Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Uberti Question

[/quote]I doubt they do anything extra to the 44 mag as all clambering are the same price. Heat treating can increase hardness a bit, but can not increase strength.
[/quote]

So, you found out they in fact do something different.
As for the heat treating, I'm under the impression heat treating does in fact impact on strength as "hardness" has a lot to do with tensile strength, doesn't it? The whole 1903 Springfield issue with dangerous bolts had to do with tensile strength and hardness.

The Colts that Elmer and Dick Casul turned into magnums (those that didn't turn into grenades) were done so with changes in heat treating, not dimensional changes.

So, it appears the .44 Magnum Uberti is different from the other chamberings? So, it would seem that "copies" of the Colt SAA are no stronger than a Colt SAA, while "renditions" of the Colt SAA, can be made to be stronger. A rendition is not the same as a copy.

I have spent 44 years making a living with steel and the tensile strength is in the material. Heat treating will increase or decrease hardness depending on which way you are trying to take it. Hardness is good in certain applications. The 44 mag Uberrti larger than the other clamberings as I posted above. I did not realize this in my first posts on the subject.

I doubt they do anything extra to the 44 mag as all clambering are the same price. Heat treating can increase hardness a bit, but can not increase strength.
[/quote]

So, you found out they in fact do something different.
As for the heat treating, I'm under the impression heat treating does in fact impact on strength as "hardness" has a lot to do with tensile strength, doesn't it? The whole 1903 Springfield issue with dangerous bolts had to do with tensile strength and hardness.

The Colts that Elmer and Dick Casul turned into magnums (those that didn't turn into grenades) were done so with changes in heat treating, not dimensional changes.

So, it appears the .44 Magnum Uberti is different from the other chamberings? So, it would seem that "copies" of the Colt SAA are no stronger than a Colt SAA, while "renditions" of the Colt SAA, can be made to be stronger. A rendition is not the same as a copy.

[/quote]
i am often wrong, but i think the issue with the 1903 early number springfields was with the reciever, not the bolts.

No, you are absolutely correct.

Dan

the heat treating thing kind of caught my eye. I have brophy's book and others talking about how they did in on the early springfields, and the problems with it, but here's the thing.
I have a early 1903 springfield, made without checking in my records either the first of second month of production, which was actually in 1906. It was rebarreled in 1918 and was in gvt service for a lot of years. I haven't fired it tho, but somebody sure did.
I don't doubt some of those 1903's let go, but suspect it is much overrated.
apologize for the diversion, but it got me to thinking.
As to the uberti unless one wanted to pursue the heavy ruger only loads, and for what reason i don't know, the original loading for the 45colt has worked for how many years?
I made up my mind last week shooting some heavier than normal but certainly not top end loads through a ruger redhawk i am going back to 8grains of unique. Works for me.

A lot of food for thought Ron.

Scott, I have owned all the guns in question. IMO the Uberti is as good as current Colt's. If a man hungers for a Colt, that is all that will do. If you want the same look and feel and a gun that is just as good, Uberti costs a lot less. Only the name is different.

Uberti has made 44 Mag. versions for many years. I've owned a couple. They are indeed larger than the regular Cattleman SAA knock-offs.

The Iver Johnson is an old gun, probably discontinued in the 80's. It is a very light-framed 44 Mag.

The Uberti Cattleman SAA knock off is not going to be as strong as a Ruger Vaquero. They are every bit as strong, if not stronger, than a New Vaquero. If a man wants authenticity and doesn't want to pay for the Colt name, Uberti is the way to go. You will not be able to load it as hot as a Vaquero, but you can load it in the same range as a New Vaquero. I'd rather have one than a Ruger.

About 2000 or so, I had a 3rd Gen Colt in .45 Colt that shot very well, but had some finishing issues that troubled me a bit, namely an unsightly gap between the frame and the ejector rod housing. Also, the metal to metal fit on the grip frame to receiver wasn't as nice as it could have been. I recall paying about $400 for the gun and didn't mind because it was a "genwine" Colt.

Then, I walked into a gunshot and found this baby. It was .44 Special and it too was in the $400 dollar price range. Bought it. The darn thing shoots wonderfully, though I haven't yet regulated the sights so that it hits where they point. They shoot a little low and left, and I'll get around to it someday.



What I noticed most, what that the Italian guns are finished more like the 1st and 2nd Gen Colts, with refinements the 3rd Gen Colts did away with.

I liked the Cimarron (Uberti parts) so much, I doubled my money on the sale of the Colt.

My favorite load is a 240 grain cast bullet at 900fps.

http://www.engineersedge.com/material_science/heat_treatment.htm

This article tends to disagree with you, but the author undoubtedly has fewer years in the business.

I don't know what Elmer did, but I am pretty sure Dick Casull didn't heat treat the frames of the Colts he converted. The first line of defense is still the cylinder, so when he affixed an oversized five-shot cylinder to a SAA, the strength is markedly improved upon just because of the cylinder. However, let me confirm with Dick.

I went by what Jack Huntington told me, since he works on them I figured he knew. He is an extremely accomplished gunsmith/ maker.

again, i ain't preaching to the choir, as i know little of anything about this stuff. But something else i just thought of.
On some garand rifles the butt of the reciever was dipped I think in moulden lead to give it a heat treatment. They are distinctive that have this treatment from the colors.
I think it was done to increase the strength of the reciever.
And i just got to thinkin. I wonder if anybody ever dipped the mouth of a casing in hot lead to anneal it? Wonder if it would work or just stick to the casing? My oddball thought for the day.

You're probably right. It's been 40 years since I read the old G&A articles.

Lead was just a medium for tempering after hardening.