Wider wedge for a 1860 army

[Centurion]

Needed a wider wedge for a 1860 army. Bought 2 from Taylors but were the same width of the one I had installed, so no way to reduce cylinder gap to the close tolerances required, with any of it.
Being out of the states means that asking a gunsmith to manufacture a new with the right dimensions could go up to more than 50 dollars, so after thinking for a solution I made it myself in a couple of hours working.
Just installed a dovetailed sheet of steel performing all the task the old fashioned way...just a set of files and sandpaper...
Not the finest and/or meticulous work I ever did but functional enough to return this piece to the range tomorrow.

Will try to share some pics attached.

 

[Centurion]

Attached the pics.

 

[Beagle333]

Pretty spiffy!! How much gap do you have now? You want some, so it doesn't gum up after the first cylinder through it. I like to see 4 or 5 thousandths on a gap.

 

[Centurion]

0.002 to 0.003. Pretty tight but in any case I can increase it by reducing the wedge width carefully.

 

[Beagle333]

That oughta do it, and you saved a bunch of coin too.

 

[45 Dragoon]

First of all, the wedge doesn't determine the barrel/cylinder clearance. If you can lock up your cylinder by inserting the wedge too far, the arbor is too short.

Second, it's a clearance not a gap. A gap doesn't close and has a definite measure. On an open top percussion revolver, the cylinder will contact the barrel each time the action is cycled. For this reason, build-up won't happen because of the contact . . . it's self cleaning.

What determines the B/C clearance is the length of the arbor. When the arbor bottoms out in the arbor hole (as the originals did, ours are reproductions), that defines the space the cylinder has to occupy. This is also why the revolver will and can be the same revolver each time you assemble it. The only job the wedge has, is to hold two assemblies together under tension to maintain a mechanical connection and pathway for forces to move through when it is fired. The problem can be fixed by shimming up the hole to meet the arbor. The shim or shims can be mounted on the arbor or permanently in the hole with a steel epoxy (preferred).

The larger the clearance, the quicker the revolver will bind because of fouling between the arbor and the cylinder (not mention, the sooner it will self destruct). Likewise, a clearance of .0025"-.003" is excellent for controlling fouling and removes the ability for the self destruction. With this tollerance, the ability to set up the O/T for no hammer/nipple contact is possible. This saves the nipples from damage and allows for safe dry-fire.

By the way, you could have drilled and tapped the end of the arbor and installed a flat ended set screw to act as an adjustable front bearing so you could use the original wedge from now on.

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

 

[Centurion]

Excellent explanation! But...as soon as I could connect from a computer I'll send you a couple of comments and some questions...
Many thanks!

 

[44 Dave]

Here is an example (don't remember who's pic. it is) of the wedge tightening method 45 Dragoon described.
Take his advice, to bad you are out of the US or I would suggest you send it to him for a set up that will make your open top run better and longer, will actually pay for its self over the extended life of the gun .

 

[45 Dragoon]

Hey Dave!! And thanks!
Dave is experienced with this setup as well!

BTW Centurion, you can read more about this if you'll Google- Larson Pettifogger / Open Range. It's and old but very instructional thread about this topic. My method differs somewhat from Larson's but you end up at the same place (pretty much).

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