Misfire Problem in Uberti Russian

[Bead Swinger]

At a recent shoot, I had three rounds that misfired - complete with (sometimes multple) hammer indentations on the primers, but no discharge.
After the stage, I took the same rounds and fired them with no problems out of my Uberti Open Top.

Folks at the shoot were trying to say that the issue was BP fouling (these were all BP loads), but my impression was that BP fouling issues were primarily cycling problems, not hammer impact.

Is there something in particular I should look for?

Thoughts welcome.

[Irish Dave]

Hmmmmm.

Some first thoughts:

1) How deep are the hammer strikes? Are they centered?
2) Have you lightened your mainspring?
3) Is it possible the primers were not fully seated?
4) If you're getting hits on the primer, it's probably not the hammer block safety, tho' they have been the scourge of some other Uberti breaktops (my Laramie included).
5) Can't imagine fouling would affect this or at least if it did, seems to me it'd have to be a horrendous amount. If anything, that much fouling should show up first as cycling problems. And an excess of fouling at the front of the cylinder should tend to force the cylinder back toward the hammer, not away from it.

[Long Johns Wolf]

Had no more misfires after I removed the lawyer safety from my Uberti Russian.
Long Johns Wolf

[Bead Swinger]

I'm working from memory, but my recollection is that the strikes are off-center, and that they're not as deep as the OT.
The cases are currently out at the cleaners, so I don't have the examples handy.

Long Johns - Does this sound similar to the problem you had before modifying your Russian?

Maybe I'd better read up on this "Lawyer's Safety" thing.

[Irish Dave]

The safety issue is a ticklish one. No one wants to be unsafe, but the hammer block that Uberti is using, well, ...doesn't work.

Or maybe I should say it works too well.
I had no problems with it on my Russian, but I have since removed it anyway.
However, the new Laramie I recently purchased would not fire at all. The safety would not function as intended and prevented the pin from reaching the primers every time -- even with the trigger fully back. I removed the hammer block safety and the problem, of course, disappeared.

I know others have had similar woes with their Uberti breaktops and the remedy for many of them was basically the same as mine -- remove the hammer block.

Not suggesting this is your specific problem or that you should remove your safety, but it's worth looking at as a possible culprit.

[Long Johns Wolf]

Bead Swinger: don't recall if the indentions on the primers were off center. But they were not deep (enough) as one would expect.
As Irish Dave explains it is your decision. Original Schofields and Russians did not have such a safety device.
There are a couple of posts here in the BOSS forum addressing this subject relating to Schofields and Russians, and describing the "how to".
After that operation on my Russian I could even loosen the little adjusting screw of the mainspring, i. e. take tension off the mainspring.
Long Johns Wolf

[L.G.]

Another thing to check is the hinge screw, if it's loose, that can cause misfires.