Question about Colt type guns
- Thread starter Afy
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Do you mean the barrel wedge?
Don't know what pin you are referring to. If you mean the barrel wedge, then yes, it's in too far. It just needs to be in far enough to hold the barrel in place. I have one Colt that has that problem, and I just tap it in slowly while checking the cylinder clearance; if it stops, I just tap it out a bit.
Cylinder/frame clearance at the front of the cylinder should be less than the thickness of a credit card (for a quick convenient check).
Don't know what pin you are referring to. If you mean the barrel wedge, then yes, it's in too far. It just needs to be in far enough to hold the barrel in place. I have one Colt that has that problem, and I just tap it in slowly while checking the cylinder clearance; if it stops, I just tap it out a bit.
Cylinder/frame clearance at the front of the cylinder should be less than the thickness of a credit card (for a quick convenient check).
hildo
Member
The further you tap the wedge in, the narrower the gap between the barrel and the cylinder will be. If you tap it in to far you will eventually jam the cylinder with the barrel.
A good cylinder - barrel distance seemes to be something like .001" (.025mm) for a BP revolver. Use a feeler gauge set to measure the play.
If you do make sure the gun is on half cock and you pull the cylinder backwards with your fingers as far as possible otherwise you may not get an accurate reading.
Check out this thread for detailed info on the subject.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=248719&highlight=cylinder+play
The search option on this forum works well. I use it a lot and get loads of info.
A good cylinder - barrel distance seemes to be something like .001" (.025mm) for a BP revolver. Use a feeler gauge set to measure the play.
If you do make sure the gun is on half cock and you pull the cylinder backwards with your fingers as far as possible otherwise you may not get an accurate reading.
Check out this thread for detailed info on the subject.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=248719&highlight=cylinder+play
The search option on this forum works well. I use it a lot and get loads of info.
wedges
Pietta 1860 .44. Notice that the tip of the arbor was not machined flat. Well, that creates a fulcrum on which the barrel "wiggles" up and down. I could never get the barrel/frame connection tight. When I realized that the high spot existed, I put a shim where the barrel and frame meet at the retaining pins to counter the wiggle. It works. I could also flatten the arbor tip, but then I'd need a wider wedge. Gotta love these guns...
Pietta 1860 .44. Notice that the tip of the arbor was not machined flat. Well, that creates a fulcrum on which the barrel "wiggles" up and down. I could never get the barrel/frame connection tight. When I realized that the high spot existed, I put a shim where the barrel and frame meet at the retaining pins to counter the wiggle. It works. I could also flatten the arbor tip, but then I'd need a wider wedge. Gotta love these guns...
Steve499
Member
I'm not a machinist and I don't play one on T.V., so take this for what it costs you. If the barrel/cylinder gap decreases to the binding point as the wedge is tapped home, the barrel is pivoting at the only place it touches the frame, at the bottom where the two pins protrude. That pivoting can only happen if there is space enough at the front of the cylinder arbor to allow the wedge to pull the barrel rearward beyond where it needs to go. If that's happening it can be remedied by more length on the arbor or less depth in the barrel's arbor hole. I would be tempted to put some J.B. Weld on the front of the arbor and file it to the proper fit when it dries. You should be able to push your barrel wedge all the way in with the arbor bottoming on it's hole at the same time the frame/barrel joint is tight.
The problem with an arbor being too long can be more difficult to fix, depending on how bad it is. Pohill's shim is one way to get both bottoming out at the same time. Another way is by deepening the barrels arbor hole or shortening the arbor end. Since you don't want to modify the wedge slot on the barrel, the wedge slot in the arbor probably would need to be filed longer at the rear and filled in at the front. Also, it's possible to set the arbor deeper into the recoil shield, I suppose, but I would be beyond my depth trying that. I had an old brass framed revolver in which the arbor threaded into the recoil shield without any locking provision. I could thread it in as deeply as it needed to be with the slot lining up every half turn.
Steve
The problem with an arbor being too long can be more difficult to fix, depending on how bad it is. Pohill's shim is one way to get both bottoming out at the same time. Another way is by deepening the barrels arbor hole or shortening the arbor end. Since you don't want to modify the wedge slot on the barrel, the wedge slot in the arbor probably would need to be filed longer at the rear and filled in at the front. Also, it's possible to set the arbor deeper into the recoil shield, I suppose, but I would be beyond my depth trying that. I had an old brass framed revolver in which the arbor threaded into the recoil shield without any locking provision. I could thread it in as deeply as it needed to be with the slot lining up every half turn.
Steve
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