Remington Cylinder Binding. Solution??

[denster]

One of the most reported problems with the 58 Remington design is binding of the cylinder from fouling buildup on the base pin.
Colt addressed this problem in the 1862 open top and SAA with a gas ring. Of course that is not possible with the Remington design short of reducing the cylinder length and setting back the barrel. Too much work.
I've been kicking an idea around in my head for awhile that while it wouldn't eliminate the problem might moderate it somewhat.
Before I do it I thought I would post it here for some discussion or maybe someone has allready tried it.
What I was considering was counterboring the front of the cylnder base pin hole about .020 oversize and about 3/16" deep. Sort of a reverse gas ring.
I've noticed with the Colt open tops. The ones I have where the cylinder arbor diameter ends before the face of the cyliinder that they have less tendency to bind up than those where it extends past the front of the cylinder.
So! What do you all think?

 

[Model-P]

Sure. Then I would shorten the frame where it meets the cylinder, and use a bushing that would go between the new frame face and seat in the recess you counterbored in the cylinder. That way the gases would not go directly to the base pin.

 

[Hardcase]

That's definitely a solution, Denster. Me, I just take a minute or two, pop the cylinder out and clean off the mess. It's just so easy to remove the cylinder on a Remington (as opposed to a Colt) that I never really gave any other solution a thought.

 

[denster]

Model-P. A gas ring, if it were simple to install, would of course work best. However the way the Remmis are mad it is not a simple task.

Hardcase. Absolutely right and that is the way I do it too. This was a theoretical question on the order of gee I wonder if this would work.

 

[Model-P]

Model-P. A gas ring, if it were simple to install, would of course work best. However the way the Remmis are mad it is not a simple task.

Why? The only hard part, aside from countersinking the cylinder, would be barrel removal to machine the frame. The bushing could be loose, requiring the revolver be held vertically during asembly/disassembly. Otherwise, it could be a press fit in the countersunk cylinder and stay with the cylinder.

 

[denster]

Model-P. Actually what you describe wouldn't be all that difficult for someone with a lathe and a small mill. If I were going to that trouble I would make a pemanently installed gas ring in the cylinder, press fit as you suggested and take the barrel out and mill a seat for the gas ring.
That overcomplicates things for most folks. I was looking at an idea that was easy to accomplish and would let you load in the gun and run five or six cylinders without any binding.
As Hardcase said the simple way is just to wipe the base pin between cylinders and since I always load outside the gun that is what I do. Though every once inawhile on a really dry day I get a little binding on the fifth and sixth shots and I refuse to slobber my gun up with crisco or bore butter in the chambers.

 

[Model-P]

So, is your idea just to leave the countersink as an open space for the gases to dissipate over a broader area?

 

[denster]

Yes basically that is the idea. When the gun fires gasses and fouling are directed downward at 90 degrees to the bore they strike the base pin and some of that fouling is deflected into the cylinder base pin hole closing the clearance. Colt addressed this with what he refered to as a lateral fire deflecting groove on the arbor in front of the cylinder. This is still present on the Ubertis but vestigal on Pietta and it works to a degree if the full diameter of the arbor that the cylinder rides on does not protrude past the face of the cylinder but is a bit back from the face.
My thoughts were that by opening up the base pin hole by about .020 and maybe 3/16 deep less fouling would accumulate where the base pin and cylinder hole clearance is only about .003.
I was most interested in responses as to whether or not it would work and why. And if someone might have allready tried it and the results.
I'm well aware of all the other methodology ie: dry pin, lubed pin, lubed wads, becoming the Crisco Kid etc.