Still Another New Shooter Thread

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I have no experience with any other BP revolver, so I can't compare and contrast very well, but it seems pretty well made. Finish decent, action lockup is good, trigger not bad (a little creep). Grips look nice and are fitted better than examples I've seen on YouTube videos. One of the frame screws has backed out a couple of times, and the loading lever catch pin tries to come out; it looks like a little nail they peened into place, and not very well at that. So, other than those minor things and my recent misadventure with overloading (not the gun's fault!), I'd say this is a pretty decent piece.
 
Finally getting around to an update. I have received and installed a new barrel wedge. Bad news/good news: the wedge goes all the way in, but the barrel assembly has no play. I have measured barrel/cylinder gap with a feeler gauge. .008" goes, just; .009" will not. Whaddaya think? OK enough to shoot?

WilTx, tentative in Texas ....

Addendum to the update -- I *now* have a powder flask spout that throws the correct charge; at least it matches the adjustable measure that came with the kit I bought. When set to 20 grains, the adjustable throws 13.6gr of Pyrodex, and now so does the spout. I had to Dremel off at least 3/8".
 
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Not supposed to be any play, barrel to cylinder gap is a bit wide but you can shoot it, powder fouling may happen a little sooner but should still be managed ok. The arbor is seated if you can't close the barrel to cylinder gap by tapping the wedge in further. This is what you're looking for, you can always take a small amount at a time from the end of the arbor to get the gap closed.
 
Thanks, Jackrabbit. Just to be clear, the wedge can't go any further in -- it's up against the "stop" screw. (Well, I suppose it could go further in if I REMOVE the screw.) I guess I should find a thin shim of some kind to definitely test the arbor as well.
 
With the shim, if you can find something, if the gap stays the same the arbor is bottomed in the barrel assembly which is what you want. I have seen as much as .030 gap and pistol was still shooting, but powder residue went everywhere. Also the cylinder kinda beats the frame with a huge gap like that. I think a lot of folks don't think the arbor fitting is a big deal but it does need to be right, especially on Walkers and the Dragoons shooting heavy loads. Frame stretch becomes a problem. Ask me how I know.
 
The wedge should not be adjusting your barrel cylinder gap if the arbor is the correct length which I would bet it is on a new Pietta. In other words the wedge should be holding the arbor bottomed out in the barrel so everything is snug and the same every time. Otherwise it changes your gap and also point of impact.
 
I contacted EMF to ask about my bottomed out wedge problem. They have oversize wedges available, it turns out, but not on the website that I could find. I also talked to their gunsmith, who reckons that a .008" barrel/cylinder gap is usable. My oversized wedge due to arrive today. Will be awhile before I get to test it, though, thanks to weather and SARS-COV-2. :(
 
Got the oversized wedge. It goes in such that the curved end just protrudes from the right side, and requires several mallet taps to get there. I'd say that's about perfect! :)
 
WilTx said:
the adjustable throws 13.6gr of Pyrodex, and now so does the spout. I had to Dremel off at least 3/8".
Click to expand...

A word of warning to the noob- Pyrodex has hard, abrasive fouling and is far more corrosive than real black powder. If you must shoot Pyrodex, plan on cleaning your gun at least two or three times to be certain all of the acids have been removed. In nearly every case of a ruined bore I've seen through the years, a steady diet of Pyrodex was the propellant of choice by the owner. Not saying you can't use it, but there are better options and if you must use it, clean and clean again.
 
Advice well taken. Pyrodex was all I had until recently - I managed to snag some a few weeks ago, but have not yet had an opportunity to use it.
 
WilTx said:
I ended up going with Track of the Wolf nipples, and therein lies a tale --

I went shootin' yesterday, only the 2nd time I have shot the Navy. I had the Track of the Wolf SS nipples installed, and I had procured both the recommended (by TotW) CCI #11 caps and some Remington #10s. In addition, I had purchased a 20 grain powder flask spout from TotW. 20 grains is the load I used during my first session.

My first concern was that I couldn't get the CCI caps onto the new nipples. There just wasn't quite enough clearance to let them turn that final corner. The Remingtons, due to their different construction, would go on to the nipples. So I used those. I measured the stock nipples and compared with TotW's listings and the PIR-LS ones looked closest, but maybe I should have got the PIR-S, which are .020" shorter. :oops:

The next concern was that the level of powder in the chamber looked higher than I remembered from the first session. I poured out the first load and refilled it. It looked the same, so I shrugged and proceeded (Churchill said that "Man sometimes stumbles across the truth, but usually gets up and continues on"). Newbie, right? Hmmm, recoil seems sharper than before. Must be OK, spout clearly says 20 grains. Shots were printing lower on the target, but I had filed the hammer slightly to correct for the high shots I was seeing before, so I congratulated myself on a successful modification. I fire about 25 rounds.

Later, found that the barrel wedge wouldn't come out. I struggled with it; eventually I had to get a small diameter steel rod and hammer it out. Then the barrel resisted coming off the arbor. The idea finally started to dawn that I was shooting a much heavier load. I weighed what the adjustable measure was throwing when set to 20 grains with the new spout. The "20 grain" spout was throwing 1/3 more powder, about 27 grains.

I hope I haven't damaged the revolver. Actually, pretty sure some metal movement occurred, just hope it wasn't too much. What do y'all think?

WIlTx, learning the hard way for 67 years ...
Click to expand...

Welcome to the addiction. Tip if you're not doing it already, wipe a dab of bore butter or other black powder lube on the arbor (aka cylinder pin) before shooting. I find with lube on my Colt arbors, I can shoot all week before needing to clean.

Re the powder charge, you aint going to hurt that steel frame gun with a 27gr of Pyrodex.
You can fill the chamber to the rim, cram a ball on top (ball will deform), and shoot all day / week long. Best accuracy however, is usually obtained with lighter powder charges.

Re the wedge and difficulty removing. Use a mallet and tap it in and out. I wouldn't even waste my time with replacement wedges. Just shoot and enjoy the gun as is.

Down the line send the gun off to TheOutlawKid or 45 Dragoon / Goons Gun Works and have them give the gun their treatment.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ths-repair-tuning-and-conversion-work.870077/
You should own a couple more C&B revolvers by then...

Video on my Pietta 1851 36 Cal Navy after it came back from TheOutlawKid:
 
I appreciate your comments, drobs. I feel more confident that the pistol itself is still serviceable. Perhaps I had a bad barrel wedge from the get-go. It was initially very hard to get out of the gun, and after my session of "magnum" charges was near impossible to remove and install. I had to hammer it out with a steel rod. Mallet taps had about the same effect as a baleful stare. It was obviously (visually!) deformed after that. I made it even worse by trying to carefully file it a bit. As previously mentioned, the first replacement wedge fit OK but only when tapped in all the way up to the screw. And yes, at some point down the line I would like to add a .44 cal Remington 1858 to the stable.
 
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