This Tucker & Sherrard Confederate dragoon replica was made by Uberti. It has the distinctive Tucker & Sherrard / Clark & Sherrard characteristics, including the Texas-Arms cylinder engravings, the lack of a cut-out in the barrel for loading conical bullets, and a horizontal loading-lever latch. I found it on Gunbroker a couple of years ago. It was listed simply as an Uberti Dragoon with no model specified, and sold for no big money.
These replicas are best known as having been manufactured for Western Arms, who sold them for about two years beginning in 1978. A commemorative series with serial numbers T-1 to T-400 was offered in cased sets with accessories and certificates. Their barrels are stamped with “WESTERN ARMS CORP, SANTA FE, NM” on the top, “TUCKER SHERRARD & COMPANY” on the left side, and "Aldo Uberti & C." in script or in block letters on the right side. On some of them, these barrel markings and the cylinder engravings are highlighted in gold.
A basic gun-only version was also available. They came in cardboard Western Arms boxes and have ordinary serial numbers with no letter prefix. Their barrels are stamped with “WESTERN ARMS CORP, SANTA FE, NM” on the top and "TUCKER SHERRARD & COMPANY” on the left side. "A. UBERTI & C." is stamped on the left side of the frame.
In 1980, Western Arms Corp was successfully sued for trade-name infringement by the Olin Corporation, owner of Winchester Western Ammunition. Western Arms was dissolved and reformed with the name Allen Arms, which later merged with Cimarron Firearms. Uberti subsequently made more Tucker and Sherrards for both Allen Arms and Cimarron Firearms, and stamped them accordingly, so I have read -- have not seen an example or picture of any.
This particular T&S replica is unusual in that it is very plain with no company names on it. No Tucker & Sherrard, no Western Arms, no Uberti, and nobody else. It is identified only by an Uberti logo on the barrel under the loading lever and a serial number on the bottom of the frame. These are clearly stamped, but "BLACK POWDER ONLY," "MADE IN ITALY," the proof marks, and the date code were very lightly stamped. (The caliber stamp was omitted.)
The light impression of the date code has made it difficult to clearly determine the year of manufacture. The upper part of the second letter is especially light, and the lower part was not impressed into the steel at all. It looks like the date code would have been AB (1976). It could also have been AP (1986), but I think that would be too late.
In either case, this revolver was not made for Western Arms. A little too early or way too late; not stamped as a Western Arms gun, and not made according to the cosmetic standards that Western Arms specified. It wasn't made according to Uberti’s cosmetic standards either, as we know them today.
The faux color case hardened finish on the frame was an odd application of a synthetic substance of some kind with a slight texture. It coated the surface of the frame in swirling prom-dress colors and contrasting dark tones, but had no effect on coloring the steel itself. And it didn't adhere well. Some of it was scratched off when I got the gun. The rest rubbed off cleanly and easily with1000-grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. That's why the frame is blued, at least for now.
There were also superficial imperfections. The trigger guard, back strap and grip, for example -- the inner surfaces of these parts were well fit to the frame and to each other, but there was no final exterior fitting or finishing. There were tool marks on them and some overhanging material along the joints. These and other irregularities have been corrected.
Aside from the aesthetic deficiencies with which this dragoon left the factory, it was well put together as a shooter. The feature most especially worth noting is its properly-fit arbor.
As we have seen in more recent years, Uberti bypasses the lengthwise fitting of open-top percussion revolver arbors by making them too short. In this case, the arbor was obviously made with a slightly excessive length and then milled down from the face to the exact length required for the specific barrel it was intended to be used with. The end result is that it bottoms out in the arbor hole concurrently with the barrel lug joining against the frame. The union of frame and barrel is rock solid.
And this is a nice improvement for shooting purposes:
Although the origin of Colt's horizontal loading-lever latch is most clearly associated with the 1851 Navy, some of the 3rd Model Dragoons were manufactured with it also. So Tucker & Sherrard didn't devise a new concept in dragoon loading-lever latches. They just copied a good idea, which prevents the loading lever from dropping under recoil.
Finally, here's an interesting little detail I haven't seen before. The wedge retaining spring is attached with a screw rather than a pin.
Anything further on the history of these replicas would be appreciated. Any opinions, speculations or corrections to the info I have managed to put together would also be welcome.
These replicas are best known as having been manufactured for Western Arms, who sold them for about two years beginning in 1978. A commemorative series with serial numbers T-1 to T-400 was offered in cased sets with accessories and certificates. Their barrels are stamped with “WESTERN ARMS CORP, SANTA FE, NM” on the top, “TUCKER SHERRARD & COMPANY” on the left side, and "Aldo Uberti & C." in script or in block letters on the right side. On some of them, these barrel markings and the cylinder engravings are highlighted in gold.
A basic gun-only version was also available. They came in cardboard Western Arms boxes and have ordinary serial numbers with no letter prefix. Their barrels are stamped with “WESTERN ARMS CORP, SANTA FE, NM” on the top and "TUCKER SHERRARD & COMPANY” on the left side. "A. UBERTI & C." is stamped on the left side of the frame.
In 1980, Western Arms Corp was successfully sued for trade-name infringement by the Olin Corporation, owner of Winchester Western Ammunition. Western Arms was dissolved and reformed with the name Allen Arms, which later merged with Cimarron Firearms. Uberti subsequently made more Tucker and Sherrards for both Allen Arms and Cimarron Firearms, and stamped them accordingly, so I have read -- have not seen an example or picture of any.
This particular T&S replica is unusual in that it is very plain with no company names on it. No Tucker & Sherrard, no Western Arms, no Uberti, and nobody else. It is identified only by an Uberti logo on the barrel under the loading lever and a serial number on the bottom of the frame. These are clearly stamped, but "BLACK POWDER ONLY," "MADE IN ITALY," the proof marks, and the date code were very lightly stamped. (The caliber stamp was omitted.)
The light impression of the date code has made it difficult to clearly determine the year of manufacture. The upper part of the second letter is especially light, and the lower part was not impressed into the steel at all. It looks like the date code would have been AB (1976). It could also have been AP (1986), but I think that would be too late.
In either case, this revolver was not made for Western Arms. A little too early or way too late; not stamped as a Western Arms gun, and not made according to the cosmetic standards that Western Arms specified. It wasn't made according to Uberti’s cosmetic standards either, as we know them today.
The faux color case hardened finish on the frame was an odd application of a synthetic substance of some kind with a slight texture. It coated the surface of the frame in swirling prom-dress colors and contrasting dark tones, but had no effect on coloring the steel itself. And it didn't adhere well. Some of it was scratched off when I got the gun. The rest rubbed off cleanly and easily with1000-grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. That's why the frame is blued, at least for now.
There were also superficial imperfections. The trigger guard, back strap and grip, for example -- the inner surfaces of these parts were well fit to the frame and to each other, but there was no final exterior fitting or finishing. There were tool marks on them and some overhanging material along the joints. These and other irregularities have been corrected.
Aside from the aesthetic deficiencies with which this dragoon left the factory, it was well put together as a shooter. The feature most especially worth noting is its properly-fit arbor.
As we have seen in more recent years, Uberti bypasses the lengthwise fitting of open-top percussion revolver arbors by making them too short. In this case, the arbor was obviously made with a slightly excessive length and then milled down from the face to the exact length required for the specific barrel it was intended to be used with. The end result is that it bottoms out in the arbor hole concurrently with the barrel lug joining against the frame. The union of frame and barrel is rock solid.
And this is a nice improvement for shooting purposes:
Although the origin of Colt's horizontal loading-lever latch is most clearly associated with the 1851 Navy, some of the 3rd Model Dragoons were manufactured with it also. So Tucker & Sherrard didn't devise a new concept in dragoon loading-lever latches. They just copied a good idea, which prevents the loading lever from dropping under recoil.
Finally, here's an interesting little detail I haven't seen before. The wedge retaining spring is attached with a screw rather than a pin.
Anything further on the history of these replicas would be appreciated. Any opinions, speculations or corrections to the info I have managed to put together would also be welcome.
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Who knows right? Maybe I’ll find what I’m looking for. Hope your having a good weekend and thanks again. Tim
leave it to me to mess that up 
