BCRider
Member
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?
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?