Problem with new Cabela's Rem. 1858

[stellarpod]

Posted on TFL as well:

I just purchased this Pietta C&B revolver from Cabela's. Upon arrival I cleaned the oil from everything, and mounted caps on all the nipples to check firing and clear the nipples. Cock the hammer, pull the trigger.... nothing. Cock the hammer, pull the trigger again... no bang.

Cylinder is spinning and timing properly. It appears the hammer just is not contacting the caps. I pulled the caps and can barely see an indentation on one edge - and I mean BARELY, as in didn't hit it for all practical purposes. Just to satisfy myself that the caps weren't faulty I pulled them and fired them in a Uberti Colt 1860 Army with no problems.

I suspect that the hammer, frame or both are dimensionally out of spec, which could probably be remedied fairly easily. But, I am hesitant to start messing with it and risk voiding warranty should I find that something else is wrong. Probably should just send it back. I generally hear good things about these bargain Cabala's guns. Have any of you experienced a similar problem?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Steve

 

[mykeal]

Simple enough to verify your theory without invalidating any warranty (there is no real warranty, by the way, just Cabela's customer service policy - or did your gun come with a warranty statement in the box?).

Back out two or three of the nipples about one full turn, cap all six and fire them again. If the hammer is not striking the caps, you'll get 3 good fires and 3 misfires.

It's also possible the caps are too small. Did you attempt a second firing without removing the caps?

 

[junkman_01]

Back the nipples out (unscrew them) a half turn and try the caps. If they work, you need longer nipples.

 

[stellarpod]

Assuming that I do need longer nipples, can anyone point me to a source?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[mykeal]

Call Cabela's and discuss it with their customer service people.

Two possible sources: Treso makes nipples of different lengths, although it's likely their longer ones are too long since they're intended for long guns. Track of the Wolf and several other sutlers sell them as either Treso brand or the generic Ampco metal. The other possibility is Blomquist Percussion Works - he makes custom nipples. Give him a call.

You could also shim them out with thin spacers; you'd have to make them by hand, however.

Again, did you attempt a second firing without removing the caps, and what was the result.?
Edit: Apologies. I see your answer on TFL - the second firing was also unsuccessful.

 

[stellarpod]

Thanks for the replies. Rather than fiddle with trying to build/buy special nipples, I think I'll just contact Cabela, ship this one back and try another. Shame though, as it's a remarkably good-looking revolver.

Steve

 

[Jaymo]

You could always buy a spare cylinder from Cabela's and give it a try before you send the gun back. That way, you have a spare cylinder.
I'd back out the nipples a turn and retest it before sending it back. You never know if the replacement gun will be as nice as the one you have.
Nipples aren't hard to replace, and neither are cylinders.
If you try a replacement cylinder and it works correctly, could you possibly convince Cabela's to let you return just the cylinder for replacement?

 

[skipjack]

I had a new percussion revolver that
had a rough action, so I disassembled it.
There was a spent cap, presumably from
the factory, stuck in the action at the base
of the hammer.

Maybe you have a similar situation. I have
had caps fall off while firing, and had a failure
to fire as a result. Just a thought...

 

[stellarpod]

That's an interesting thought. The action on this gun is fairly smooth, as is the rotation of the cylinder. But, it might not hurt to look anyway.

Steve

 

[George Mabry]

I would not fool with jerry rigging a new gun to get it to fire. Send it back. If the one they replace it with doesn't suit you, send it back. And start thinking Uberti.

George

 

[WALKERs210]

I had a very similar event with a Pietta 1851, talked to Cabela's service dept, withing three days I had a new set of nipples here. Solved the problem and re assurance of the service by Cabela's