Heavy hammer/trigger on Remington 1858 replica?

[Preacherman]

Hi, folks. Need some advice. I recently bought a stainless-steel Remington 1858 replica by Navy Arms (it was a steal - shooting buddy of mine won it at a competition, didn't want it, and sold it to me for $100! ) However, I notice that the hammer-cocking pull is EXTREMELY heavy - so much so that it's almost impossible to do so with one hand, as the revolver wavers all over the place. Also, the trigger pull is too heavy for comfort. Is this normal with these guns? What can be done to reduce the weight of hammer-draw-stroke, and improve the trigger?

Also, do any of you have any experience with the conversion cylinders which allow these firearms (and Ruger Old Army's, etc.) to fire .45 Colt cartridges? I'm thinking about one of these as a fun thing, but don't know anything about them. Anyone got any feedback from personal experience?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[MrAcheson]

C&B pistols are supposed to have heavy hammers. The heavy hammer keeps the cap from unseating and jamming the action after it is struck.

Thats said, the inexpensive Italian single action revolvers tend to have rougher actions. To ensure cap ignition they use heavier springs than would be necessary in a smoother running gun. You might want to see if the action smoothes up with use or look at doing some action work.

The conversion cylinders can be pretty nice. They don't come in stainless, but the do have a brushed nickel which matches up pretty well. If you want a 6 shooter in .45 colt, then you need the R&D Conversion Cylinder. If you can live with .45 acp or a 5 shooter then the Kirst Cylinder will be fine.

 

[RON in PA]

Sounds to me that your revolver needs an action job by a pistol smith. The c&b revolvers tend to have heavy trigger pulls out of the box and need to be tweeked.

I have a R&D conversion cylinder for my Ruger Old Army, works great. They are brand specific by the way. Just shoot cowboy level loads.

 

[Poodleshooter]

Cheap way to lessen the hammer cocking force is to lessen the tension on the mainspring. Look on the front of the grip-you will see a tiny screw. This screw adjusts tension on the main spring inside the grip.Turn in out just a tad to reduce hammer tension. This also reduces your hammer's striking power, so some experimentation is warranted. You trigger pull is also affected by the mainspring, but it can be further adjusted by removing the trigger guard and adjusting the trigger return spring. This also controls the cylinder stop, so I don't recommend messing around with it too much unless you have spares.
Be forewarned, the reason that most of the Italian guns are rough, is that the parts aren't always of the best fit, and may contain a good deal of flashing. My Pietta 1858 was mistimed when I received it (hammer would impact off to the side of the cap notch and dinged up the cylinder). I took to sanding the action with the intention of smoothing it up. I smoothed it up, but also somehow screwed up the timing of the cylinder stop and cylinder pawl. The revolver now advances past where it should lock up, and has to me manually rotated back so the cylinder stop can engage it.
Home gunsmithing can be an expensive (but fun) way to learn how your weapons work. Given my experience, I can't really recommend it though!

 

[Preacherman]

Thanks for the feedback, friends. Can anyone supply a Web site for R&D Conversions or the Kirst cylinder suppliers? Many thanks again.

 

[MrAcheson]

R&D conversion cylinders:

http://www.taylorsfirearms.com/

Kirst Cylinders:

http://www.riverjunction.com/