel where it indexes to the frame is tight but I can move the cylinder forward and back by .015 inch. How much is too much?

Finally I can't remove the barrel. I remove the wedge and use the loading lever to push the barrel off but it won't budge. I used a plastic mallet and tapped at the bottom of the barrel but it won't move. Maybe shooting it will loosen it up, any suggestions.

Are Remington caps corrosive?

Thank you,
Bob.

 

[ZUG]

In my opinion there are far too many issues with that new gun if it were mine I'd return it. The cylinder gap is way too large - should be around 0.006" to 0.008" for me. If you can't get the barrel off as described then there was a problem during assemble. Why settle for something that started life as a reject at the factory :hmm: .

 

[Flintlock_bob]

I just sent an email to DGW and will see what they have to say.

Maybe that's why it was on sale.

 

[1860 Army]

I too have a Uberti 1860 Colt from DGW.
The first one I got, I retrurned after the 4th shot when the front sight fell off. They replaced it no questions asked. When it was new, I would removed the wedge, then gently taped on the loading lever until the barrel moved. Half cocked and loading lever between two chambers.
You can also call DGW. They are very helpful.

 

[hawkeye2]

If the wedge goes in till it hits the screw something is wrong and that's specially true if you have a .015" cylinder/barrel gap. About half that would be reasonable and could be even less. Generally with an unmodified revolver the wedge needs a light tap with a wood mallet to tighten it and you shouldn't be able to move it with your fingers after that. Usually a Uberti has a short arbor and the barrel needs a spacer (there are other ways to correct the issue too) in the bottom of the arbor hole to get the correct gap. I bought a new Uberti Walker last winter and I could push the barrel back enough to lock up the cylinder by pushing on the wedge with my fingers. That was acceptable as I was going to have it reworked anyway. In this case the arbor was removed and welded up and set to the correct length in a lathe then reinstalled using a super adhesive on the threads so that it would not shoot loose under extreme loads. I have a Uberti Pocket Police that was set up by Goons Gun Works and I can push the wedge in with my thumb so that it will not move and I need a punch and a light tap with a small mallet to loosen it.

The barrel can be very hard to remove the first time and I have sometimes had to help them along. There are sometimes burrs on the arbor around the slot and occasionally in the arbor hole too. If you can get it apart check for them and it should go back together without much effort too though I have an Army that needs a tap on the muzzle with a soft hammer to seat it the last sixteenth inch. I believe the alignment pins in the frame or the holes in the barrel may not be quite parallel. Look for burrs there too.

With what you describe I personally would be a little wary of this one and might consider sending it back to Dixie with an explanation of the problem. They are pretty good about making things right. That is unless you need a new learning experience.

Remington caps are not corrosive, been using them for over 25 years. As far as I know no other caps made today are corrosive either. Good luck.

 

[don hepler]

My new Uberti Dragoon has the same wedge problem. However my cylinder gap is okay. I called Stoeger and they replaced the wedge, but it was even smaller. The left side of the wedge is taperd and the right side, near the frame is straight. I have a tiny piece of brass shim on the right side and a spacer in front of the arbor. It is doing fine, but I need to machine a new, wider, wedge. It's a shame that I have to solve my own problems, and I should have just returned the pistol. I bought it at Sportsman's.

 

[1860 Army]

What have you heard from DGW?

 

[Flintlock_bob]

The first response was they would ask their gunsmith when he comes in next week. I decided to return it for replacement, they should have it by next Tuesday.

 

[USMA65]

A few months ago I purchased an Uberti 1860 Army, which was advertised as blemished. The gun was flawless in appearance, except for a scratch on the barrel and another on the grip. I considered both manageable and something I could either live with or correct. However, when I took the gun apart I thought a steel mallet was going to be necessary. Finally apart, it would not go back together. I tried every trick in the book, but after two days, gave up. I did not notice any burs, but decided the arbor and pins were not parallel. Rather than risk damaging the gun, I returned it to Midway in separated pieces. They returned my money without a question asked. I know that is their policy, but I have wondered if that gun was "blemished" by someone before me trying to reassemble it.

 

[ZUG]

The first response was they would ask their gunsmith when he comes in next week. I decided to return it for replacement, they should have it by next Tuesday.

Smart move on your part - why pay good money for worthless junk - :hmm: .

 

[1860 Army]

Is Uberti quality going down hill?

 

[hypo]

My girlfriend got me one from dixie gun works and it had some problems and looking back on it we should have returned it because almost a year later and i keep finding new problems.

 

[USMA65]

I hope not because I have a new one sitting in the local post office right now. Will have to wait until Tuesday now because of the Labor Day holiday.

 

[1860 Army]

My 1860 replacement from DGW has been working fine for 6 months.

 

[Flintlock_bob]

In my note listing the problems I did ask if they could check the replacement for issues which I hope they do.

I recently bought an Uberti 1858 Remington from a shop about an hour and a half away and it is very nice. Just shot it today :grin:

 

[Flintlock_bob]

Today I received a new purchase order from DGW so my replacement should ship soon. Hoping this one has been checked for defects.

 

[Flintlock_bob]

Today I received my replacement revolver. It is very nice with none of the problems of the first one. The barrel comes off using the loading lever as a jack but it goes on harder, it takes a mallet to get it far enough back to put the wedge in. Maybe after some use it will get easier or maybe a little cleanup work might be needed but I can live with that.

 

[USMA65]

Today I received my replacement revolver. It is very nice with none of the problems of the first one. The barrel comes off using the loading lever as a jack but it goes on harder, it takes a mallet to get it far enough back to put the wedge in. Maybe after some use it will get easier or maybe a little cleanup work might be needed but I can live with that.

I hope that the difficulty in reassembling the gun will get better. Several months ago my new Uberti 1860 would not go back together. This is cause to be very careful so as to not bend the brass pins of the frame. Hope it all works out for you.

 

[Zonie]

The next time you have the barrel off, take a good look at the cylinder arbor up around the wedge slot and at the outermost end.

If you see some shiny spots which have worn on the arbor, those are the problem.

Gently using a fine tooth flat file or some black, wet/dry sandpaper with a wooden block as a back up you should be able to remove a few thousandths of the offending metal.

When doing this, try to just hit the shiny areas, don't just start filing or sanding on the whole arbor.

 

[Flintlock_bob]

The next time you have the barrel off, take a good look at the cylinder arbor up around the wedge slot and at the outermost end.

If you see some shiny spots which have worn on the arbor, those are the problem.

Gently using a fine tooth flat file or some black, wet/dry sandpaper with a wooden block as a back up you should be able to remove a few thousandths of the offending metal.

When doing this, try to just hit the shiny areas, don't just start filing or sanding on the whole arbor.

I will take a look after I get a chance to shoot it.

Okay, I just took the barrel off for the third time. This time I was able with some effort to push it on by hand until the frame came together at the index pins. At this point the wedge goes in fine. I do have to use a mallet to get in in until the spring clears the frame, the cylinder gap is close at that point to, no need to go farther. My first gun the wedge could be pushed in by just finger pressure until it hit the retaining screw and it still had about .015 of end play/movement of the cylinder.

This one is a keeper.