Good luck on that one, I do one every once in a while pro bono but 50 bucks may cover the parts to properly tune one. As to the " shooters model seems the only change is an adjustable rear sight? What else has been done to justify the steeper price?You want all that for 50 bucks?
There's a big difference between "needs tuning" and your myriad complaints in the OP. Everything needs tuning, from a $150 Italian percussion gun to a $3000 Freedom Arms. The OP implies that these guns are all but unusable out of the box.Why else are there so many tutorials on how to make your cap n ball gun more reliable and accurate?
Gain twist barrel, chambers properly align with the bore, chambers of proper diameter. IIRC, they were also the first to have a full-size grip frame. They shoot well if you get a good trigger job done.Think Pietta "Shooter's Revolver" with what I presume are sufficient enhancements to bring its price into that range. I've never handled or shot one but would love to know what they did to it to increase its price nearly 3x what a "regular" NMA goes for.
As @Mike OTDP says…Good luck on that one, I do one every once in a while pro bono but 50 bucks may cover the parts to properly tune one. As to the " shooters model seems the only change is an adjustable rear sight? What else has been done to justify the steeper price?
As @Mike OTDP says…
This one was extensively customized externally, tuned and runs very well. But essentially the shooter was dimensionally correct and timed. .456” chambers, .450” bore, .458” grooves correct forcing cone for a .465” ball. Triggers seem to break around 2.5# on most of the shooters. I’ve had 4 of them. They all use the standard fixed sights.View attachment 1087679 View attachment 1087680 View attachment 1087681 View attachment 1087682 View attachment 1087683
Sure is purty!As @Mike OTDP says…
This one was extensively customized externally, tuned and runs very well. But essentially the shooter was dimensionally correct and timed. .456” chambers, .450” bore, .458” grooves correct forcing cone for a .465” ball. Triggers seem to break around 2.5# on most of the shooters. I’ve had 4 of them. They all use the standard fixed sights.View attachment 1087679 View attachment 1087680 View attachment 1087681 View attachment 1087682 View attachment 1087683
I guess I am mystified as to all the complaints. I take mine out and shoot them. They seem reasonably accurate and function reliably. I have fun with them and call it a day. And these things are cheap enough that if I shoot one to death it is no biggie.
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".
I end up needing to adjust the spring since they screw them on too tight at the factory.
I guess I am mystified as to all the complaints. I take mine out and shoot them. They seem reasonably accurate and function reliably. I have fun with them and call it a day. And these things are cheap enough that if I shoot one to death it is no biggie.
I'll see if I can take some of the mystery away for you.
Some want more than "reasonable" accuracy -
Some want more than an over sprung action with ill timing
Of course you say that's fine with you and your having fun . . . fair enough.
The "mystical" part is this - I can take that same out of the box revolver and make it a machine that can win State championships for competition folks. It doesn't need the action cleaned, it won't break a spring, action screws won't come loose, it'll be the same revolver every time you reassemble it.
For others, they enjoy the same thing the competition crowd gets but they mainly appreciate the mechanical accuracy none of the "out of the box" will ever have. Perfect timing, bolt heads that won't beat up the cyl locking notches, able to run them "like a fool" without damage - you know, things you can't do with an "out of the box" revolver . . .
The biggest difference is, those folks don't throw their revolvers away . . . they just add more to the heard because they just don't break . . .
That ought help a little . . . ( you don't "know" till you "know")
Mike
Nope. I’m lucky... And I collect purty wood for guns, knives and so on.Where do you come up with those wild grips? Those didn't come on the pistol, did they?
... 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...