Why doesn't Pietta and Uberti make thier revolvers more reliable?

Are they sacrificing reliability in the name of "tradition"?

The flat trigger/bolt springs on factory cap n' ball revolvers are atrocious. By far my biggest gripe. They break so often they may as well be considered consumables for the gun. If Pietta/Uberti simply switched to a more sturdy and reliable wire spring (like Wolff springs) straight from the factory, I'm sure it would make everyone happier.

The nipples? They're okay. But just okay. I still had to switch them out for some slixshot nipples and pretty much never had a misfire since.

And the screws? Oh boy. I'd like to know why on Earth Pietta thought soft screws would be a good idea for thier firearms. I've had to swap these screws out for high quality steel ones and never looked back.

And the sights? Why the heck are they set at 100 yards? I can't imagine many of us shoot cap & ball revolvers from 100 yards away on horseback. That may have been a useful sight configuration during the civil war, but now days that's just plain impractical. Most people I know who are black powder enthusiasts shoot at standard target distances for a handgun, so about 20-50 yards tops. I've had to take my Colt Navy and carefully file down the rear sight notch to make the point of impact not 12-14 inches higher than I'm aiming. I learned how to do this from other black powder enthusiasts, many of which also made modifications to either the rear notch or front post to be accurate at normal handgun ranges.

There's some very simple things Pietta and Uberti can do to make thier guns more reliable straight from the factory; that wouldn't necessarily make thier revolvers any less "traditional".

hawg said:

I don't know what you're doing to your springs but I've been doing this since 1969 and can't remember breaking a trigger/bolt spring. Army model sights were originally set at 75 yards. Navies were usually closer to POA. My Pietta navy and G&G don't shoot anywhere near that high. If you want something that shoots closer to POA get a Pietta Remington. Those front sights are so tall they look ridiculous. Me, I want my guns as close to the originals as I can get.

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The flat springs currently in production at Pietta are not even spring steel. They're sheet metal that has been tempered a bit.

My black powder revolvers get exposed to very cold temperatures at times, and that's when I find the flat springs were more prone to breaking, at the top of the leg, almost always on the cylinder index side. Sometimes I'd have to replace the spring 2-3 times a year. They aren't that expensive, so it was more an inconvenience than anything. Mind you, this is with heavy use and in cold conditions.

Replacement with a wire spring made from quality spring steel pretty much cured that issue...

dirt-poor said:

Lee Gunsmithing sells a good wire trigger & bolt spring in two versions; one "standard" and one "long." The only difference between them is the length of the trigger side of the spring. The standard one is too short for a Pietta. The long one is too long as it comes, but can easily be cut to fit. I replaced some Pietta trigger/bolt springs with these awhile back, and have been entirely satisfied with them so far. I also used the long version to replace the springs on an Armi San Marco Walker and an Uberti Dragoon. The standard length (the first one I bought) fit an Uberti 1861 Navy with no modification.

https://www.leesgunsmithing.com/store/Gunslinger-Spring-Kits-c89708601

Mike Beliveau has a video on these springs.

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Yep, I know I'm not the only one with these gripes. Duelist1954 and Thomas have them to, and have talked in detail about it.

Why else are there so many tutorials on how to make your cap n ball gun more reliable and accurate? All I'm saying is there's a few simple things the manufacturers can do to slick these guns up to be a bit more reliable from the factory, that is all.

I'd gladly pay an extra $50 for a cap n ball pistol to get shipped with a decent wire trigger/bolt spring, rear notch sight set at 25 yards, and good quality steel screws and nipples. I know theres traditionalists who might disagree but I think these things would only enhance the enjoyment new black powder shooters get from these guns.

hawg said:

You want all that for 50 bucks?

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That's about how much those things costed me to install myself. Wolff trigger/bolt spring ($6), Slixshot nipples ($35), steel screw set ($10).

Plus having to file down the rear notch to a more appropriate 25-30 yard zero.