Does anyone make heavy duty parts for Pietta 1851 Navy Colt??

[JB357MAG]

I have an 1851 Navy Colt from Pietta with a 45 Colt
conversion cyl.

Does anyone make heavy duty parts for these?

I have 2 broken hands in 100 or so rounds.

Thanks Jimmy

 

[4v50 Gary]

A hand can be made from tool steel. All you need is time, a file and drill (and a torch to heat treat it with). When mine broke, I had to fabricate a hand for a Colt Official Police revolver. I admit I used a milling machine to drill the hole for the pivot pin and to cut the slot where the rebound lever rested but the shaping was done by hand.

 

[Fingers McGee]

I'm assuming you mean you've broken two hand springs in 100 rounds. What you get is what is available - replacement Pietta parts made by Pietta. Some last longer than others. I've been known for breaking four hand springs on four pistols in one match. You can replace the broken spring with piano wire or a bobby pin - a search on this forum, Cas City, or The firing line should pop up a few threads; or, you can drill the frame and install a coil spring and plunger that will eliminate the problem for good. Instructions for that are here:

http://www.theopenrange.net/articles/Tuning_the_Pietta_Part_One.pdf

http://www.theopenrange.net/articles/Tuning_the_Pietta_Part_Two.pdf

 

[45 Dragoon]

Ya dont need to get "heavy duty" parts. What you have from the factory is too much tension to begin with. The springs will last a loooooooooong time if you will " de tension" them. The tension needed is just enough for the han d to engauge the ratchet and to prevent throw- by (over rotation) any more than that results in a broken spring prematurely.
45 Dragoon

 

[44 Dave]

Spring or hand?
Check out a hammer stop, if you are over rotating the cylinder after the bolt has locked up. 45 Dragoon has pictures on this sight.
I just replaced a part on a Pietta with a Uberti part. After ordering one of each I chose the Uberti one to fit in as the quality was much better than the Pietta part.

 

[Hellgate]

I've got about 3 guns with bobby pin hand springs that so far, have held up. You need to remove the old spring remnant, find the right bobby pin, copy the shape, file/grind staking notches near the inserted end and stake it in place. Then lube the hell out of it.

 

[BILLYDIXON]

Boy that was a interesting article. I bought a 51 Navy in 1976 from EMF for $48.00. I use to shoot that pistol a lot. I killed alot of jack rabbits with it. I grew up in Lubbock, Texas. I never had any problem with it until my cousin wanted to borrow it. He gave it back a year later completely rusted. That was the last time I did that. I was able to bring it back to life but the hand had to be replaced. I probably have shot over 1000 rds out of it.

 

[Skinny 1950]

If you are actually breaking the hand instead of the spring it sounds like you would have to really yank on the hammer. If that is the case check that the cylinder rotates freely under actual shooting conditions...there is a fair bit of leverage between the circumference of the cylinder and the ratchet so what you may think is a heavy mainspring could be drag on the cylinder.
Or not.

 

[BCRider]

Something else to keep in mind is that the hand does need to be fitted to the gun. They come stock slightly oversized. If you don't fit it correctly then I can see where you'd be using a LOT of pressure to cock the gun. And it's a small enough part that I could see snapping or deforming the end but breaking away the pivot pin.