New Army Remington problem

[BP Newb]

I hope I'm allowed to post this problem here, but I need help with my Pietta 1858 Buffalo Model Remington. I bought it earlier this year and have put about 125 shots through it with no problems. A few days ago I dissassembled it completely for the first time for cleaning and I'm pretty sure I did everything right, but something in the action is now out of time. Every few times I **** the hammer, particularly when I do it slowly, the catch in the bottom of the frame won't click into the groove in the cylinder right away. If I pull back again farther or harder it will snap into place, but obviously this is an annoying problem I would like to know how to solve since I would like to be able to clean out the mechanism fairly frequently. Any help would be appreciated. :confused:

[Mr. Dee]

dear bpnewb,
I know just the problem you are experiencing.
Unfortunately, it seems to be an ongoing problem with the timing on the pietta 1858. I have a friend with the exact same frame but only the shorter 8" version (stock army issue). The hammer MUST be DELIBERATELY pulled back sharply on the remington models made by pietta. My experience has been to change out the hand and spring assembly , and it seems to work better after the change over with uberti replacement parts.
Not that I have recommended cross-breeding guns , but, It also took care of my personal colt 1851 navy pietta. It hasn't failed me yet.

[BP Newb]

Thanks Mr. Dee,
It seems that deliberately pulling back the hammer helps, and I'll look into those new parts. I had another question that you or anyone else can answer: Is a replica Remington like my buffalo model enough gun to take down deer-sized game at close ranges? How much black powder can it safely handle and is it enough to ethically kill a deer? I've been using a flask which throws 26 grains of FFFG but I've heard of people using more. Any help on this subject would also be appreciated.