Colt 1861 Navy Barrel Wedge Problem

[QuickQuestion]

Hi there. I have a used Colt 1861 Navy Revolver. I tried to disassemblethe revolve to clean it but there seems to be a problem with the barrel wedge, it wont budge at all. I don't want to force it without seeking some more info. Now there does appear to be some rust on the wedge, so this could be the problem. My question is basically which way should I turn the screw just above the wedge on the left side and how far? It's not moving in either direction because of rust or being too tight and I don't want to wreck the screw. What is the best way of going about getting rid of the rust in the wedge if that is the problem? I tried knocking the wedge out but it doesn't seem to be moving, anyway any help would be appreciated.

Furthermore, my Father bought it as a display piece because he thought it was deactivated. I took a look at it and it seems that all the mechanics work smoothly accept the ramrod which will not fully move. (This caused me to want to strip it, where I discovered the barrel wedge was also stuck)

 

[19&41]

The screw should be just a stop for a leaf spring on top of the wedge. You remove the screw to completely remove it. Otherwise the wedge will clear, then hang on the side. I would put some good penetrating oil around the wedge then using a plastic or wood mallet tap the small end of the wedge and see if it will budge. if you have neither of these, use a clean block of wood between a hammer and the wedge. This is to keep from marring the metal. Also post what kind it is so the true aficionados can help you further.

 

[19&41]

P.S. Be careful on forcing it too much, as it may be purposely non functioning.

 

[Hellgate]

Do the penetrating oil thing then lay the gun on a block of wood with another piece of wood under the barrel near the wedge to support it and give room for the wedge to back out, I use the edge of a brass house key as a drift held against the small end of the wedge and pound with a medium sized hammer. You can leave the wedge screw alone as it doesn't do a whole lot to hold the wedge in. You may just end up buggering the screw slot truing to get it out.

I had a '61 Navy that i couldn't get apart for years. I DID get the wedge out but could not get at the internals as the trigger & bolt screw was tight so I cleaned it with swabs & Q-tips and then sprayed the innards & outers with WD-40 after each shooting & cleaning session. After about 10 years I finally got to take it completely apart and the insides were filled with a black mush plus some caps and fragments of caps but NO RUST! The gun functioned fine and went through a couple thousand rounds that way.

 

[QuickQuestion]

I can't be sure of the exact maker, my apologies. Thank you for your quick replies. I'll definately try these, I've been putting some WD-40 on it now just to loosen it up a bit. One problem is the small leaf spring on the wedge, do I need to depress this to whack the wedge out? I don't have three hands, that seems a bit awkward to do.

 

[QuickQuestion]

Although on the right side of the barrel it does say "SM Black Powder Only Cal .44 Made in Italy" on the right side of the barrel near the bottom. So maybe Uberti or Pietta.

 

[Hellgate]

No, SM stands for San Marco. Also known as ASM: Armi San Marco. I've got several.

 

[rocky branch]

Shoud not take much to tap out the wedge, no matter what.
"Deactivated" is interesting-is there a bit of spot weld or something you have overlooked?

 

[19&41]

The leaf spring should allow the wedge to slide over enough to get the barrel assembly off, or you can remove the screw, once you have moved the wedge enough. The screw and spring is to keep the wedge from falling out.

 

[Captain*kirk]

Take the screw out, give the thin side of the wedge a smart whack with a 2X2. Once it's loose it should pop right out.

 

[makos_goods]

QuickQuestion,
The screw can be confusing for any new user. Ignore it for right now, as others have told you it is actually a detent to keep the wedge from falling out once you have disengaged it.

Don't be afraid to tap on the wedge with something made of wood. DON'T use metal, even brass or lead until you have tried a wooden stick. A piece of 1" furring strip about 8 to 10 inches long is perfect.

Looking down at the top of your pistol the wedge should ideally be inserted no further than this:


Tap it out from the right side until it is retained by the screw like this:



The screw is there to just retain the wedge like this:



When you re-seat the wedge try pushing it in instead of tapping it. Only tap and I mean tap (not wail on it) if necessary. Just let the lip of the retaining spring (that's what it is for) catch on the right side of the barrel slot.

Regards,
Mako