Uberti Walker Colt kit - Question on cylinder

T

The Way

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I've purchased an Uberti Walker Colt kit and while finishing the wooden grip and bluing the pistol are fairly straightforward, I'm a bit perplexed by the cylinder. Five of the chambers have corkscrew-like grooves in them, while the sixth is mostly smooth. The grooves aren't deep, but can definitely be felt when dragging a brass rod across them.

I've never owned a black powder revolver so I'm not sure how to proceed. Are the grooves there on purpose? Am I supposed to hone them out? Is it a manufacturing defect?

Any thoughts and/or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
 
Welcome to the forum and the church of the holly black.

I'm wondering if it makes more sense just to send the cylinder to Cylinder Smith or Dave Clements and have them kill two birds with one stone. What I mean by that is not only to give the chambers a proper finish but open them up to 0.453. At 0.453 you can use a 0.457 round ball and get better performance from that Uberti. Likely your cylinder chambers are 0.448 to 0.449 whereas your bore is around 0.438-0.440 BUT, your groove diameter is 0.456-0.460. A 0.453 will get you closer to the groove diameter to help the ball obturate better. I know you probably take great pride in putting that kit together by yourself but if you have to mess with the chambers anyways why not have someone with the tools and experience to open the chamber diameters to something more appropriate. Just a thought..;)
 
It's interesting how Ruger Old Army chambers aren't smoothly finished but have grooved rings that are intentionally etched into their walls.
I think that they're designed that way for holding the ball in place during recoil.
However, I've never heard anything about Uberti finishing their chambers that way.
It does sound like a manufacturing defect or poor finishing to me though. But then some folks thought the same about the Ruger chambers too because they never realized their presence.

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Picture of cylinder and update!

Sorry about not responding earlier but it was a busy weekend. I got the kit from Dixie Gun Works and besides saving a little money ($333.95 including shipping) I also figured it would be good to really get my hands dirty with assembly/maintenance/repair, since I'm under the impression black powder pistols involve a little more owner involvement and knowledge than "normal" firearms.

Thanks for all the responses and here's a semi-decent picture of the cylinder in question:

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I just got a response to my e-mail to DGW and Jamey says they're somewhat common machining marks and not to worry about them. So I'll probably just leave them alone. Not to say I'm opposed to having a gunsmith open them up at some point, as ClemBert suggested. Lord knows I've done more damage with a Dremel tool than anyone I know...
 

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I see a metal shaving sticking out on the interior of the chamber pictured at the 8:00 position, and there are others. Those chambers are supposed to be properly finished before they leave the Uberti factory. Why should you put in many hours of detailed finishing work to complete the kit if the chambers will never be right?
Please reconsider and ask Dixie for a replacement cylinder or another kit.
I would even consider complaining to Uberti if necessary.
We all know that Uberti makes the best Walkers but the chambers in that photo don't look like they were completed with surgical precision.
While I can't feel them they sure do look terrible. :eek:
 
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Articap + 1

In the last couple of weeks I have had a few transactions with DGW that really renewed my feelings about their customer service.

I visited their store last year and was made to feel unwelcome. I am caucasian and my wife, who was with me in the store, is African American and I just figured....Well, you know. At a separate time I tried to get technical info from Kirkland over the phone and felt like I was just bothering him.

But more recently they have spent more than a little time identifying the specific parts I needed and wound up selling me the right thing each time.

I am inclined to think they would be helpful in getting to the bottom of your problem.
 
Contrarian view...

It's a kit. You want all finished, polished parts in a kit? Why buy a kit, then?

I see absolutely nothing wrong with the cylinder provided. Get out your tools and get to work and stop complaining.
 
Mykeal

I built a lot of kits when I started. I think they were all EMF or some such. They were bought from a distributer in Shotgun News in the seventies and early eighties. I never built a Walker but I think I built at least one of everying else that was available at the time (revolverwise).

I never had to do any work on the chambers that would be required in the cylinder in the photo. It is difficult to tell very much from the photo about the specifics of the chambers. We don't know if what appear to be grooves are deep enough that reaming or honing the chambers to the right size would remove the grooves. If the chambers are undersized, it would require the ability to machine each chamber to some exactingly consistent dimensions. The average home craftsman would be limited in his ability to do justice to the pistol.

I acknowledge your significant experience, wisdom, and knowledge, but I think I respectfully disagree with you on this one.

I stick by my guns in recommending at least a conversation with DGW.
 
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mike in nc said:
Mind if I ask where you purchased the kit? Did not know you could get the walker in a kit.
thanks
Click to expand...

In addition to the Uberti Walker kit, Dixie also offers their cheaper Dixie Walker kit for $300 that is made by Palmetto. The cylinder in that kit is plain and not engraved. In addition to the user reviews, some folks have warned against buying Palmetto products and that kit in the following thread.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252070&highlight=walker+kit

Dixie Walker kit made by Palmetto:

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_162_194&products_id=9259
 
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A simple way to smooth (the burr's), without removing much metal is to get a dowel approximately 1/2 the diameter of the chamber, cut it down so that you have piece approximately 1.5in longer than the chamber depth, saw a slot in the end, coming approximately an inch down, chuck it in your hand power drill, insert a strip of one inch wide 600grit approximately a couple of inches long, insert into the chamber and spin on low setting till the burr is flush, repeat as paper wears out. Also good for smoothing some internals, if you chuck the drill in a vise and hold the piece up to it.
 
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