Is it worth fixing?

Kimber Custom · Oct 16, 2011

I've been asked to help a friend of the family with the firearms from her late husband.

I'm just not sure what to do with his Iver Johnson Uberti 1873 Cattleman .357 mag.

I've never seen a bore so caked with lead build up, the front sight has been filed off and the cylinder won't lock up.

I took it apart and found a broken spring causing the lock up issue. Wolf springs has them for a reasonable price but looking at the other internals they are aluminum and worn. Probably looking at $70 in parts.

Does it have any value if it was in working order? Is .357 a desirable cowboy action round? Can I JB weld a front sight back on or does it matter?

Thanks for any input.

madcratebuilder · Oct 17, 2011

I can't think of any internal part in a SAA clone that's aluminum, low grade steel, yes. What do you need, a hand, a bolt, anything else? Those are about the only parts that wear out. DGW sells the parts cheap. Yes, you can jb the front sight. I would prefer to use Rocksett.

Old Hick · Oct 17, 2011

Plus, is you were asked by this friend to fix it, then she must really want it in operating condition to (1) remind her of her late husband, (2) to possibly us for home protection or just a safe queen.... You really never know unless you ask her.

I would fix it for her, try and teach her how to use it Safely if she wanted to shoot it someday.

Just my 2 cents....

Stay Safe.

civilian75 · Oct 17, 2011

I would not mess around with the front sight. That gun was shoot low with the ammo it was fired with, most likely 38spc cowboy action loads.

That's a good thing you are doing KC.

Kimber Custom · Oct 18, 2011

madcratebuilder said:
I can't think of any internal part in a SAA clone that's aluminum, low grade steel, yes. What do you need, a hand, a bolt, anything else? Those are about the only parts that wear out. DGW sells the parts cheap. Yes, you can jb the front sight. I would prefer to use Rocksett.

I assumed it was aluminum based on the weight and wear but both the bolt and hand need replacing as well as the spring kit.

Old Hick said:
Plus, is you were asked by this friend to fix it, then she must really want it in operating condition to (1) remind her of her late husband, (2) to possibly us for home protection or just a safe queen.... You really never know unless you ask her.

I would fix it for her, try and teach her how to use it Safely if she wanted to shoot it someday.

Just my 2 cents....

Stay Safe.

Sorry I wasn't clear; she asked me to sell her husbands firearms for her. What I got was a trunk full of junk. He had a J C Higgins model 28, a Marlin 60 (missing mag tube), a Winchester 77 (missing mag & broken front sight), a Swedish Mauser 6.5 x 55, a Savage 99, an air rifle and the cattleman.

I cleaned up the air rifle and the Savage and they are in the classifieds. The .22's aren't worth fixing but I'm just not sure about the cattleman. Being an Iver Johnson I have a low opinion of it's value and I'm just not sure it's worth the parts/effort to make it shootable.

civilian75 said:
I would not mess around with the front sight. That gun was shoot low with the ammo it was fired with, most likely 38spc cowboy action loads.

That's a good thing you are doing KC.

Thank you