Uberti 1873 Cap and Ball

[Grenadier]

Just picked up one of these in a trade. I am curious if this can be easily converted to fire cartridges.

[Abilene]

They were specifically made to NOT be easily converted to a cartridge gun.  I recall some years ago hearing of a guy doing such a conversion but there was considerable work involved.

[Grenadier]

Oh well, I suppose I will leave it as it is then 

Thanks!

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[Pettifogger]

Nice gun, but kind of an orphan in this country.  It is not legal for the C&B categories in SASS.

[Ned Pepper GB]

I use a couple of them for shooting CAS over here in the UK.

I use the old Lyman/Ideal 450229 hollow base bullet with fffg and get about 2-3 inch groups at 15-17 yards or so,
plenty good enough for CAS shooting.

I would like the cartridge version but we can't be trusted   


Ned

[Major 2]

Nice gun, but kind of an orphan in this country.  It is not legal for the C&B categories in SASS.

Nor NCOWS

[Hoof Hearted]

The Uberti is easier to change to cartridge firing (at least the ones I have done) than the Pietta.
The Uberti accepts a cylinder the same length as their cartridge gun while the Pietta was intentionally mfd to not accept a cartridge cylider (w/o a barrel change or setback).

HH

[petrinal]

the revolver is made with softer steel, and not tempered, in the frame, unlike centerfire Cattlemans, so if someone ever thinks about converting one, something not legal in most countries, he should keep loads to BP pressures.

I know that about the frame softness, as I engraved one sometime ago. The case hardening didnt make the steel harder at all. They  used in that gun I engraved the same soft steel they use in the BP cap and ball revolvers.

by the way, the gun has specifically being designed  in the frame, hole pin zone, to make it hard to convert it to centerfire.

[Hoof Hearted]

In the USA it is completely legal to convert your own firearm as long as you do not do so with the INTENT of selling it.
I see absolutely no difference in the steel used in the manufacture of the BP SAA and the cartridge firing ones.......

HH

[petrinal]

In the USA it is completely legal to convert your own firearm as long as you do not do so with the INTENT of selling it.
I see absolutely no difference in the steel used in the manufacture of the BP SAA and the cartridge firing ones.......

HH

I do see it:

-take a burin, and try to engrave a BP "casehardened frame"....you will notice it is "soft", not tempered.

 They used mild steel, or, at least, they didnt heat treat it, but I am sure, it is just of the mild type, iron, in other words, or soft  steel, the same used in BP cap and balls. The italians are not stupid, if they can use and machine a cheap soft steel that costs less per kg and less in machining tooling, they will do it...after all, it is BP what it is supposed to fire. You can use smokeless, but with care..


-take the same burin and try to scrape a CATTLEMAN, centerfire, Uberti frame...you wont be able to even scrape it, at least, in the old models, like mine. They used high quality tempering steel, and they heat treated it, witouth annealing (it was left "hard"). The frame is not engravable.

I still have to engrave a S .Steel model, and I am courious about the heat treatment they used, but something tells me they used mild SS.

you can use a hardness tester too,

I  wouldnt  mill a centerfire Uberti casehardened frame witouht doing a heat treatment to soften it or at least, annealing it until we get it a bit softer. At least, in the old ones, I insist, the ones I know more.

The BP model  is soft, the milling machine has no problems with it. I am a certificied machinist too.

my advice is just to be careful with loads, nothing more.