1860 Army bolt lock trouble

The left bolt arm is broken.

Mike

What Mike said, or hand too long or something is stuck, either way it's gotta come apart.

RWMC said:

Thank you very much. I will take it apart (again) and check it out.

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Might want to get used to that "Again" part. Just part of the mystique of black powder pistols.

Check that hammer carefully. Sounds to me that it could be the cam improperly engaging the bolt leg. Mayhaps the bolt itself.

You probably already know this, but this video was very helpful to me to understand the interrelationship between the parts.

@Johnm1
I kind of feel like these types of videos should be in a pinned thread.

I still no idea how to time a bolt.

gobsauce said:

@Johnm1
I kind of feel like these types of videos should be in a pinned thread.

I still no idea how to time a bolt.

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I wish I could take credit for the video, it was well done. But all I can lay claim to is finding it and somebody else may have directed me to it. I really don't remember.

As far as timing a bolt goes, it isn't necessarily intuitive. I've started a written description that needs some work. I'll post it here when I'm done and let the people who really know critique it so we can end up with the actual 'how to time a bolt'.

gobsauce said:

@Johnm1


I still no idea how to time a bolt.

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Actually, you are not "timing the bolt", you are setting up the interface between the bolt leg and the hammer cam. More than once I have fixed a horribly out of time revolver simply by installing a new bolt and hammer assembly at fairly reasonable cost.

Captain*kirk said:

Actually, you are not "timing the bolt", you are setting up the interface between the bolt leg and the hammer cam. More than once I have fixed a horribly out of time revolver simply by installing a new bolt and hammer assembly at fairly reasonable cost.

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If your cam isn't damaged, there's no point in changing the hammer. It's all about the angles on the right bolt leg. I actually have a 'smithing manual that explains it, but I'm still an unthawed caveman.

@Jackrabbit1957 or @45 Dragoon could tell you more I think.

@Johnm1 I still think it'd be good to have a pinned thread with videos like that. Maybe to even include schematics of the more popular arms, like the 1851/60 and the 1858 to name a few.

gobsauce said:

If your cam isn't damaged, there's no point in changing the hammer. It's all about the angles on the right bolt leg. I actually have a 'smithing manual that explains it, but I'm still an unthawed caveman.

@Jackrabbit1957 or @45 Dragoon could tell you more I think.

@Johnm1 I still think it'd be good to have a pinned thread with videos like that. Maybe to even include schematics of the more popular arms, like the 1851/60 and the 1858 to name a few.

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Kuhnhausen explains it pretty well in his shop manual for the Colt SA...

Ditto on what Woodnbow says, Kuhnhausen covers it very well. The only time I would replace a hammer is if the cam is worn way out or the hammer is badly damaged.

Nope, left arm. The right arm just aids in position and supports spring tension. (It is against the frame)

Jackrabbit, we need to talk about "homemade cams" lol!! (It's easy and faster than waiting on a part).

The bolt arm (left one) has 3 surface areas for adjustment. Top most horizontal and rear most vertical create the corner for drop. The top horizontal surface also gets a "reset angle" which allows the cam to push the arm over for reset as the hammer drops. Rear most vertical also determines depth of bolt dissention ( during cycling) into frame before drop. The crescent cut for cam reset and clearance for the cam. That's , in a nutshell, the layout for setting up the bolt. Pretty simple!! Lol The bolt head gets some special treatment too!!

Mike

I have a cam in my "parts box". They used to be a separate piece.

gobsauce said:

If your cam isn't damaged, there's no point in changing the hammer. It's all about the angles on the right bolt leg.

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This is true. However, for most of us cave men it's hard to detect visually how much wear is
actually on the cam, while the bolt usually shows it's wear fairly obviously.

RWMC
What fave you found wrong?

gobsauce said:

If your cam isn't damaged, there's no point in changing the hammer. It's all about the angles on the right bolt leg. I actually have a 'smithing manual that explains it, but I'm still an unthawed caveman.

@Jackrabbit1957 or @45 Dragoon could tell you more I think.

@Johnm1 I still think it'd be good to have a pinned thread with videos like that. Maybe to even include schematics of the more popular arms, like the 1851/60 and the 1858 to name a few.

Click to expand...

gobsauce, You got me laughing this morning. Thank you. I like what you said "but I'm still an unthawed caveman."