Received my Pietta 1860 Army!!! Take a look! Pics included.

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JACKlangrishe

New member
im tempted to do that with the nail punches and a few layers of cloth in between.. although I can see from the photos there was some marring on the wedge.. just dents though, and the finish wasnt removed. still.. I'll probably need to just wait and get the brass drift punch from track :(

I'll check around at the local ranges for spent brass. They're not that close, and the closest to me has some unsavory staff. I'll need a vise for that too right?
 
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Hoppy

New member
"I don't think that you should hit the spring end with the force that will be required to move the wedge. I would suggest strongly that you find something with a small enough diameter(or square shape etc.) to fit inside the wedge slot, beside the spring tip. Then after placing the gun on a non-slip soft surface, place the punch on the end of the wedge beside the spring end and smack it hard. Move to the other side of the spring on the same end of the wedge and repeat. Be sure you have allowed room for the wedge to back out. Sounds like you have already thought of that." foolzrushn

This is what worked for me
 
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JACKlangrishe

New member
zzLRKlg.png
 
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foolzrushn

New member
Jack

I doubt that spent brass will be strong enough. I would suggest again that you go talk to a welder or welder supply if you can't find brass punches and don't want to wait. They will probably sell you a single brass brazing rod which should work. Be sure that the rod will fit in the slot, or you will need to file it down smaller.

You could also try to find a thick nylon brush handle and cut that to make a punch for now. These are options to get you going now....the punch set is the right way and you will use them again and again.
 
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Hoppy

New member
Foolzrushn - I see what you're saying about the clickers. Makes sense and that's exactly how it acts.

Jack - What did you mar? the barrel or the end of the wedge? Just saw your picture. It looks like you're using something with a sharp point. My nail set had a large head that just fit in the wedge slot. The spent brass I tried wasn't up to the task.

If you have a local hardware store, they should have brass rod in different diameters. you can get a 12" long piece of either 1/8" or 3/32". I would cut a 3 inch piece of that and try it.
 
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JACKlangrishe

New member
I'll keep an eye out for those local solutions foolz.. I'll make some calls tomorrow and see if I get lucky while I wait for the track punch. I figured theres no downside in ordering the piece from track as I'll get a lot of uses out of it I hope.

Hoppy- the round chip on the left side of the clip is what I did.. yes the punches weren't wedge shaped but a blunt tipped. I was going to try the left side, right side tapping and gave it too much of a whack. The cloth was no match. I'm trying not to be too pissed at myself.. I could have just as easily marred the barrel assembly. I knew it was going to happen too.
 
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Hoppy

New member
I wouldn't worry too much about it. Mine certainly wasn't perfect out of the box. Great for a $200 gun, but I wouldn't sweat it. That's just a small mark on the wedge.
 
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45 Dragoon

New member
Well, as silly as this sounds, try whacking it in a little deeper. The wedges usually aren't very hard and it may size it down ever so slightly. With something of the wedge sticking out on the right side of the barrel, you'll have "wedge" to hit instead of the spring.

I usually just hold them in my hand and whack the fool out of them with my plastic faced hammer. Works every time (course, I'm probably meaner than some of y'all !!! Lol!!)

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks
 
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Hawg

New member
Get a piece of hardwood and put it on the end of the wedge and smack the snot out of it. If it's not moving you're not hitting it hard enough. Baby taps are not going to work.
 
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foolzrushn

New member
I agree with Hawg and Dragoon that you will need to really smack it. But do remove any debris (like wood chips) that's between the spring and the wedge first!

If you don't, you may find that the spring can't compress in the wedge slot enough to pass back through the arbor slot. The spring would then be wedged against the right side of the arbor internally, stopping movement of the wedge.

My understanding is that the wedge spring's function, is just to take up vertical slack and keep the wedge from falling out, before the wedge is tapped snugly into place.

From the photo it seems there is some gunk in the forward end of the wedge window. If it's metal, that may have kept the wedge from going in deeper, causing this stuck wedge. I found attached metal flakes in my barrel and arbor slots.
 
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44 Dave

New member
OK! those Pietta "not too short arbors"
Listen to 45 Dragoon and Hawg, and get a little lube in it and "smack it" in both directions the metal is soft enough there is a little stretch when you knock it in a little more.
 
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JACKlangrishe

New member
Are you sure the wedge is soft enough not to warp the slot if I bang it in further?

Here's an image from the Pettifogger docs that show the wedge warping the slot of the barrel assembly even though none of the wedge is sticking out of the right side-

gFFLfi3.png



I ordered the brass drift punch from Track. Even if I somehow get it out sooner, it'll be good to have around.

I'll check around for hardwood so maybe I can carve out a punch like shape to hammer on.
 
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drobs

New member
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AKexpat

New member
From .45 Dragoon:

Well, as silly as this sounds, try whacking it in a little deeper. The wedges usually aren't very hard and it may size it down ever so slightly. With something of the wedge sticking out on the right side of the barrel, you'll have "wedge" to hit instead of the spring.
Click to expand...

You sound like an experienced plumber! Yes! I learned that years ago in the trade when disassembling old pipe thread parts.

Guido the Gorilla does not worry about you. All 3 of my Pietta 1851 Navy style pistols were like that. Do not remove the wedge spring retaining screw. It has nothing to do with your problem. If the wedge spring does not protrude from the right side of the barrel lug, the wedge is too wide for the arbor slot. Fitting will be needed on the forward (muzzle) end of the wedge.

Profusely oil the wedge and smack it very hard with a small plastic mallet. It WILL move and come out. When it comes out, you should check the fit (by hand) into the arbor slot. A Pietta is almost always good to go insofar as the arbor length into barrel lug recess, but check it.

Good luck!

Jim
 
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BlackPowderBen

New member
Like Jim says, give it a good oil soaking before you try to remove the wedge again, you may find it'll make the job easier. If you don't have a good penetrating oil like PB blaster or Kroil, you can use WD-40, it's not as good but should be better than nothing.
 
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JACKlangrishe

New member
Just went at it again after a soak in oil.. still not budging.
Hopefully that brass drift punch from track will get to me soon, although it still hasn't shipped yet.

Sounds silly, but all this hammering on the gun is kind of bumming me out.. especially when I propped it on the metal handle of a hammer (covered in cloth) and pounded it with the stainless nail punch set. I know its completely irrational, but I'm getting this nagging feeling like I want to check to see if the barrel is 100% straight when I finally get it apart. I know to look for perfectly concentric circles, and even considered getting a .454 pin gauge.

Any anecdotes on how much force it takes to induce an imperceptible bend in a barrel? I know the real answer I'm going to get is "just shoot it and if it's accurate stop worrying", but that hasn't cheered me up yet for some reason. Maybe cause it's always been doctrine to me to never to take a hammer or a dremel to a firearm.
 
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45 Dragoon

New member
Ha !! That's just for the uninitiated!! I do it every day!!! Lol!!

One wouldn't normally take a hammer to a revolver unless it has a wedge! Wouldn't worry about the straight barrel. It's straight. No need to be concerned about getting it apart the first time. It won't be that hard after that. The wedge spring should have enough "meat" on the end for you to grind it flush with the end of the wedge. Then you can hammer the wedge without worrying about the spring being damaged.

BTW, are you doing all this on the kitchen table? Or anything other than a solid base? Like the floor, a concrete patio, sidewalk, fireplace, etc. A table has too much "give". I've never had this problem. After I do my " fitting " of the arbor, it may take a few "take downs" before the wedge scoots out with a hammer smack. Sometimes I'll put a punch mark on the end of the wedge for the customer to use a punch if needed the first few times.


Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks
 
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BlackPowderBen

New member
Maybe try supporting the gun on two boards that has a cloth over it with a gap around a wedge instead of a hammer handle, and leave room for the wedge to come out. Might help, and give it a longer soaking in oil, what kind were you using?
 
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