Is Midway incorrect about their Uberti Cattleman '73 peacemaker Blk Pwdr version?

Jbar4ranch wrote:

"....but it also has a secondary problem that no one has mentioned yet - the gases blown back out of the case and through the recoil shield are of sufficient pressure and velocity to blow the hammer back and turn the cylinder, and it will keep firing as long as you keep the trigger pulled".
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I did mention that here Jbar.....

Bill Akins wrote:
".....drilling it straight would make the frame to hammer window so big the gas pressure would blow the primers out of the cases towards the hammer, just as Hawg described But, as previously mentioned, this creates a problem of the primers actually being blown back through the hole".

"Which makes me wonder if the primers would cock the hammer for you? Even if it did, the primer might fall down into the workings of gun and jam like an 1851 or 1860's Colt percussion caps sometimes do if you don't cock them with the barrel up. I'm still fascinated with the possibilities of using primer setback (or percussion cap blowback) to operate an action like Pedersen and Garand and others worked on so long ago but was never adopted by our military. No gas cylinder or tube, no piston, less weight. It works and makes for much less moving parts on a semi auto."

"Only problem is the action is dependent on the cartridge's loading always being the same so the primer will set back reliably the same each time. I think that's why the military lost interest in the system if I recall correctly. Too dependent/finicky on cartridge powder loads being consistent from shot to shot. Still....the system has possibilities that have never been used outside of not really unsuccessful experiments in the Pedersen and Garand era. Just because the military didn't adopt it doesn't mean such a system wouldn't have a civilian application. But that's all academic and really off topic. I only mention it because Hawg's mention of primers flying out reminded me of primer setback experimental operating systems".
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I did realize if it worked, it would make the revolver full auto. But I took it as a given that everyone here knows how the single action peacemaker operates and knows if you keep the trigger depressed while thumbing or fanning the hammer it will continue to fire, just like it would continue to fire if one held down the trigger with primers or percussion caps cocking the hammer. So I didn't bother to include that in my post that thus modified, it would actually be legally classified as a fully automatic sub machine gun revolver since one function of the trigger would fire it and continue to fire it automatically until the trigger was released, just like you mentioned Jbar4ranch.

But what if the trigger/sear could be modified to where it had to be released to reset before the hammer could fall again? That would prevent it from being full auto and would just be semi auto legally. It would be VERY cool to have a single action 1873 peacemaker that you cocked the hammer for the first shot, and then fired the other five shots semi-automatically.

A couple of questions Jbar4ranch.

1. After you drilled your recoil shield's firing pin hole out to allow the firing pin on your new hammer to reach the cartridge primers, did you just theorize the blowing back primer could cock the hammer, or did it actually happen for you that your blown back primers cocked the hammer?

2. And with what frequency? Did it do it every time?

3. Were you using .45 Colt and what weight grain bullet backed up with how many grains of what powder? What brand of primers were you using?

4. If you actually experienced this (instead of it being a theory), did you have any problems with spent primers falling into the hammer's internal action and causing jams?

5. Were there any cylinder over-travel issues on lockup stemming from the cylinder being automatically so rapidly and violently turned?

Too bad you sold it after you drilled out the firing pin hole. I'd have loved to get my hands on yours to experiment with since you had already egged out the hole. If it would be possible to modify the sear so the trigger had to be released before the hammer could fall again, then you'd have a single action (for the first shot) and a semi auto action for the next five shots. That would be awesome! If I ever see one of these on the cheap, regardless of condition, I'd like to pick it up and experiment with it. And if it would do that with spent primers from cartridges, it should do the same thing with spent percussion caps. So you could have both a cartridge AND a percussion cylinder that both worked the revolver semi automatically. How cool is that? Just thumb back the hammer one time, then for the other five shots you don't have to cock it. I'm surprised no one has worked that out yet. A fascinating possibility that uses no new moving parts to make it semi auto, other than a modification to the trigger/sear to block the hammer from falling until the trigger was released from the last shot.


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It's been a quite a few years back, so I don't remember the load or primer used, but they were .45 Colt, and likely light Cowboy Action reloads.

There was no theorizing, I stepped outside with 3 rounds in the cylinder, cocked the hammer, and squeezed the trigger. I heard one report, and definitely remember thinking it was odd somehow, like a short hang fire or somesuch, but don't recall recoil being severe. I cocked the hammer again, and got a "click" when squeezing the trigger. Upon emptying the cylinder, the first thing I noticed was there was no primer in the case visible under the loading gate when opened, which puzzled me a bit at first. After punching all three out, all three were missing the primers. I tried it one more time, with only 2 rounds, with the same result - one report, 2 rounds fired. No primers were recovered. These were the only 5 rounds I fired through it before re-installing the BP firing pin and cylinder.
I would think the cycling would be very violent and quite hard on a single action, and the gun likely wouldn't hold up very long under continued shooting.
 
Jbar4Ranch wrote: "It's been a quite a few years back, so I don't remember the load or primer used, but they were .45 Colt, and likely light Cowboy Action reloads.

There was no theorizing, I stepped outside with 3 rounds in the cylinder, cocked the hammer, and squeezed the trigger. I heard one report, and definitely remember thinking it was odd somehow, like a short hang fire or somesuch, but don't recall recoil being severe. I cocked the hammer again, and got a "click" when squeezing the trigger. Upon emptying the cylinder, the first thing I noticed was there was no primer in the case visible under the loading gate when opened, which puzzled me a bit at first. After punching all three out, all three were missing the primers. I tried it one more time, with only 2 rounds, with the same result - one report, 2 rounds fired. No primers were recovered. These were the only 5 rounds I fired through it before re-installing the BP firing pin and cylinder.
I would think the cycling would be very violent and quite hard on a single action, and the gun likely wouldn't hold up very long under continued shooting."
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Wow. It must really have cycled three rounds super fast for you to hear only one report even though it fired three rounds first and then did the same thing with two rounds. Yes I too was concerned that the primer blowback might be rather abrupt and violent causing premature parts wear and breakage. I wonder if there might be a way to slow that down a tad. Like maybe a spring loaded hammer nose to somewhat cushion and delay the hammer coming back while not affecting the hammer popping the primers.


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. It would be VERY cool to have a single action 1873 peacemaker that you cocked the hammer for the first shot, and then fired the other five shots semi-automatically.
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Was it here, or the CasCity Forums, someone actually DID IT with a Ruger Old Army or 1858 revolver. It was a VERY steampunk setup, with an actual brass tube that channeled a portion of the combustion gas into a piston that cocked the hammer, turned the cylinder AND, kid you not, ejected the spent casing. They posted an entire photo timeline of what they did and the end product definitely worked, and was as steampunk as steampunk could ever be. It is got to be one of the coolest threads to exist. Perhaps someone still knows the actual link.
I remember when I first saw it, was probably like someone in the 1820s seeing a steam engine for the first time.
 
Was it here, or the CasCity Forums, someone actually DID IT with a Ruger Old Army or 1858 revolver. It was a VERY steampunk setup, with an actual brass tube that channeled a portion of the combustion gas into a piston that cocked the hammer, turned the cylinder AND, kid you not, ejected the spent casing. They posted an entire photo timeline of what they did and the end product definitely worked, and was as steampunk as steampunk could ever be. It is got to be one of the coolest threads to exist. Perhaps someone still knows the actual link.
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It was here at this thread. It's known as "The Frankenruger".

https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=511297

Also at other sites and on YouTube.
 
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