The Surprise Iver Johnson Cattleman

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Sarge
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The Surprise Iver Johnson Cattleman

Post by Sarge »

A few weeks ago, I ordered what was advertised as an “Uberti 45 Colt”. Photos indicated it was a clean, large frame single action revolver of the mid-1970s, with an 1860 grip frame and 7 ½ inch barrel.

When I got it in my hands, it was a 44 Magnum. I nearly sent it back on general principles, but I’m glad I didn’t. It’s an Iver Johnson Cattleman 44 Mag, circa 1975.

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I found some ammo locally, PMC 180 JHP and WInchester 240 JSP. Both are full Magnum loads and you can tell when that 240 goes off. This sixgun weighs less than a 4 5/8" Ruger Vaquero. Good news is that it works great, windage is perfect and elevation will be fine with 180 grain loads. I herded 5 of the hot 240 grain Winchesters into 3" at 25 yards, shooting offhand. Trigger is 3# and crisp.

My only complaint with the Cattleman was that it shot about 20” high at 50 yards with full snort 240 grain 44 Magnum loads. You all know I can’t abide a gun that don’t shoot to the sights, so I hit a sight correction calculator to see how much I needed to add to the front sight. Then I sawed and filed a brass extension and sweat soldered it into place. I used an ancient Bernzomatic, which I’d opened the air feed on a bit, to work with MAPP gas. Both parts were fluxed, tinned and filed lightly so the parts mated and extension would stay put under its own weight. The solder flowed well and the joint was rock solid.

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Rough shaped, the sight resembles a can opener. But you do get a nice gold bar that’s easy to see against fur at the last shooting light.

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Shooting standing unsupported at 50 yards and holding well up into a 7” picnic bowl, the new sight printed right along the bottom edge of it. Ammo was Winchester’s 240 grain JSP at a shade over 1400 fps.

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I worked the front sight down a few thousandths at a time, until I got perfect 50 yard regulation with 240 grain magnums. My vision and hold seemed good, so I decided to make a concerted effort at my 100 yard plate. I used Winchester 240 grain soft point and started holding on the top third of the plate. I could tell I was hitting but couldn't call the hits from that distance. I thought I was hitting high, so I held a little lower and dropped the shot right above the revolver in the photo. That one to the right, I just tossed.

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For an old 44 with oddball 0.434” throats, it shoots pretty good. The sight mod made it easy to hit with and an icicle-crisp trigger that settled in at 2 ¾ pounds don’t hurt. This is seriously my favorite single action revolver in the last 30 years.
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Re: The Surprise Iver Johnson Cattleman

Post by Ranch Dog »

Awesome work!
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Re: The Surprise Iver Johnson Cattleman

Post by Archer »

I like .44 Mag but I don't know as I want to be shooting full house 240 grain loads out of a light weight single action revolver much.

Good looking gun. Since it is fixed sights that would make it the 'magnum' model as opposed to the 'buckhorn'. Seems Iver imported them from Uberti and most were marked both Iver and Uberti. (I had to look it up in the blue book and do a net search.)

Does the gun have a replaceable firing pin bushing/recoil plate or is it one of the earlier ones?


https://thefiringline.com/forums/showth ... p?t=544516

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?t ... um.846984/
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Re: The Surprise Iver Johnson Cattleman

Post by Sarge »

If they are silly enough to stamp 44 Magnum on the barrel, it's been proofed and I'm shooting 44 Magnums in it.At least enough for load development, zeroing and staying sharp with the hard kickers. The 240 XTP load covers my hunting needs and meets my POI and accuracy expectations.

My general use load runs on W231 and scoots a 205 grain coated RNFP to 930 fps; roughly 44 WCF ballistics from a peacemaker. That load will be its primary diet.

To my knowledge Uberti has never used a firing pin bushing in their SA revolvers and if used hard or dry fired a lot, the throw up a burr around the firing pin hole. You just stone it flat and keep shooting.
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Re: The Surprise Iver Johnson Cattleman

Post by Archer »

From some of the forums the early ones didn't have a bushing but the same poster indicated they might have added one later.

I've since dug into some youtube vids I watched a year or more ago when I was buying the Ruger SA and it appears Uberti was not installing a recoil plate as late as mide 20-teens. There was a reference to a retracting firing pin on the new Uberti designed to fix that problem. Apparently Pietta added the recoil plate.

I don't blame you wanting to shoot full power .44 out of a gun marked for it. My concern was more from a standpoint of I don't think I like the way the SA recoils with full power .44 Mag loads although I might be wrong. With the .357 it ain't bad at all but there's a world of difference between .357 and .44 Mag IMO. Much more a concern for my hand and wrist than for the gun.

I don't like firing full power .44 Mag out of a Smith with their stupid target grips. I don't mind the same gun with Hogue grips and the same ammo. NO problems at all since the grips fit my hand much better and don't slam into the web of my hand or the front of my middle finger knuckle.

I tend to load mostly warm .44 Mag loads but I do put out some milder loads around the same level as your Win 231 loads using Unique.
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Re: The Surprise Iver Johnson Cattleman

Post by Sarge »

Here's what I figured out Archer, regarding the Cattleman Magnum's 1860 grip.

For light loads, you can take a full grip on the handle.

For 44 Mag loads, use the typical SA grip where you tuck your little finger under the butt, This gets your middle finger knuckle under the trigger guard which will knock hell out of it otherwise.

This works for me with the 1860 grip and modern loads. I have discarded my shooting glove and can now burn 50 or more full mag 240's with no discomfort.
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Re: The Surprise Iver Johnson Cattleman

Post by Archer »

Good to know.
I know I absolutely HATED the Smith factory grips on my 29-2. It is a completely different handling gun with the Hogue Monogrip on it. It was my third .44 Mag revolver and the other two were well behaved by comparison.

I was sort of surprised I didn't hate the new Ruger Vaquero grip. I may have been shooting it in a similar manner with the pinky tucked under but the recoil of the .38 or .357 with that gun is simply not that bad to start with.
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