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It's been a couple of years that I was idle with my BP shooting and recently re-caught the bug and joined this board. As a reply to to my intro post regarding my 1860, Sourdough said that the date code indicated 1995 manufacture. I bought it cheap and used from the Canadiangunutz equipment exchange board, and while the action is in great shape, the bore is kind of rough. I am guessing the original owner was not diligent about cleaning after shooting.


So after a long gap I went to the range yesterday with the 1860 and my Great Plains .50 pistol. As usual the Great plains ran flawlessly, was accurate and gave a very satisfying 40 gr FFFG BOOM! The 1860 was an entirely different story. I had spent caps getting caught and making it difficult to cock and cycle to the next chamber. At one point after I'd guess around 5 or 6 cylinder reloads I was entirely shut down by 2 chambers that refused for fire. Not a misfire, but the caps actually didn't ignite. I replaced the caps and tried again but no luck. As the range was closing soon I decapped the nipple and took it home after drowning the cylinder in water before transport. As it turned out I discovered a smashed-flat cap under the hammer hidden in all black fouling. I'm guessing it was acting like a shim and keeping the hammer from fully seating.

I have researched a couple of sources for tuning clone cap and ball pistols for reliability, both a guide from Larsen E. Pettifogger (I don't recall if I got it from here or The High Road) and videos by Duelist1954 on youtube. Both mention upgrading the nipples, but the each recommend a different brand to use, and both sources are referring specifically to Piettas. So I'm looking for some wisdom on what people would recommend on an older 90's model Uberti. I see that Duelist1954 also recommends filling in the groove in the hammer face with JB weld. I am using a small hoard of #10 Remington caps, but they are now impossible to find locally as Remington goes through receivership. I have found a source of #10 and 11 CCI cap when the Remingtons run out.

I'm guessing the nipples are the original ones. Duelist1954 seemed to favour Slix shot nipples while Pettifogger seemed to advocate Treso nipples. Has anyone got any experience with new nipples on a Uberti?

My other issue is the rather mediocre accuracy, especially compared to the Great Plains pistol. I always assumed the Great Plains was so much more accurate because the powder and ball was already in a long heavy barrel and was not being sent from a cylinder through a forcing cone. But then I am seeing posts and video where people are getting decent groupings from a cap and ball. I am no super marksman, but at 10-15m I can get a pretty tight grouping, particularly if I cheese out and fire from a sand bag rest. Even resting, the 1860 is a bit better, but not great.

I am loading 25 gr GOEX FFFG, with a lubed wonderwad and a .457 ball (it goes in without excessive force and leaves a nice circle of shaved lead, so the fit seems perfect). The Uberti manual calls for 22 gr min, 30 gr max, and I have a 25gr spout.

If I can get the cap reliability sorted out I have been considering investing in a new barrel and ditch the pitted bore I currently have.

Hi all,

New member checking in from New Westminster, a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I learned to shoot from my dad in the 70's. The typical route, pellet rifle, then Ruger 10/22 (a gun smith once commented he'd never seen one with a 5 digit serial number), .30-30, then .30 06. I got to try the serious hardware when I joined the reserves at 18, and then the regular army after high school. I was probably the last Canadian soldier to be issued the FN FAL, and just missed out on trying the C7 rifle (M4 manufactured by Colt Canada).

I went through a long gap of not owning or shooting firearms when I went to university, lived with room mates and was generally was pretty broke. About 15 years ago I caught the shooting bug again, and combined with an interest in 18th and 19th century history I got interested in black powder. I applied for gun license and started researching muzzle loaders. Due to a quirk in Canadian gun laws I discovered that flintlocks, matchlocks and wheel locks (regardless of whether they are reproductions or genuine antiques) have antique status and are technically not considered firearms and require no license. I lost patience waiting for my license and ended up buying a Lyman Great Plains .50 cal flintlock. Since then I bought a Great Plains .50 cal pistol in percussion. A cheap, used and somewhat rough shape Uberti 1860 Army, and am currently awaiting an ordered Pietta 1851 Navy Yank Old Silver .44cal. I know the .44 cal is not historically correct, but I'd prefer to be able to cast one size of round ball.

LOL oh and the security questions to post stumped me at first. I answered "What is the shape of a round ball?" with sphere at first.