GW II cylinder pin alteration? For Coffinmaker

[Black River Smith]

HA Coffinmaker,

You made some postings back in 2023 about the GW II over on the SASS forum --- https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/348286-emf-great-western-ii/

You made this comment --- "After you cut the last 3/16 off the Base Pin and dress it, no need for a Uberti (yech) Base Pin."

Now I have filed down my Uberti pins before but with a GW II I see that they are different (no full diameter grooves), they have a rounded slot for the cross pin stop and then a flat bottomed V slot for the 'Safety' notch.

So my question here is --- What did you mean by the statement 'Dress it'? What did you actually do to that V to get 'correct' contact (proper depth and curvature) for the cross pin.

If I cannot reproduce your work, I will have to cut down a Uberti pin with it already full diameter grooves for a 'Colt Look'.

Thanks for an explanation and your help.
BRS

[Abilene]

Howdy BRS, the maker of boxes can correct me, but I think dressing it just meant smoothing up the end where you shorten it. 

My opinion is that Pietta base pins suck regardless of 1 or 2 position, due to the groove only being on the bottom, and I replaced mine with the shorter 1-position Uberti pins.  I think Coffinmaker has also come to that conclusion.  Right now it seems a lot of places are out of stock on those Uberti pins, though.

[Black River Smith]

Abilene,

They now offer a 1 groove pin, like the originals for all Cattleman Uberti's?  Do you know if VTI sells them or do I have to go to Cimarron directly?  Do you by chance have a parts # for it?

Well, too me it is not only the shortening like I did to my Uberti's.  The first notch (safety) that would become the full contact point of the shortened Pietta pin is cut total different than the second notch (shooting position) U shaped one.  To me the right depth and radius has to be adjusted for the cross pin to hold properly.  I would be buying a second/replacement pin in order to save the original but if Uberti offers the totally correct one....well then that would be it.

[Abilene]

The new 3-click Cattleman II models with the telescoping firing pin thingie come with the standard single-position Colt-style base pin, so there are plenty of those in current production.  Taylors, Cimarron, VTI all carry it (IF in stock!).  I've heard some people lately saying they were out.  Or try Dixie as well.

[Black River Smith]

Abilene,

I just got back to the house and just looked at VTI Uberti Cattleman.  The very first listing for a cylinder pin is list as 'Without Safety'.  It is the same price as the pictured 'Safety' double grooved version.

Thanks for responding, I believe I will order one of those, instead of trying to alter the original or a duplicate.

[Coffinmaker]

   BLACK RIVER 

PLUS ONE for Abilene - On all counts.

Dressing the Base Pin amounted to putting a nice tasty bevel on the cut end and then chucking it up in a Cordless Drill motor with some 600 Grit Wet/Dry and polishing the cut end nice and smooth.  I also polished the whole pin in the same manner with 800 Grit then 1000 grit.  I so found the OEM "notches" to be bit shallow so I also started "opening" them up slightly and a mite deeper with a small diamond round file.  That is actually a bunch of work.  SO:

I followed the lead of Abilene and just trashed the OEM Base Pin from Pietta and replace them with Uberti Model P "Non-Safety" single full groove Base Pins.  I am a mite OCD so just had to polish the Uberti Base Pins just 'cause.  I see ABSOLUTELY no reason to "save" the OEM Pietta Base Pin, as they are some useless.

Now, I also found the base Pin Latch Spring to be a mite robust so reduced it slightly.

With the recent manufacture GW II from Pietta, I have found NO need to replace ANY springs.  The principal improvement is the Uberti Base Pin.  They DO absolutely sell out quickly everywhere.  I'd check with Cimarron, Taylors, Dixie and VTI.  DO NOT just look on VTI's web site.  Call 'em.

[Black River Smith]

Coffinmaker,

Thanks for the instructions, comments and suggestions.

BRS