Author Topic: uberti 1873 5 1/2" 45lc (Read 776 times)

bubba45 · « **on:** May 31, 2004, 10:41:36 AM »

i bougth this gun used from mbr and i couldnt pass up the price. i just took it out this past friday and it groups quite nicely. however my buddy took his colt 4 3/8" in 45lc and that one has no flash gap. mine spits gasses from the sides. it doesnt bother me that much but my questions are: the flash gap looks to be about a millimeter or so, is that normal? the cylinder has about twice as much play in it as the colt is that normal?

44 Man · « **Reply #1 on:** June 01, 2004, 11:26:27 AM »

All guns will have some cylinder/barrel gap. Normally .003 is considered very tight and .006 is considered good. I have a Ruger with a .012 gap and it is still extreemly accurate. Venting some gas from the gap is normal, but your gun should not spit lead. If your gun is spitting, it could be a cylinder alignment problem. 44 Man

John Traveler · « **Reply #2 on:** June 01, 2004, 11:41:09 AM »

If your Ruger barrel-cylinder gap is really "about a millimeter" it is WY TOO BIG!!! A millimeter is almost 0.040 inch (40 thousandths)!!!!

An optimum barrel-cylinder gap is somewhere between 3-6 thousandths. a little more will not hurt, but a LOT more will throw lead and powder bits out the side.

Use an automotive feeler gauge to check it.

You should be able to insert a couple leaves totalling 6 or 8 thousands into the gap. A little more hurts nothing. A LOT more and it's too big and needs a gunsmith to fix.

The fore-and-aft cylinder play should be barely perceptible. You can check that too with the feeler guage. Measure with the cylinder pushed all the way forward, and then measure again with the cylinder pushed all the way back. The difference is the amount of excess that needs to be fixed.

John

bubba45 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 01, 2004, 04:59:44 PM »

thanx

Mikey · « **Reply #4 on:** June 02, 2004, 03:03:14 AM »

bubba: most revolvers I've ever shot, including some single actions will spit gasses out of the gap between the cylinder and the barrel. However, if she shaves lead and spits out lead particles then she should be looked at as she might be a bit out of time.

When you say the cylinder has play to it, do you mean front to back or side to side- and is it side to side with the hammer cocked back or with it hammer down. I have had some revolvers that had side to side play when the hammer was cocked back but as soon as the hammer was released they locked up tight without any play. If your is grouping well it should be an indication that she is alright.

However - next time you are at the range, place a hankerchief over the barrel to cylinder gap and fire a round or two. You should see powder particles or burned powder marks on the hankie where she blows gasses from the barrel/cylinder gap, but if you have lead particles or holes in the hankie then she is spitting lead and you should take her back to a gunsmith or the dealer for repair. HTH. Mikey.

bubba45 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 02, 2004, 02:52:11 PM »

well, i put my bare hand about 10 inches next to the pistol while firing and i did get a little sting but no particles. i did that on both sides for two shots and it felt the same on each hand. the play i refer to is: there is a little play in the cylinder rotationally and very little play fore and aft. like you said though if its groupin' then its ok.. i agree

Mikey · « **Reply #6 on:** June 03, 2004, 04:28:46 AM »

bubba45: OK, what you are feeling with your hand near the cylinder-barrel gap is the burning gasses. If you are not feeling any lead particles that is good. However, please try the same technique with a piece of white cloth to assure yourself that it is just gas blow-by and nothing else.

Now, I once had a Smith and Wesson 357 that had a square backed barrel where it was screwed through the frame. Square back means that there was no bevel to the outer edge of the barrel, it was just squared. When I compared that to all my other S&Ws I found that it was the only one like that. The reason I checked was because she too was blowin' gasses out the cylinder to barrel gap. I performed some 'home smithin' and beveled the edge of the barrel and resolved my problem.

If the back of your barrel has a good bevel to it then the gasses you feel are just from the barrel to cylinder gap and should not be a problem fer ya. In which case you should enjoy the heck out of that fun gun and shoot it a lot. Mikey.

bubba45 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 03, 2004, 02:26:43 PM »

actually, i also took up that same day an s&w 637 and was feeling a bit of the same but not as stingy... i will try the hanky trick though just to make sure...