Belt Mountain base pins

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RealGun

RealGun

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Got my two magnum single actions back with Belt Mountain base pins. The Ruger Single Seven (327 Fed Mag) was jolting its base pin loose, as was my Sauer 44 Magnum Montana Marshall. Glad that problem has been dealt with but at about $100 each for parts and professional installation, a heavy investment for what these guns cost, I can't help thinking the manufacturers, Ruger at this point, should be expected to deal with this issue
 
Many people like to accessorize their guns in some way. The Belt Mt pins may be a real help in the heavier calibers, but Ive only had one Ruger 44 mag that jumped the base pin catch. The local gunsmith deepened the engagement of the pin catch and it stopped acting up. A stronger spring may also take care of such issues.

The tighter fit of the Belt Mt pins to the cylinder may also help some accuracy wise, but having never owned one I cant say if there was an improvement from installing one. Id suspect its individual for each gun.

I don't care for the looks of the factory base pins, so turn them down shorter and with more grooves and remove the huge flange in a drill press or lathe. That takes care of my need to change that part.
 
Its a little late now, and they certainly aren't going to reimburse for custom work. Matter of fact, most that have sent guns to the factory say that any no-factory parts are removed and replaced with factory standard parts, so the $100 each spent on the belt mt pins would be money thrown out the window.
 
I would never send a Single Seven back again, because they would decline to fix it, and I don't need another model in trade. I already asked that they return this gun as-is, and they did so. I bought a chamber reamer and fixed the cylinder on my own. That was another $100. I love this gun though, so you know how it goes.
 
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RealGun: What was your cylinder issue?

I returned my 5.5" Single 7 to Ruger for, among other things, cratered primer strikes on one chamber. It was obviously not reamed correctly.

Whatever they did was subtle. One chamber still makes the deepest primer strikes, but it seems better. Ruger either touched up the chamber to minimum depth specs, or I am just deluding myself. So far, no issues with pierced primers, which would be really hairy with this high-pressure round.

As you said, I love the gun.
 
Belt Mountain base pins do not cost $100, more like $25 plus shipping. I have several as I like the locking feature...and they look nice!
 
Howdy

I have installed Belt Mountain pins in 3 Colts, one Uberti, and at least 3 Vaqueros, have kind of lost count at this point.

One 1st Gen Colt had a home made pin that needed replacing. I replaced the 'two notch' pin on the Uberti with a Belt Mountain pin. I replaced the pin on a Vaquero with the #5 style pin because I liked the way it looked. Replaced the pins on a couple of 2nd Gen Colts because they fit better.

I DO NOT like the pins with the locking feature. You have to keep the teeny-tiny allen wrench handy if you want to remove the pin in the field. For that reason I prefer the pins without the locking feature.

Dunno why anybody would need a smith to install a Belt Mountain pin, I have always done it myself.

Contrary to popular belief, a stronger latch spring will not always cure a pin that wants to jump forward. Sometimes the pin just does not fit the latch properly, and a stronger pin is a band aid approach to fixing the symptoms. Sometimes a little bit of filing needs to be done to the pin to make it fit the latch properly, even with a Belt Mountain pin.
 
A lot of guys are not able to install ANY parts in a firearm and some have no business even attempting it. Even with something as seemingly simple as a base pin sometimes fine fitting is required. I have a Ruger Bisley in .41 Rem. and when I acquired it the base pin would come loose pretty regularly. The Belt Mountain pin solved that problem but it did require turning the pin down a few thousandths. The best base pin design I have seen is the one on the Grover No. 5 SA revolver that Elmer Keith designed. Google it. That base pin isn't going anywhere and requires no tools to take down.
 
The oversized pins do require someone who knows what they're doing to install them.

I've had them installed in a few guns and installed several more myself. They're a nice upgrade. I like them because they're much easier to grasp than the factory pins. I have, however, never had a factory pin come loose upon firing.
 
I have had several guns that had the pin jump the latch. In both cases I looked at the base pin latch and saw it had been peened down from impact with the base pin.

Now I keep several replacement parts on hand for just such events. Simple and quick repair. I do have a couple of Belt Mountain locking base pins on some of my .44 Magnum Rugers.

Bob Wright
 
Howdy Again

I had a chat with the owner of Belt Mountain a number of years ago when I was ordering a couple of pins for my 2nd Gen Colts. I really don't remember the specifics, although I do remember he had a variety of diameters for me to choose from at the time.

I just got out my micrometer and miked the two pins. One is .2513, the other is .2497. Those are the numbers I get. Checking the website, I see the two standard diameters he stocks are .2495 and .2515. So those are obviously the two diameters he sent me for my Colts.

It appears that .253 diameter is also available. So perhaps some fitting of the frame would be necessary with the .253 diameter pins, but I did not have to mess with the cylinder pin hole in my Colts at all. I did have to file the little recess in the pin on the larger pin a tiny bit to make it fit the latch in the gun a bit better. Other than that, they dropped right in.
 
Like I said, there are pins that are drop-in and there are those used by gunsmiths that require fitting. I've installed both and have had gunsmiths install them as well. Of course, I didn't send a revolver across the country 'just' to have a basepin installed either.
 
I put a Belt Mtn pin in my SBH some years back. No big deal. The pin went right in.

I had to remove the ejector rod housing. No big deal either. I put some blue Loctite on the screw when I put it back on.

CopyofP8310048.jpg
 
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all my single actions have a belt mountain base pin, even the bearcat:

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murf
 

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put the belt mountain base pin in my SBH 44 magnum also added a Bowen
rough country rear sight i tired of the pin jumping out on me all the time
my groups have gotten a lot better now too
 
My pins were Bowen style. I was not equipped to Bubba the dimple into the barrel, so I had my gunsmith do it. His minimum is $60 per gun. Not sure how we got $75 here, but he has done a few thousand in work for me each of the the last couple years, since so few guns are what they should be or the way I like them.
 
I DO NOT like the pins with the locking feature. You have to keep the teeny-tiny allen wrench handy if you want to remove the pin in the field. For that reason I prefer the pins without the locking feature.
Click to expand...
Keep an allen wrench taped to the inside of one grip panel.
 
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