Uberti 3rd Model Dragoon?

[burntmypiston]

Just about to purchase my first black powder revolver. I think I've settled on the Uberti 3rd Model Dragoon. Good or bad choice? Tips or tricks? Held one for the first time tonight and boy was it neat!

[burntmypiston]

Also, what's the best powder to minimize corrosion and ease cleanup?

[tucker301]

http://www.americanpioneerpowder.com/

[Will]

Not the best choice for a first cap gun, but then my first was a walker so who am I to critisize? 40 to 50 grains 2 or 3F black powder, a .454 round ball and your inbuisness. I'd stick with 40 grains for normal shooting, less stressfull on the gun.

As for ease of cleaning, black powder! When you get the gun strip it down the every last screw and part, clean it real good, coat with wonder lube and bake at around 300 deg. in an oven. Wipe the excess off and make sure the action is well lubed.

Shoot with wads to help clean the bore or lube over the top of the cylinder. On my walkers I like lube on top of the ball to help keep the fouling soft and bore cleaner. Also I lapped the bore with Isso bore paste and that realy helped with the fouling.

I normaly just break cylinder and barrel off, take grips off and submerge the thre parts in a bath of water and ballistol oil and wipe everything down, run a wool dobber down the chambers, run a bore snake throught the barrel, re lube the cylinder pin and I'm good to go. About once or twice a year I tear the gun completely down and give it a good cleaning. No rust yet. I should also mention that I live in southern Mississippi and it's very humid. I just keep the guns in the house after shooting and they normaly sit for a couple weeks before I clean at all, or at most a bore snake through the barrel and wipe the chambers out and relube the arbor. Unless I get caught out in the rain then they get cleaned soon as I can.

[ 02-22-2006, 12:45 AM: Message edited by: Will ]

[burntmypiston]

Will,
What would be a better choice for a first gun? Is it really a pain keeping these things from rusting or is it just my anal personality causing me stress?

[clayflingythingy]

I would choose an 1858 Remington in 36 or 44 calibre as a first gun. The Colt guns never shoot to point of aim. Thay almost always shoot high. My 1861 Navy Colt shoots 18 inches high at 25 yards! The only way to get such a gun to shoot to POA is to have a gunsmith install a higher front sight. The Remingtons, on the other hand, almost always shoot low which means you can file the front sight down to sight in. The front sight can also be drifted in its dovetail to correct windage.

Blackpowder or Pyrodex work. Both are corrosive. Clean your gun with scalding hot water. Run dry patches down the bore or wipe off the exterior with a dry cloth and goop everything liberally in Thompson/Center bore butter. This is one of those products that actually works. Not only does it keep fouling soft while shooting but it will prevent rust after the hot water treatment. You want the metal dry but still hot enuff to melt the bore butter.

[Will]

Never had much luck with hot water, it caused flash rusting. Best thing I've used is a little Ballistol oil mixed with water. Any moister left in the gun evaporates and leaves a film of oil. Haven't had a problem yet. A lot of times I'll dry the water with a hair dryer, but not always. Just remeber, black powder residue is not much more than sute, mainly charcoal residue. It looks dirty, but easily cleans up. In fact I can go to a clean patch faster with black powder than I can with any smokless powder I 've tried.

It's a matter of choice, but I'm not a fan of the Remingtons, mainly due to there grip shape, they just don't feel rite or point naturaly as the colts to me. Also they foul the cylinder up a lot quiker, are somewhat more difficult to clean(not enought to stop me from shooting one) and most shoot just as high. The colts for the most part were sight in at 75 yards, so aim for his belly button to hit him in the chest.

There's nothing wrong with a third model dragoon, if you like big, powerful and cumbersome(I do and regulary shoot a pair of walkers). I would normaly recomend, in the colt family, an 1860 army 44 or 36 1851 or 61' navy. I stayed away from the navies for a long time because I didn't think much of the small 36 ball, but when I finaly got one I fell in love. Forget the sights, it ballances so perfect that you don't realy need them and it's perfect for instinctive shooting.

The Thrid modle dragoon is the last evolution of the dragoons, so you shouldn't have any mechanicle dificulities, other than being big and cumbersome. If you like big guns go for it. They are a blast.

[mykeal]

Y'all:

Nothing like a Dragoon or Walker to get the impression of what it's like to fire a cannon by hand. But, the first BP gun should definately be one of the smaller frame/caliber guns, with the exact model to be gased on what fits in your hand comfortably. Once you get the feel for loading and shooting it, then by all means get thee to one of the big boys and have, so to speak, a ball.

BTW, I have a Uberti BP Colt 1873 Cattleman SA in 44 cal that I shot for the first time last week. It absolutely shoots low; the groups were consistently 6 - 7 inches low at 7 yards! Will work the front sight later this summer to see what it takes to fix it.