"Professional" opinion on Pietta 1860

[603doug]

The wedge does not seat square in the barrel and is not flush on the frame locking pins.
When I check the depth of the base pin into the barrel it seems a couple thousands to long which would cause the wedge to not seat square
Question do I fine tune it or return to cabelas for an exchange, shoots great and the rest of the revolver seems good.
Just went out and fired a few so revolver is dirty in photo plus a little hard to see gap between barrel and frame

 

[midland man]

if it were mine I would keep it! looks like a tight barrel gap which is good!

 

[swathdiver]

Goodness, who buggered up that screw already???

Wedges can be put in cockeyed.

 

[603doug]

i knew this would be a mistake
i am a well driller so everything needs to be harden

 

[Panzerschwein]

i knew this would be a mistake
i am a well driller so everything needs to be harden

OP:

Do yourself a favor and get a high quality set of gunsmithing screw drivers.

Thank us later.

 

[Crawdad1]

PM this guy.

Mike,

http://www.goonsgunworks.com/

if it shoots well then if you replace it you may get a real stinker of a shooter. Mike will be able to let you know if it can be fixed.

 

[45 Dragoon]

603,
The Piettas have done much to remedy the "short arbor" problem that they had and Uberti still has. Getting them to the barrel/cylinder clearance that I like may require material to be taken off the arbor (this is the best situation) and sometimes, shims added on those that are still short.
In your picture, the wedge isn't all the way through the keyway. There may be a burr or just "rough " alignment when mating. It won't hurt to use a plastic hammer or a "rug covered " floor to "help" seat the the barrel and close the gap at the lug/ frame pins. When you get them together, the wedge should go on through (assuming it was correct when you first got it). Remember this, never shoot an open top with a loose wedge or one not fully in the keyway. The result will be a bent wedge and upset metal on the barrel. The wedge may be harder to insert now if it is bent.

Just for the heck of it- I recommend a wedge be tapped in instead of just "finger pressure". This would be for open tops with correct arbor fitment to the barrel, otherwise you will lock up the cylinder if you tap the wedge in. This is because now that there is contact, the wedge can (and should) impart a preloaded tension to the two assemblies to maintain solid contact and tolerances set for the barrel/cylinder. The results will be a revolver that fires as a solid frame weapon and it will be the same gun every thing me you re-assemble it.

I know some folks like " finger pressure " and say they have no problem with it. That's fine, this is just my recommendation. My guns still maintain their specs and since I shoot smokless (with cartridge conversions) full time, are not broken down for cleaning as often as C&B guns. They keep the wedges locked in, under preload, all the time. They are remarkable shooters.


Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks

 

[tbob38]

I have a 1860 Army Pieta revolver that have not shot yet. With the wedge finger tight, the cylinder/barrel gap is 0.012". Is this too much?

 

[BSA1]

I use a business card when setting the barrel / cylinder gap. A typical business card is about .008" thick. I like to use a business card because they are convenient and I usually have several in my wallet.

I also have set the gap on my top strap revolvers that I shoot blackpowder in at .008".

But to directly answer you question I wouldn't worry about .012" gap.

 

[45 Dragoon]

tbob38,
I set my customers barrel/cylinder clearance at .002", (.003" would be a maximum for me.) so .012" is about 600% too big for me!! With a tight clearance, your arbor will stay cleaner (heck! The whole gun will stay cleaner!!), you'll be able to shoot longer without cylinder binding, the cylinder won't act as a slide hammer and beat your open top to pieces.
You see, the front of the cylinder gets "cleaned" off by being pushed against the barrel every time you cycle the action so it allows for a closer tolerance to be maintained. Measurable or not, it allows less gas to escape which translates to more power, more efficiency and higher velocity. A tight, well setup revolver is a most marvelous ( and efficient!) mechanical machine!!!

One other aspect of a tight clearance is the ability to set one up for dry firing.

Some folks use business cards, I use feeler gauges.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks

PS I always recommend taping the wedge in and out. Finger tight is not the best way to get tension between the two assemblies. The tension will maintain tolerances and keep the wedge in place. (This is for O.T.s that have correct arbor length)

 

[603doug]

thanks Mike for the info, i have a walker that is my favorite and i want to send your way. I will contact you for when is it a good time for you to work on it

Probably should start a new thread but i will ask here. I got a gift card for a shop here that carrys the wells fargo instead of the pocket revolver. My question other than lacking a loading lever is there that much of a difference?

 

[45 Dragoon]

603,
First, I'd be happy to set up your Walker and as far as I can tell, the loading leaver is the only difference. Thanks for stopping by the website!!

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks

 

[tbob38]

Thanks Mike. I got the same feeling about the cylinder acting like a side hammer and felt that that much clearance was probably not optimum. It is snugger when the wedge is tapped in but not near 0,002". Looks like I have a little trimming to do on the end of the arbor.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

I have 3 or 4 of these Harbor Freight "watchmakers hammers". They are perfect for tapping the wedges in and out. The different screw in heads are perfect as the plastic and brass ones do not mar the gun. They are small enough to slip in my back pocket to carry around shooting. At $5.00 what is there not to like about them. They are the cat's meow in my opinion.

http://www.harborfreight.com/watchmakers-hammer-with-6-heads-99895.html

 

[45 Dragoon]

tbob!,
Hang on!! No trimming on the arbor! That's the problem. It's already too short. The fact that it got " snugger" means its not bottoming out in the barrel assembly. Drop a couple of washers down the hole and see if you can install the wedge. If you can, can you still close the barrel down on the cylinder? There's usually a good amount of space to shim up for the arbor to meet.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks

 

[tbob38]

Mike, My arbor is definitely bottoming out in the barrel assemble hole. I think that Pieta has gotten the word and is making the arbors longer. Certainly in this case it is. At any rate, when it comes to firearms, I'm of the measure three times and cut once, persuasion.

 

[desidog]

the wells fargo instead of the pocket revolver. My question other than lacking a loading lever is there that much of a difference?

Not really. The Uberti 1848 and 1849's are the same gun w/ or w/o the loading lever.

 

[45 Dragoon]

tbob, my mistake, I was thinking Uberti. You may be OK. If the arbor is that much too long, it may end up out of line by the time the bbl/cyl clearance gets to .002". You may need to lap the barrel and frame together at the frame/bbl lug area. That is rare but it has happened . . .

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks