Stronger spring?

M

Model12Win

Moderator
Hello all! I got to shoot my '51 Navy (Cimarron/Uberti) at the range today.

I was having about a 50% misfire rate. I am using the stock Uberti nipples on the gun, and the Remington #10 caps didn't seem to do so well on them. I used a dowel rod to make sure the caps were all seated very firmly, but half the time they required second strikes to go off. No bueno.

I decided I needed better nipples, so after looking at reviews, decided to order some Treso AMPCO nipples for my gun. I hear they work nicely with #10 Remingtons, which I have several hundred of.

A big part of the problem, I think, is my mainspring. It feels very light... too light in fact. The hammer is so easy to cock, but it seems to lack power. It just isn't whacking the nipples hard enough. I am wondering if anyone knows where I can get an INCREASED power mainspring for my gun?

Thanks all! Hopefully I can troubleshoot this gun and make it more reliable. Despite the misfires, it was still plenty of fun and I can't wait to go shooting next, just need to make sure the gun goes off more often.

Thanks! :)

M12
 
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Check and see if it has slipped of the hammer roller. Generally stock springs are too strong. Is it a new gun or a used one. If it's a used one somebody may had put a reduced power spring in it or lightened that one.
 
IMO, there is not a probability that the original mainspring has slipped the roller as there is an impression on the tip of the mainspring that centers the hammer roller, and the frame would tend to keep it centered. If you have a reduced power mainspring (vis-à-vis a Woolf reduced power spring), that may be the problem. If it has indeed slipped the hammer roller, your mainspring screw may be loose, but I doubt it.

Take the gun apart slowly and investigate. I'll bet you will find the problem.

Jim
 
yes it could be the main spring, but not likely unless Cimmarron reworked it before shipping.

Other problem is cap makers and nipple makers don't talk to each other and thus we have caps that don't properly fit nipples and vice versa.

I would suggest using a different brand in both #10 and #11.
Just because you seated them with a wooden dowel, is no guarantee they were actually down flat and tight on the nipple.

Also before capping, make sure the primer compound is actually in the cap.
They have been known to fall out.

And of course make sure the nipples are clean.
 
Interesting coincidence.....

Went to the gun show at Virginia Beach last week end and handled an Uberti/Cimarron Cattleman and an 1851. Both had light hammer pulls.

I took my Mitchell Arms to a smith a coupla months ago. He had a Cimarron Cattleman in .357 (Not a caliber I like) which I examined and it had a rather soft hammer pull. When I mentioned it he explained the following: He goes to shows a lot and had a conversation with a honcho at Cimarron who told him that Cimarron came up with a large shipment of main springs which were essentially competition springs. He said that this was unintended and that the springs were used in pistols even though it was not the intended spring. The rationale was that buyers were getting a more desirable spring and so the springs were used in the pistols until the batch ran out.

I know absolutely nothing about after market springs but I do trust this smith.
 
If the Nipples are factory the first thing I would do is take them out and get some Treso / Ampco or slix in that cylinder and like DD4lifeusmc said get some caps to match.
You know you need new nipples anyway, factory nipples aren't the greatest..;)
 
I agree with Doc.
I have a fanner (1860) that has a 3 pound hammer draw, half shaved hammer face, is dry fireable, has interchangeable barrels and 2 cylinders ( It has perfect ignition with any combination of the mentioned accessories).
The nips are factory but as it is, they work just fine. That said, nip quality varies just like everything else with these arms.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks
 
M12, one thing to check first is the main spring screw.
If its loos the tension will not be very good.
Slip the spring out from under the hammer and tighten the screw, then bend and slip the spring back.
In many cases that's all it is.
 
I have a two year old Uberti 1858. I forgot the gunsmiths warning as I walked out the door to very carefully clean the manufacturing lubricant out before firing it. I had a lot of misfires. I took it home and cleaned it up but I still had more misfires that made shooting less than fun. One of my buddies handed me a set of cutting torch cleaners and suggested I clean them out real good with those. They are essentially little files. I had to start with the smallest and work up. Even so the flash holes still look smaller than my brand new Colt by visual inspection. I did obsessively clean the Colt. The Remmy does fire normally now. It could be your cone holes just need some work? If the new nipples don't solve then disregard my silly nooby question.
 
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