Pietta 1860 Army has a frozen wedge...

[Dr. Peter Venkman]

Pietta 1860 Army has a frozen wedge and problems with disassembly

...and I can't get it out. On the wedge I've noticed that there is a small thing inside of a groove cut into it. Is this some type of spring and if so do I need to depress it while tapping out the wedge? It's an older Pietta from what I was told by the gentleman I bought it from.

 

[mykeal]

The 'thing' inside the groove on the top of the wedge is a leaf spring; it has a lip on the end which can catch on the frame and hinder removal of the wedge. There should be a screw in the frame, the head of which should depress the spring enough for the lip to clear the frame. If that screw is not present, or is not depressing the spring sufficiently, you may need to assist it by pressing down on the spring while tapping the wedge out.

The other function of that screw head is to prevent the wedge from coming completely out of the frame; the head will catch on the lip and the wedge should then hang loose, the nose still within the slot.

I'm assuming that there is no corrosion holding the wedge in place. If that's the case you have a serious problem, as corrosion in that area is unusual and could be very damaging to the barrel assembly and the gun base pin. Once the wedge is removed you'll need to inspect the area very carefully. If you suspect corrosion I highly recommend Kroil penetrant, used according to the directions.

 

[scrat]

i think mykeal said it best. i have never had a problem with them. if i did i placed the gun on firm surface got out the punch. made sure that spring part was hit in. Then wacked it hard. Believe me it came out. Me or the wedge well im still here and vti gunparts sell wedges. So you wont hear me crying about a wedge.

 

[Dr. Peter Venkman]

I've been wacking the thing all day long and it has budged enough so that there is slightly more on the left side of the receiver than the right. There is a LOT of corrosion in there; I've been spraying it with Breakfree CLP and a river of orange would appear. Currently the frame + cylinder is soaking in a tub of Breakfree and Gunscrubber. I'll try again in a few days.

 

[pohill]

Dr. Peter Venkman, do not be insulted by my question, but, are you banging it from right to left? I ask because my first gun was an 1860 .44 and as I remember, not knowing anything about these guns, my first "whack" at it was from left to right. Then I got a Walker and almost whacked the wedge from right to left, but realized in time that it's the opposite on a Walker and Dragoon from the 1860.
OK, I just re-read your post and you said more wedge is showing on the left, so you are doing it correctly, as you know.