Since Pietta went to CNC machining, their internal parts are usually pretty easy to deal with. Most newer action parts for most newer revolvers drop in and function well with little or no fitting. Not always.
Not with a particular 1851 Navy I picked up recently that was made in 2016. I got it cheap as a set of disassembled components with some smaller parts missing. Didn't foresee any problem with that, but replacing the bolt with a new one was a wasted effort except for what I learned from it. In this frame, the currently available Pietta (1851-1861-1860) bolt is like a part made for some other gun.
The first problem was that the inner contour of the hook on the leg was not quite in alignment with the cam when all new action parts were installed. That was mostly solved by deepening the contour and opening it up a little wider from end to end. The bolt was then able to function, but still tended to bind on the edge of the cam rather than sliding onto it to reset itself when de-cocking. In dry firing, it snapped into place every time, so maybe only some further tweaking would be needed.
Not so sure that any further tweaking could fix the second problem. The legs are too short. The bolt drops early and peens the cylinder where it hits before reaching the lead-in.
While taking a break from the frustration, I looked through a box of used Pietta parts and found an older bolt that looks a little different and has longer legs. So I tried it out. It worked immediately and perfectly in this frame. The older bolt is pictured above a new, unmodified bolt for comparison.
I'd like to find another bolt like the older one to keep as a spare for this revolver, or to have on hand if needed for some other Pietta revolver that might work better with it.
But where would they be found? What alternatives are there if a certain necessary bolt is no longer commercially available? Any comments or suggestions on installing new bolts in Piettas that came with older-style bolts? Has anyone had success in adapting a bolt made by one manufacturer to a revolver made by another?
Not with a particular 1851 Navy I picked up recently that was made in 2016. I got it cheap as a set of disassembled components with some smaller parts missing. Didn't foresee any problem with that, but replacing the bolt with a new one was a wasted effort except for what I learned from it. In this frame, the currently available Pietta (1851-1861-1860) bolt is like a part made for some other gun.
The first problem was that the inner contour of the hook on the leg was not quite in alignment with the cam when all new action parts were installed. That was mostly solved by deepening the contour and opening it up a little wider from end to end. The bolt was then able to function, but still tended to bind on the edge of the cam rather than sliding onto it to reset itself when de-cocking. In dry firing, it snapped into place every time, so maybe only some further tweaking would be needed.
Not so sure that any further tweaking could fix the second problem. The legs are too short. The bolt drops early and peens the cylinder where it hits before reaching the lead-in.
While taking a break from the frustration, I looked through a box of used Pietta parts and found an older bolt that looks a little different and has longer legs. So I tried it out. It worked immediately and perfectly in this frame. The older bolt is pictured above a new, unmodified bolt for comparison.
I'd like to find another bolt like the older one to keep as a spare for this revolver, or to have on hand if needed for some other Pietta revolver that might work better with it.
But where would they be found? What alternatives are there if a certain necessary bolt is no longer commercially available? Any comments or suggestions on installing new bolts in Piettas that came with older-style bolts? Has anyone had success in adapting a bolt made by one manufacturer to a revolver made by another?