Has anyone made a new barrel wedge for a revolver?

[BCRider]

So the other day I got a Armi San Paolo 1851 clone. I stripped it down to do my usual inspection and cleaning that seems to be totally needed with any newly acquired used firearm only to find that the cylinder arbor was not fully tightened to index with the barrel. It was only a few degrees out but it made it all but impossible to extract and insert the wedge. So I made up some wooden cauls to support the receiver and broke the threading loose and tightened it the extra few degrees needed.

The only problem is now the wedge, which was apparently fitted to the skewed arbor to barrel fit so that it locked to the half round rear face when in the skewed angle. Now that the arbor is tightend just another 3 to 4 degrees the wedge just falls in and rattles around. So I need to make up a new wedge. One that properly pulls the barrel back far enough to hold the cylinder gap down to the small size that is needed.

I'm good with metal working aspects but still picking up on the gunsmithing aspects. I THINK it's pretty cut and dried but I'm wondering if there's any hints from the gallery out there as to basic principles vis a vis the fit to the arbor and barrel on these open top guns.

The other option, I suppose, would be to silver solder in a bit of steel filler into the rear of the arbor slot and then file it to match the wedge such that it again pulls the barrel back the correct amount to seat such that the cylinder has only the right amount of gap. But I'm not sure if this will provide the correct barrel fit.

Any "schooling" on how the wedge in these open tops is tuned to provide the optimum barrel to cylinder fit would be appreciated. And where's those old geezers from the 1860's that knew this stuff?

 

[arcticap]

Colt wedges, arbors and the whole damn mess

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=531877&highlight=wedge

 

[BCRider]

A quick look tells me there's much to be learned from that thread. But it's late and my brain shut down about an hour back. I'll read it tomorrow. But in the meantime thanks much for the link to that search.... which I'd probably had thought of doing if it hadn't been so late that my brain was shut down....

 

[LightningMan]

I would drill & tap the end of the arbor, through to the wedge. Then use a allen screw to narrow the width of the wedge slot. Once you have it where it needs to add some lock-tite to keep it from moving on you. LM

 

[madcratebuilder]

I would drill & tap the end of the arbor, through to the wedge. Then use a allen screw to narrow the width of the wedge slot. Once you have it where it needs to add some lock-tite to keep it from moving on you. LM

Very interesting idea. I have a pocket frame I'm going to try that with. Welding the wedge slot in the arbor and recutting has been a pita. Your set screw method would not be labor intensive at all.

 

[BCRider]

Seems like a slick solution but I'd be worried that the small contact area of the screw against the rather soft'ish wedge would peen a dimple and related swelling into the wedge much like a lot of light hammer blows to a small area peens the tail of an old style rivet. But of course if you've done this and it worked out then I'm imagining that the forces are greater than they are.

 

[TheRodDoc]

You should have just used a file to level the top and bottom of arbor slot enough to let the wedge slide in instead of screwing in the whole arbor.
Since the wedge thickness isn't important.

Working surfaces of wedge are only it's front and back edges.

Regardless of how you did it the wedge fit should be the same. The arbor went back a little so will the barrel have to. With the barrel in place you should be able to see the front of the arbor slot when sighting through the barrel slot.

In other words the arbor slot should be a little to the rear of the barrel slot.

The wedge could have had it's edges filed off by someone trying to get it to slide in easier not knowing it was the top and or bottom of arbor slot that needed the filing.

 

[BCRider]

Two reasons I didn't want to do it that way. First is that it reduces the cross section of metal resisting the stretch from the barrel. And second the wedge wasn't seating on a flat surface like it's supposed to when the arbor is turned. Instead there were only a single line contact on the front and two point contact spots at the rear due to the flat front on the slot and a rounded "drilled" rear face. A very poor situation.

The proper fix will be more work but the benefit is that the wedge will seat against actual surfaces and be less prone to peening by having more contact area.

 

[Hellgate]

BC,
First i would order a couple of wedges from ssfirearms.com who handle Armi Sam Poalo/Euroarms guns and parts. Then you can file and grind away on the wedges to make a proper fitting.

 

[arcticap]

The Winchester Sutler also lists parts for the Euroarms Colts:

http://winchestersutler.com/Part.html

Euroarms 1851 exploded parts list:

http://www.euroarms.net/Avancarica/esplosi/EXPL_VIEW_COLT_NAVY_1851.pdf

 

[madcratebuilder]

Seems like a slick solution but I'd be worried that the small contact area of the screw against the rather soft'ish wedge would peen a dimple and related swelling into the wedge much like a lot of light hammer blows to a small area peens the tail of an old style rivet. But of course if you've done this and it worked out then I'm imagining that the forces are greater than they are.

You have a point with the reduced contact area. Quality grade eight set screws are Rockwell 52-56 or better so I don't think they well not peen much. You nearly have the same contact area as the barrel lug.

I'm going to try it out on this .31, the arbor is big enough for a 10-32 screw. Grind the nose flat and use some Rocksett, if it doesn't work I'll get the tig after it.

 

[BCRider]

Thanks for the links to those suppliers. I take it that replacement wedges are slightly over size so they can be fitted?

I may be able to source a wedge from a Canadian source. I'll try that first and then go from there.

Madcrate, I'd definetly appreciate an update on the results if you go ahead with that mod.