1860 Timing Adjustment

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

gunboat57

Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2006
Messages
207
Location
western Pa.
I just tried out my new Pietta 1860 Army and I really like it. At 25 yards from a rest 6 shots tear out a ragged hole about the size of a silver dollar.

After about 18 shots I noticed that the cylinder stop notches were starting to get peened on the side where the ramp is because the cylinder stop is being released when its almost lined up with the notch. So it hits on the edge of the notch pretty hard. And because the cylinder stop is such a close fit in the notches that little bit of peening is keeping the cylinder stop from engaging the notches as deeply as it should.

I guess my question is, how can I adjust when the cylinder stop is released so that it rises sooner and hits fully on the ramp of the notch or even a little before? I'm thinking that as long as it is released after the hammer passes half cock then it will still function properly. Do I trim the legs of the cylinder stop?
 
Don't!! If you trim the end of the bolt it will likely release sooner. What's really causing your trouble is a too-strong trigger and bolt spring. You can trim the legs of the spring you have, but the easy way is to order a replacement made out of music wire. While they are made for 1873 Single Action Army's they work fine in the 1851 / 1861 / 1860 series of cap & ball revolvers.

They are available from various sources, but I suggest Brownells at www.brownells.com

Their part number 394-630-000
 
Thanks O F for the Brownells part number. I'll have to order one or two. For the time being I bent the bolt spring a bit to reduce the force when the bolt is up. I cleaned up the notches with a jewellers file and all seems to work OK.

One kinda weird thing about this revolver is that you can't lower the hammer without the cylinder being in place. The hand catches on the edge of its "window" in the standing breach unless the cylinder ratchet pushes it back in. Must be some burrs that need a little polishing.
 
music wire springs

I just installed these in my two 1860's - be advised that you do need to bend the tip of the trigger leg to reach the trigger notch - they are a little short. But it works fine and does fix the problem.
 
The lighter spring will reduce the force of the bolt so it will not peen the cylinder, but that is not really the solution. The bolt itself needs some adjustment so it releases sooner from the hammer cam. It is a fine adjustment and not many gunsmiths can tune those guns properly.

Just FWIW, my opinion of Pietta is not very high. I have, at various times, had the opportunity to examine probably thirty or forty of their guns of various types, and never found one that was "right". The problems were usually like this one, minor to me since I could easily fix them. But to someone without experience they could be at best annoying and at worst dangerous.

Jim
 
Jim, that's what I thought of trying to adjust. If the split end of the bolt is shortened just a little bit at a time, reassembled, checked, shortened a bit more, etc, eventually the bolt will slip off the cam on the hammer when I want it to. It seems like it should be timed so the bolt snaps up fully in the ramp part of the notch, not halfway into the notch itself.
 
attachment.php


You might find information in Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West either by goodle or Amazon.com.

Fitting a spare (oversized) hand/spring assembly to my ubertis, I find that the job is about done when the cylinder will fully carry up and lock with the cylinder in place. I'm kind of seeing the opposit of what you are in that an slightly overlong hand will seem to work just fine until I put the cylinder in and then it stops short of full engagement. Don't know, but it sounds like maybe your hand might seat a bit better after the revolver's been used a little.
 
Last edited:
There hasn't been a whole lot been done on the cap & ball revolvers, but I would recommend:

Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West, by David R. Chicoine

The Colt Single Action Revolvers - A Shop Manual, Vol. 1 & 2, by Jerry Kuhnhausen.

While both of them are more focused on the Colt Single Action Army, the earlier cap & ball and cartridge conversion revolvers had similar lockwork, and the information contained in these book will translate to the cap lock six-shooters.
 
Thanks for the shared wisdom all. Thanks for the pm mec. The pictures are very helpfull. I think I'll do a little trimming to make the bolt snap up sooner. Worst thing that could happen is I'll need to replace the bolt.
 
The Single Action Army has basically the same lockwork as the older Colts except for the double pawl hand on the SAA. If you can work on one, you can work on them all.

Note that if you are working on, say, the bolt, you don't keep dis- and re-assembling the gun. You can test everything with just the frame and hammer. You don't even need to put the trigger/bolt spring in place; you can check the timing using your finger to exert pressure on the bolt. Saves a lot of time. When you think it is about where you want it, use Dykem blue to check where the bolt is falling. Incidentally, break the corners on the bolt; don't remove a lot of metal, just enough to take off any sharp edges that will gouge the cylinder.

As to the spring, you can use one of the wire springs, or feather the original spring. Done right, that will reduce the tension without replacing the spring and will reduce or eliminate breakage at no cost except a little time with the Dremel tool.

Ideally, those guns are timed so the hammer hits the backstrap just as the bolt locks up; that takes the strain off the hand and bolt. But no one times them that way any more.

Jim
 
I do, too, but I don't count, not being in the business any more.

Jim
 
Hey, You both count! (except to any teen-agers you may have) You've forgotten more than a lot of people will ever know about this stuff and it's always good to get your input.

Steve
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

1KPerDay
  • Locked
Pietta colts bolt stop notches getting peened
Replies
11
Views
3K
1KPerDay
1KPerDay
T
  • Locked
Question/Advice Re: Remington NMA Timing
Replies
6
Views
441
SAA
S
Lyle
  • Locked
Timing question
Replies
6
Views
341
Jackrabbit1957
J
T
  • Locked
Re-Working My Pietta 1860 Army
Replies
9
Views
1K
whughett
whughett
T
  • Locked
New 1860 Army (Pietta)
2
Replies
35
Views
2K
Many Deers
M
Back
Top