Can this 1851 navy be repaired?

It would seem to me it could be fixed. If the rest of the gun is in good shape would be worth it.

Why does it even need 2 pins?

Wouldnt 1 in the center be enough?

Not an uncommon problem. Anyone who is reasonably competent with a drill press can drill the pins, use an easyout, and replace them with pins made from a common nail. Some smiths prefer drill rod, but a nail is easier to work with, less costly and perfectly adequate for the job.

Jim

Oh, are they just small pins screwed into the frame? I wasn't sure, thanks for the advice!

They are just pushed in and staked in place. The easy out is just to get hold of them.

When I replaced mine I just used red loctite to hold them in place. Never came out yet.

Jim K said:

Not an uncommon problem. Anyone who is reasonably competent with a drill press can drill the pins, use an easyout, and replace them with pins made from a common nail. Some smiths prefer drill rod, but a nail is easier to work with, less costly and perfectly adequate for the job.

Jim

Click to expand...

What causes them to break?

They arn't screwed in. Just drill them out . Find an oversized nail (not much) . Useing a drll to spin the nail, use a file or dremel with sanding drum to reduce the dia. to fit . Piece o cake!!!!
There may be chamber/bore alignment probs. as to reason for the break.

Bower, if two get broken, why would you want to double the ease of it happening again?
Sam Colt had a very sound design.


45 Dragoon

Yeah, they are pressed in. Usually the way they get broken is by trying to twist the barrel off the arbor before you've cleared the pins.

Contact Fingers McGee. He had this happen to him. I don't know how he resolved the issue.

I haven't. Still have one pin I can't get out - it keeps spinning in the hole. Not having a drill press is making it very difficult.

Fingers, silver solder it in place then drill it?

Don't even need silver solder. Just flush it with brake cleaner or some other good degreaser and after it dries to where you can't smell solvent apply a tiny drop of thin formula CA glue from a hobby shop. But it has to be the thin watery type. The others won't wick in around the pin then cure. That'll hold it well enough to drill out.

All the pins in my guns are solid. The picture looks like a split or roll pin.

I usually center punched them which not only gave me a place to drill but expanded the pins enough so they didn't spin. By using a small drill, you avoid the possibility of the drill running out and messing up the frame.

Charlie is right; the easyout is just to pull them out; a small machine screw might work, but the easyout is quicker.

I really don't know why they would break, but maybe the factory (or whoever made them) made them out of steel and made them too hard. Or maybe they are not even steel, but some kind of cheap soft metal. Anyway the nail should be as hard as they need to be and be easy to work as well.

You don't need to get them the right length before installing them; you can leave them a bit long and trim them to fit when you install the barrel.

Jim

This is on a Pietta 1860 that was made about 1991. The pins are smaller at one end than at the other and it one of the small diameter pieces that I haven't been able to get out. Now that I have my gunroom set back up in the new house, I need to go at it again.

Hasn't kwhi43 posted some pics of a colt he modified long ago with screws in place of those pins? Seems fairly recent he did so. Maybe it was someone else but someone posted pics of a 51 with screws through the barrel block and into the frame and stated it did well for serious target shooting.

-kBob

Fingers, If it spins could you glue a pin or a nail to the end of the pin and simply pull it out?

I talked silicosys4 out of this '51, for a reasonable price.
I have it repaired and shooting.
The pins are 3 mm. and I have shaft stock that size.
I drilled and taped the pins for 2 mm. and dropped a small brass "dutchman" in and used a screw to push the pins up added with a little heat and penetrating oil, they were very tight.
With the pins out I was able to close the cylinder/barrel gap, which was about .025, by carefully taking down that area.
It seems to shoot well, but have not tried to clear enough snow to shoot it from a rest and I shot up the balls silicosys4 had included.

What size balls are you .36 shooters using in these Piettas .375 seem snug but not much ring when loading them. Any thoughts on a .380 Lee mold?

I only use the .380 size round ball in all my 36s. Makes it easier than trying to remember what goes in where.

If you cast your own, there are a couple of six cavity molds available.

In my Navy Arms from Uberti .375 won't stay put under recoil so I use .380
In the Paterson Colt .375 shave a ring. The Paterson is a Pietta.