Need help, Uberti 1862 Navy Pocket .36

[Trinidad Bill]

My recent return to percussion revolvers involved a Armi Remington new army .44 and a Uberti Colt 1862 Pocket .36. I also have a Ruger Old Army.

Absolutely no problems with the .44 or Ruger. Load them, shoot them, clean them, repeat.

The Uberti 1862 Pocket is quite another story. She is a looker but not a shooter! At least not yet.

I have a miriad of issues with this little revolver and I blame my ignorance for most of them. Cap jams started the string of issues, went from the Uberti nipples to Treso, then Slixprings. Treso seem to work best but was still getting cap jams.

Took the revolver apart and worked on the hammer face to polish it. This was an improvement to cap jams but reassembly to seem bring up another set of problems. The bolt was not working correctly. Research got me to loosening the bolt/trigger spring.

This helped but now I am having cylinder rotation issues. Not sure if this is my inexperience (probably) or maybe a known issue with Uberti Colt replicas?

My observations.

An empty cylinder rotates as expected with the wedge tight (wedge protruding 1/4”). A full loaded cylinder will not rotate properly with the wedge tight. If I loosen the wedge (the wedge is not protruding) I can get the cylinder to rotate correctly.

I am just a little reluctant to let it go bang with wedge not protruding.

Any suggestions to resolve these issues?

[Castaway]

Check to see if the tight wedge is pulling the barrel into contact with the cylinder

[Trinidad Bill]

I believe the answer is yes. But why does it do this on five full cylinders and does not do it on five empty cylinders? Does it have anything to do with the hand spring tension?

[Castaway]

Check if your balls seated below the cylinder. Check pawl spring to see if it’s intact. It’s conceivable if the spring is broken and you cycle the hammer and the barrel is pointed downwards, the hand can fall forwards to rotate the cylinder. If loaded and pistol is pointed parallel to the ground the pawl won’t fall forward and grab the cylinder to rotate it.

[bedbugbilly]

Check cylinder gap relationship to how deep you have the wedge seated . . . Had to do some wedge fitting on my uberti Pocket Navy - I have mine so I can seat and remove the wedge with thumb pressure

As mentioned above - are the balls seated below the end of the chamber - I'm guessing they are

Are you caps seated all the way on the nipples . . . they may be tight, but there are variations between brands of caps even though the tins say 10

I have shot '51 Navies (and about every other model of Colt & Remington - never had a Ruger ROA) and maybe it's just me, but I find the Pocket Navy and my Wells Fargo to be a bit more finicky. I switched out the nipples on my Pocket Navy to Slit nipples and it helped. I use CCI caps and they fit the nipples well, but every once in a while I may not get a cap seated as tight as it should be and it will bind things up when it drags on the recoil shield.

I learned to shoot C & B revolvers 60 + years ago as a kid - an 80 + YO gunsmith taught me using his grandfather's original '51 Navy. In reference to cap jambs, he taught me to use the "Colt twist" - i.e. rotate my hand to the right when cocking so if the cap fragments or comes loose from the nipple, it will fall to the right instead of fall onto the hammer channel.

I'm not a "pistol smith" but am wondering if you may not have something out of place in regards to causing bolt issues and indexing issues?

I like my Pocket Navy and my Pocket Police - but (fir mr) if I had to make a choice, I would take a regular '51 / '61 Navy over them.

Hope you get the issues solved so you can enjoy it.

[Trinidad Bill]

Balls and caps are all where they should be. Using Treso nipples with No. 11 caps. It all seems to be related to the wedge. If I retract the wedge the loaded cylinder acts as it should. I am confounded as to why is does not do it when unloaded.

ie the wedge on an empty cylinder can be as tight as you can get it and the cylinder turns just fine
the wedge on a loaded cylinder needs to be backed off to get the cylinder to turn

at this stage it is a quest and I am thinking highly of the Remington design!

[country gent]

If this started with the new nipples they may be a little "proud and binding due to caps dragging when loaded

[Trinidad Bill]

It did not start with new nipples, they have been on for quite some time.

It started after a complete disassembly, polishing the hammer face, complete reassembly, noticing a sticking bolt, releasing tension on the bolt/trigger spring assembly (backing off the screw, several iterations), bolt acting as it should, reassemble.

[indian joe]

My recent return to percussion revolvers involved a Armi Remington new army .44 and a Uberti Colt 1862 Pocket .36. I also have a Ruger Old Army.

Absolutely no problems with the .44 or Ruger. Load them, shoot them, clean them, repeat.

The Uberti 1862 Pocket is quite another story. She is a looker but not a shooter! At least not yet.

I have a miriad of issues with this little revolver and I blame my ignorance for most of them. Cap jams started the string of issues, went from the Uberti nipples to Treso, then Slixprings. Treso seem to work best but was still getting cap jams.

Took the revolver apart and worked on the hammer face to polish it. This was an improvement to cap jams but reassembly to seem bring up another set of problems. The bolt was not working correctly. Research got me to loosening the bolt/trigger spring.

This helped but now I am having cylinder rotation issues. Not sure if this is my inexperience (probably) or maybe a known issue with Uberti Colt replicas?

My observations.

An empty cylinder rotates as expected with the wedge tight (wedge protruding 1/4”). A full loaded cylinder will not rotate properly with the wedge tight. If I loosen the wedge (the wedge is not protruding) I can get the cylinder to rotate correctly.

I am just a little reluctant to let it go bang with wedge not protruding.

Any suggestions to resolve these issues?

I have one of these little guns - absolutely love it - yep prone to cap jams - learn to roll your wrist when you cock it - I left the hammer face alone - the safety notches and pins work

1) Get some feeler gauges and set the arbor length properly so the wedge cannot pull the barrel against the cylinder
2) mine has a couple dodgy spots in the bore and still shoots accurate
20 grains FFF + .375 ball + boolit lube over top
3) have a spare bolt/trigger spring on hand

[45 Dragoon]

Many times the recoil ring needs to be relieved on the outer edge. The ring is a little large in diameter and when caps are installed they can contact the edge of the ring. That's why it'll function when unloaded.
Do a search on "arbor length correction" here and other forums. It's an easy fix and you will have the same revolver every time you reassemble. Right now the arbor is short and the wedge isn't a "gap" / endshake adjuster.

Mike

[Trinidad Bill]

I have one of these little guns - absolutely love it - yep prone to cap jams - learn to roll your wrist when you cock it - I left the hammer face alone - the safety notches and pins work

1) Get some feeler gauges and set the arbor length properly so the wedge cannot pull the barrel against the cylinder
2) mine has a couple dodgy spots in the bore and still shoots accurate
20 grains FFF + .375 ball + boolit lube over top
3) have a spare bolt/trigger spring on hand

Great suggestion on the feeler gauges! Can you elaborate on how to adjust the arbor length with the wedge?

Thanks for the suggestion of the spare bolt/trigger spring. Going to order one as well as the hand spring.

I did fire the revolver yesterday with the wedge flush with the far side of the barrel. Using the suggested right hand technique I was able to shoot all five in a row without a cap jam. First time for that! The wedge did stay in place, which was my concern.

[Trinidad Bill]

Many times the recoil ring needs to be relieved on the outer edge. The ring is a little large in diameter and when caps are installed they can contact the edge of the ring. That's why it'll function when unloaded.
Do a search on "arbor length correction" here and other forums. It's an easy fix and you will have the same revolver every time you reassemble. Right now the arbor is short and the wedge isn't a "gap" / endshake adjuster.

Mike

This was in the back of my mind, I have read about the "short arbor" several times not really knowing what it was. Thanks for mentioning this Mike, I really was waiting for it. I will do my research now and hopefully correct it.

[TD1886]

One shouldn't have to do all that to a new revolver. Good luck on straightening it out. Thanks for your service too!

[45 Dragoon]

One shouldn't have to do all that to a new revolver. Good luck on straightening it out. Thanks for your service too!

One would definitely pay more if "they" did it. These days Uberti is the only game for pocket pistols so . . . You can shoot um and put up with um, fix um yourself and have an excellent revolver or, pay someone to do it.

Mike

[pietro]

.

I had a Uberti Model 1862 Pocket .36, and know two things about it and cap jams.

When I let the recoil from a shot make the muzzle rise, I let it go all the way up/back until the hammer spur was under the thumb of my shooting hand.

If I cocked the hammer at that time, and the muzzle was starting to fall, the spent cap(s) flew clear every single time - if I didn't shoot that way, I got a cap jam.



IME, some folks that don't shoot that way install (or have a gunsmith install) a small stud into the forward face of the rounded hammer bottom to block spent caps from getting down there when the hammer isn't all the way "down".


.

[TD1886]

One would definitely pay more if "they" did it. These days Uberti is the only game for pocket pistols so . . . You can shoot um and put up with um, fix um yourself and have an excellent revolver or, pay someone to do it.

Mike

They are paying more now as they all have esculated in price!

[TD1886]

.

I had a Uberti Model 1862 Pocket .36, and know two things about it and cap jams.

When I let the recoil from a shot make the muzzle rise, I let it go all the way up/back until the hammer spur was under the thumb of my shooting hand.

If I cocked the hammer at that time, and the muzzle was starting to fall, the spent cap(s) flew clear every single time - if I didn't shoot that way, I got a cap jam.



IME, some folks that don't shoot that way install (or have a gunsmith install) a small stud into the forward face of the rounded hammer bottom to block spent caps from getting down there when the hammer isn't all the way "down".


.

From what I've read this is the way kind of that the people of that era shot them, cocking them while the revolver has the barrel pointing up. That's what I do and it works fine.

[StrawHat]

ALL Uberties have the short arbor problem. A fact one needs to understand and accept. Are they going to change it? I doubt it.

As for the cap jamming problem, that has nothing to do with the arbor (but fix the short arbor anyway, it is the source of other problems). The cap jams are because modern caps are made from brass and the typical cap of the 1800s was made of copper. Brass splits and falls into the action. Copper splits but stays on the cone.

I correct the arbor install cap rakes on all of my cap and ball revolvers.

Kevin

[Battis]

Never been a fan of pointing the muzzle of a loaded, cocked revolver up to prevent a cap jam. Muzzles always belong pointing downrange, especially with the presence of Bore Butter, Crisco, etc. and slippery hands.

[indian joe]

Never been a fan of pointing the muzzle of a loaded, cocked revolver up to prevent a cap jam. Muzzles always belong pointing downrange, especially with the presence of Bore Butter, Crisco, etc. and slippery hands.

I shoot on the local pistol club range so muzzle downrange is mandatory - hence the roll wrist to the right tactic
As far as the slippery hands -- I cut lube disc wads from boolit lube with a sawed off 357 mag case - make em about 3/16 thick - just insert one in each cylinder over the ball and trowell it into place with a pop stick - no mess no fuss !