Uberti Walker

C

chickenmcnasty

New member
I am looking at purchasing a Uberti Walker. I found one at Cabelas in the display case. This is the first one that I've handled and I noticed that there seems to be a little "hitch" when pulling the hammer back. Is that by design? Or should it be a smooth pull on the hammer all the way back?
I don't have much experience with these, so any help would be great. Thank you!
 
Think you are not talking about the half cock position...

...So it is possible that there is a little roughness that needs to get worked out of the innards.

Uberti makes a fine pistol.

Don't mean to be cynical, but I would not trust the folks behind the counter to know the difference between right and wrong when it comes to C and B revolvers.
 
they definately didn't know anything about the revolver, but they didn't really claim too either. I just wasn't sure if that was a quirk I wasn't used to that is typical with these guns or not.
I generally shoot a .454 casull, and the hammer pulls back smoothly all the way to the locked position, so I thought this was unusual.
 
All of the single-action revolvers of the era (well, muskets, too) that I know about have a half-cock position. This may be what you are feeling.

There are two notches in the tumbler - one deep one that the sear cannot jump out of if the trigger is pulled - this is the first notch encountered while cocking and is the half-cock notch. The second notch is the "step" that the sear rests on until the trigger is pulled - this is the full cock position.

Half cock is used to allow the cylinder to spin freely so that you can load and cap the cylinder.

You will feel the hammer go "click" as it rolls over the half cock step. There should not be any resistance as this happens though.

Steve
 
The difference between a 454 Casull and a Walker by Uberti is in the amount of several hundred more dollars spent on the Casull production.
Those of us that shoot the Italian imports will generally agree that a box stock gun is a project waiting to happen. They can be made to run as smoothly and efficiently as a modern gun but they do take some work.
If the pieces and parts are all there then you have a pleasant project ahead of you toward the most powerful handgun issued to any armed force up to the advent of the 357 mag.
It is not recommended but a Walker with a full 60 grs of FFg behind a 457 round ball is an event to be witnessed.
 
I am going to feel really stupid if it's just the halfcock. I will go back into the store and take another look to make sure, but i'm going to say this is, once again, me being a bonehead.
 
Should not be a problem but there was another thread where a man bought a walker and the cylinder would not rotate all the way round to line up with the barrel. Both mine do but one was only fired a few times when I got it and the other was NIB. Only problem I had was in the unfired one getting the wedge in and out till I did a little work with a jewelers file. I needed a punch and a hammer to get it in and out the first two times then decided I better fix it. You should be able to disassemble and reassemble without tools.
 
Nothing to worry about, other than the fact that if you are anything like me, you will buy the Walker for your first BP revolver and in 5 years you will have over 40 of the damned things?

<sigh>

Uberti is a good maker, their stuff is as good as it gets. They are the only Walker game in town, so you pays yer money and you takes yer chances. It's very doubtful that the revolver has been damaged in the case, just look at the nipples for signs of dry-firing, but that's doubtful to have happened. You'll want another $hundred of accessories, mainly a powder measure, caps, balls, powder, and a nipple wrench.

It'l shoot fine out of the box and it'll shoot better once you tune it a bit and fit the arbor. At that time it'll shoot better than an original, likely.

You do not need to do anything to the wedge other than SHOOT it. They self-fit with use. I use a small brass face hammer to start them when they are brand new.


Willie

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What is the best way to check allignment of barrel/cylinder? it seems the cyclinder turns and the hammer would hit each nipple, but I know that doesn't mean anything as far as allignment of the barrel and cylinder.
 
You do not need to do anything to the wedge other than SHOOT it. They self-fit with use. I use a small brass face hammer to start them when they are brand new.


Willie
Click to expand...
wedge wasn't the problem, the base pin slot was a wee bit undersized and just a light touch on the front let me put my brass punch back in the drawer. That was the only glitch in the hitch.

I wasn't going to get any black powder guns and then in one summer besides my rifle I had 4 revolvers and am looking for dueling pistols and.....well you are right. They are like cracker jacks, you can't have just one.
 
What is the best way to check allignment of barrel/cylinder? it seems the cyclinder turns and the hammer would hit each nipple, but I know that doesn't mean anything as far as allignment of the barrel and cylinder.



Methinks Youthinks too much...

If the bolt drops into the notch in the cylinder and locks it there the alignment is correct. It's not going to have gotten outta the factory with any real deficiencies: They usually get drilling the holes in the cylinder in the right spots correctly. It's not used. It's going to be OK...

Really.... ;)


Personally... a Walker would not be my first choice for a first BP revolver (taken from the standpoint of my own experiences, which was that I bought a Walker first too). Personally, I'd buy am 1858 Remmy first, so as to not need to deal with the open top frame arbor-tuning issues. After that I would buy an 1861 Navy. After than I'd buy an 1860 Army. Last choices would be the Dragoons, and in those "as a shooter" the Walker would be my last choice. Start with the most refined (IE: "Improved") designs first. They *were* improvements at the time.

Walkers are cool... to handle and to show off and to blast with.
1858 Remingtons are for shooting... easiest C&B pistol to shoot well to start with.
1861 Navy is for holding... nothing feels as nice in the hand.
1860 Army is for looking... to me they are the most handsome of the Colts.


wedge wasn't the problem, the base pin slot was a wee bit undersized and just a light touch on the front let me put my brass punch back in the drawer. That was the only glitch in the hitch.


Yeah... I had a Uberti 1851 with the same thing, and as you say a light touch on the wedge. I just used a stone.




Willie

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i definately think too much. I overthink things and then I overthink them a little more. I can respect your suggestion to go with a different pistol prior to the walker, but with 2 kids and a stay at home wifey, I need to pick my battles...
I don't really entertain ideas of target shooting precision with a black powder revolver. It will really just be for plinking and making lots of smoke. I figure with that being said the walker probably fits the bill. I really love the big caliber revolvers like the .454 casull so I want something that really goes bang and is fun to shoot.
 
also worth noting, I do really like the look and feel of the 1858's. they seem extremely easy to change cylinders and probably clean, but I just want the capability to be able to load a 60 grain charge every once in a while and get after it.
I really took a hard look at the Pietta new army 1858 target, but I just can't get the Walker out of my head :)
 
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Get the Walker.


They rock!
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It was my first one too.
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23 years and going strong. They are rock solid, and shoot more accurately than my '51s or '60s. I prefer a '60 for the looks and the ease of carrying, but you just gotta have a Walker in the safe and it is a great place to start.

Here... lemme give you a visual aid.....
DSC03188.jpg
 
uberti walker

Bought the dixie gunworks Uberti Walker as a kit couple months back
It too had a little "gliche" in hammer pull.
After I did all the exterior filing sanding and bluing,
I went to work on the innards.
Just needed a little polishishimg, works smooth now.
I wouldn't be afraid to buy it.
I haven't shot for actual accuracy yet. Too cold and windy.
But one hand offhand at 20 yds, I was within a 4 inch diameter group.
But dang it is heavy to hold one hand arms length!
Mine empty 4.55 pounds
Buy it and shoot it!!
Many times in shipping and handgling the barrel wedge can get jammed too tight and cause cylinder lock up.
It can also happen to a newbie that pushes it too hard. Takes a little practice to know how tight to push the wedge in.
After several shots you may notice the gun get stiff. This is normal with Black Powder.
A good lube job will help retard this.
my Walker kit (2 photos) and an Armi San Marcos 44cal 851 navy, which technically was never made in the originals.
 

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If the bolt drops into the notch in the cylinder and locks it there the alignment is correct.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but that's not correct.

It's entirely possible to have the chambers, or even just one or two chambers, out of position in the cylinder, such that they do not line up with the barrel bore when in battery. I've seen this on a number of replica bp revolvers.

You check this by putting the chamber in battery, putting a strong light on the cylinder face at the forcing cone and looking down the bore. If you see a crescent of light the chamber is misaligned. If you see a full circle of light, the chamber is smaller than the bore, which is just as bad for accuracy as the swaged ball will be loose in the bore and not engage the rifling.
 
^^^ to the above, that indicates a bad cylinder out of the machine shop at the manufacturers. Hmm.. if you say you have seen it... well... OK. I believe you.



To this:

Many times in shipping and handgling the barrel wedge can get jammed too tight and cause cylinder lock up. It can also happen to a newbie that pushes it too hard. Takes a little practice to know how tight to push the wedge in.


What this indicates is an arbor that is too short. If the arbor is the correct length you can push on the wedge all you like and the cylinder to forcing cone gap will stay the same. As you push the wedge in further and further you are literally bending the frame up and up... the pistol shoots higher and higher.. and then the cylinder will jam against the forcing cone and lock it up.


Willie

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