• ODT Gun Show & Swap Meet - May 4, 2024! - Click here for info

Opentops....correcting faults on the new Ubertis

Tiny hole drilled.... .078 in dia. This will be to accomodate a Taurus coiled hand spring and plunger. Ruger parts are larger diameter, and for this project, not on hand. Don't drill directly over the grip screw, that just goes forward into the solid left side wall. Measure and find half the thickness of the hand from the side of the hammer.....measure in from the hammer slot in the frame, mark it. Measure half way from the top of the screw hole to the outside left upper grip bolster....mark it.

Center punch and start through the case with a 1/16" drill. Once through I switched to 5/64" drill to finish. Don't free hand the hole. Drill press, clamped and level in two directions is the only way to go. Don't forget to polish out any burrs raised in the hand way.

Finally, reverse the drill in the chuck, and at slow rpm with some non embedding lapping compound, polish out the new hole so the spring won't drag. Clean it out with a swarf of your favorite clean up sauce.

20211130_081945.jpg
 
Carefully remove the flat and somewhat failure prone hand spring. You could just break it off but you'd be a Monkey-Pig instead of a Gunsmith.

If for some odd reason you decide to reconvert, plug the hole and restake the old spring. Or use the spring to repair one for those fellas that don't like any new fangled stuff, like coil springs.

If the back of the hand is rough, smooth it out. This one is nicely finished, no need to do more then get it clean and ready for re-installation.

38.jpg
 
The new/used Taurus 80 hand spring and plunger is installed, way too long but fully assemble the gun and very gently see if it'll come to full cock. If the assembly is too long, it'll bind before the sear slips into the full cock notch. Disassemble and clip a coil at a time until it'll fully cock. If you like, clip another coil after that just to ensure that later dirt won't cause the spring and plunger to bind up.

Alternately, if the spring is short but the plunger long, shorten and round over the nose of the plunger instead.

Once it reliably cocks, cycle the action many times safely pointing it up, down and level when doing so. (snap caps are a good idea here, and don't dry fire without snap caps....or any gun with a nose mounted firing pin for that matter)

45.jpg
 
All the factory forgots and/or niggling deficiencies that can be worked out at home with hand tools are addressed. This is now much more than an occasional range toy. Its fitted for reliability and durability. Time to make a holster and then get out and slay those flimsy cardboard invaders.

39.jpg
40.jpg
41.jpg
42.jpg
43.jpg
44.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom