I doubt it was shipped that way. The method of polishing the gun would be to polish the 2 surfaces together to get the seamless fit we all like. More then likely something is bent or twisted a bit. The screw holes may enough play to allow the poor fit you are seeing. If it were mine I would pull it apart and check for what is bent and then try to straighten it out.

 

First photo looks like another issue on the right side. You should not be able to catch a fingernail on any of the mating surfaces.

 

That right side "ear" is above the frame enough to bother me, at least. Does the butt of the grips align perfectly with the buttstrap, or is there an indication of a bent backstrap? When you remove the grips, and then back out the butt screw, does the backstrap appear sprung (bent)? Then remove the backstrap entirely. Lay a steel straight edge along the backstrap surfaces that are supposed to contact the upper grips. These should be a straight mill cut. If bent there, this may explain the alignment problem (coupled with an under-sized screw(s)).

 

There might also be a problem with the loading gate. It appears to have a poor fit, maybe the lighting. For sure that Colt did not leave the factory like that.

 

Try loosening the backstrap screws a bit and see if the backstrap can be shifted into position, then retighten.

Best regards,

 

Works for me.

 

If you look closely at where the top, front corner of the grip panels meet the frame you can see they are not flush. It was probably dropped and bent the straps. Agree with the other comments.

 

If you look closely at where the top, front corner of the grip panels meet the frame you can see they are not flush. It was probably dropped and bent the straps. Agree with the other comments.

View attachment 689533

In your enlarged picture, that right "ear" of backstrap also looks like it is twisted counterclockwise (with gun pointed downrange). The picture was taken at a slight angle, so the upper frame "ear" is raised above the backstrap "ear".

 

In looking at the pictures, I wonder if the screw on the right side is correct. Sometimes the screw head slot will get messed up and the owner will use another screw that might have the wrong thread. They will force it in at an angle resulting in situation like I see on the OP's gun.
Pull that screw out and check it over closely.

 

Interestingly enough, the right side screw is captured in the grip frame 'ear' - it will not screw out of the ear, and I'm not inclined to force it for fear of stripping the threads on either the screw or the ear. This seems to play a role in the issue - I believe I'm going to send the gun off to Jim Martin for a looksee.

 

Yes, be cautious. Just for info, there are no threads in the ears, just in the frame.

 

Maybe a bit of a hijack but I have a Cattleman that hadn't been handled in over a year. I shot it in a match with black powder loads and decided to take it completely apart for good cleaning. One strap screw slot just camed out. (Yes, I used a proper gunsmith screwdriver.) Uberti screws ar soft, as we all know. I used every trick but couldn't get the screw out. Eventually I drilled through the head so I could remove the backstrap. I used penetrating oil on it and tried to cut a slot on the end remaining stuck out. That just ripped right off. I then drilled and used an easy-out. It broke off leaving a bigger problem as the easy out was hard. I used a Dremel tool with diamond crusted bit to grind out the broken easy-out. I opened the hole up with the proper root size bit. Then finally used a tap to chase the threads. It turned out ok. But was a long process and could have been bad.

As a result of the above experience, I have taken to not just testing screws for tightness but break them loose a half turn before snugging them back up.

 

Thanks to everyone who responded - your insight is appreciated and valued. The gun is in very good condition, and I'm hopeful that Jim will be able to correct this situation.

 

Have you tried removing the triggerguard, the mainsrping, the other two backstrp screws, and the hammer? Sometimes with everything else removed you might be abe to GENTLY twist the backstrap counterclockwise a bit which might loosen the screw enough to remove.

Bests regards,

 

As previously stated, send to Jim Martin and let him work his magic on it. It either has, or had in the past, timing issues - I see battering on the cylinder from early bolt drop. The gun has probably been dropped in the past, and a once-over by a master in the business will yield you a gun that functions properly and looks good.

 

Just an update: I was able to work the stuck screw out of the grip frame - it has a burr on it and that was holding it in. Now that the screw is out, and I level the 'ears' on the frame, it is very obvious that the grip frame is bent. It's out about 1/16" where the bottom meets the trigger guard. Thanks for all that responded to my question!