First impression of new Uberti 3rd model Dragoon

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RS1860

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I got a chance to finally fire my new Dragoon! It was a blast to shoot! I used hand cast round balls and hand cast Lee 200 conicals. It seems to be made to shoot conicals. With 40 grains under a round ball, it shot about 6-7 inches high at 25 yards. With a full 50 grain charge and round ball it only was about 2 inches high. Anything over 40 grains with a round ball or 40 grains with a conical makes the loading lever drop on each shot which was a little annoying.

Are there any fixes for this issue? I'm glad I got it and hope to get out and shoot it again and maybe get some chrono data. I brought it but didn't test any shots cause it was so cold and nasty out.

I bet I could barely get a 200 conical over 50 grains. That would sure pack a punch! I'm trying to decide what I "need" next! maybe a Walker or charcoal blue fluted 1860.
 
Holy smokes!!! :what: That is almost the load I was using in my 45 caliber rifle.

Those dragoons are brutes to say the least. There has got to be a way to fix that dropping loading lever maybe a stouter spring or a way to increase the purchase of the latch itself?
 
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I was under the impression that Dragoons were meant to use 50 grains of black powder as their load. This being done as a way of backing off the Walker and its cylinder ruptures.
 
Just take a hacksaw blade and deepen the notch.
B0000179_zps85cfc767.jpg
While you are at it take a nail set and stake the latch under the barrel or it will eventually fall off.
 
That sounds easy enough. Are you talking about staking the pin that holds the latch to the loading lever so it won't work itself out?

Yeah, it's pretty stout and awesome! Having 300 grains of BP in a full cylinder is kind of mind boggling
 
If you look at the notch on an original compared to the Uberti, you'll see a big difference. Cut the notch a little deeper and more flat.

You know it was made to take down horses and was originally sighted in at 75-100 yards. Have fum making booms and smoke!:D
 
Don't know where "made to take down horses" comes from. Horse pistols were carried in pommel holsters and carried by the horse. When were we at war with horses? Walkers and their descendants (as well as predecessors) were meant for two legged enemies (i.e. bad guys and bad Indians).
Smaller revolvers meant for men to carry were called belt pistols. They weren't made to take down belts.

Just to keep down the confusion.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
 
45 Dragoon said:
Don't know where "made to take down horses" comes from. Horse pistols were carried in pommel holsters and carried by the horse. When were we at war with horses? Walkers and their descendants (as well as predecessors) were meant for two legged enemies (i.e. bad guys and bad Indians).
Smaller revolvers meant for men to carry were called belt pistols. They weren't made to take down belts.

Just to keep down the confusion.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Click to expand...
Yuh always gotta stir em up, don't ya? :)
 
No JB Weld. It's amazing how many guns are plumbed with that stuff. Just deepen the notch.
 
So deepen the notch with a hack saw blade? I have an ignition file that might work a bit better or if I need to take out that much material, it should smooth things out after the hack saw blade

I'll have to take a closer look at that rare pair of 8" consecutive numbered 3rd models and see what the difference is. Is the dovetail just not cut deep enough so it eventually works itself loose?
 
"Don't know where "made to take down horses" comes from. Horse pistols were carried in pommel holsters and carried by the horse. When were we at war with horses?"

Well Sir, I'm very well aware of the term "horse pistol" and the history of the firearm. It was a lot easier to hit the horse that the rider charging at you. So I guess, we were at war with the horse also.:banghead:
 
I'm sure that disabling an enemy's horse puts him afoot and essentially out of the action. That's good. The Walker was likely meant to replace the carbine/short cavalry rifles in firepower. But the terms horse, belt, and pocket pistol describes where they were carried, not how they were used.
 
Captain Samuel Walker of the Texas Rangers, was one of the officers that was highly impressed by the Colt weapons, but he wanted a few improvements made to it. In 1846, he collaborated with Samuel Colt to make a new weapon for use with the Rangers. At that time, the Texas Rangers were using a single shot close range pistol made by Aston Johnson which could be put in a holster on the saddle. What Walker wanted was a new handgun that was extremely powerful at close range and could be carried in a saddle holster like the pistol. However, this weapon would have to be a revolver to allow the rider to fire multiple shots without reloading. He persuaded Samuel Colt to increase the caliber of the weapon from .36 to .44 or .45, so that it could not only be used to kill enemies, but also the horses that they were riding on. The newly designed weapon was called the "Walker Colt" in honor of Captain Walker.~Firearms history, Technology and Development. http://firearmshistory.blogspot.com/2010/06/revolver-walker-colt-colt-dragoon.html
This is also found in many other written documents concerning Walker's request from Colt.

I am aware the term "horse pistol" was used concerning how they were carried. But the criticism to my reply to the OP was as if the gun was not developed with enough power to bring down a horse. In fact the original specs called for that.
 
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45 Dragoon said:
Don't know where "made to take down horses" comes from. Horse pistols were carried in pommel holsters and carried by the horse. When were we at war with horses? Walkers and their descendants (as well as predecessors) were meant for two legged enemies (i.e. bad guys and bad Indians).
Smaller revolvers meant for men to carry were called belt pistols. They weren't made to take down belts.

Just to keep down the confusion.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Click to expand...
Horses are larger target, and easier to hit when shooting from a mount, plus if you take down the horse that puts the rider on foot and makes him an easier target.

You are correct as from were the name "horse pistol" came, but shooting the enemies mount was common practice.
 
dagger dog said:
Horses are larger target, and easier to hit when shooting from a mount, plus if you take down the horse that puts the rider on foot and makes him an easier target.
You are correct as from were the name "horse pistol" came, but shooting the enemies mount was common practice.
Click to expand...

George Armstrong Custer had 11 horses shot out from under him in the Civil War ... just FYI. ;)
 
Tommygunn said:
George Armstrong Custer had 11 horses shot out from under him in the Civil War ... just FYI. ;)
Click to expand...

It's a wonder he wasn't killed or maimed for life but as we all know fate had a different ending for him.


A horse wreck is a sobering situation and many a person have been permanently crippled or killed going down with a horse.
 
Can you post pictures after you successfully fix this? I fear with out proper illustration I will mess it up badly.
 
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