Cap & Ball and Intro

[El Gringo]

Hi everyone!
I'm chosing this area for my introduction.  I'm 44 and reside south of Pittsburgh Pa.
I been into shooting since 1975 ish and have recently gotten into black powder.  I actually did have a brass frame .36 cal kit of a Colt Navy I beleive when I was in my teens, but that didnt last long.

Now I'm rediscovering it with a couple nice repro's and cant wait till the spring thaw to give em a workout. So far I've shot the 1860. This I bought in the fall; the 1858 Remington was a late Christmas present for myself.

I do have a question about the Remington model.  The hammer is so much stiffer to cock back than the 1860.  Is there a trick to lighten this up, or will it lighten up eventually with prolonged use?

Thanks all,
Bob

[Rebel-1]

There is a small screw in the front of the grip frame. You can back it out a little to ease some of the tension on the spring. Don't get to carried away though or you may have misfires. And the Hammer on a Remmy is just harder to cock than a Colt.

[Flint]

If the Remington is a Pietta, the mainspring will be much stiffer than an Uberti, or even your car's suspension.  They can be thinned, or even replaced with a lighter spring, but as the previous responder mentioned, you have to have enough spring to prevent misfires.

The tension screw on the Remington will adjust the tension up to a point, but loosening it too much will actually make the spring stiffer again due to the curve and its effect on the apparent length, it will rub on the inside curve of the hammer and feel harder.

The Remington repro cartridge guns (1875 and 1890) also have heavier springs than the Colt types, but not as heavy as the cap & ball.  However if you have a Pietta, an Uberti spring may not fit well.  Some shooters put in a Colt spring, even with the now unused screw hole, they will work in a Remington. 

[El Gringo]

You guessed right it's a Pietta
I backed out the screw 1 1/2 turns and have been working the action and it seems to have lightened up nicely....though not as butter smooth as the 1860.
I can live with it and am looking foward to a range session!

Come on spring thaw!

[simonkenton]

I never have had a Remington but I imagine it is similar to the Colt.

I broke the main spring on my 1860 Colt Army.
I got a replacement main spring from Traditions. This is the spring that you are tugging against when you cock the pistol.

That pistol was really hard to cock with that replacement spring.
I removed the main spring. I got out my second favorite gunsmithing tool, the Makita belt sander.
With medium grade paper, 80 grit, I locked the sander on and turned it upside down on the table, so it was like a table sander.
I held the main spring in my hand, and ground the edge for a second or two. I knew to not grind for long, or the temper would be ruined.
After grinding for a second, I cooled it down in cold water.
Another reason for holding in the hand, you can feel it if it gets hot.

I ground on it five or ten times, probably removed 10 percent of the width of the spring.
I put it back in the gun, it was perfect. No damage to the temper.

[JerryKo]

Nice brace you got there.  I posted on your other thread as well.  I have had a cap and ball revolver that the only time I shot it was to empty and clean it after my Father had passed away.  It was his, as are most of the other firearms I have.  I have been shooting BP rifles since before I shot centerfire though, and always hold the sport near my heart.  I belong to a range in the Brownsville area called Nixon and they usually have a BP rifle shoot 4th Sunday of the month.  I wouldnt mind learning a bit more about the cap and ball revolver though.  I'll have to start reading more in this forum.

Welcome and take care.

Jerry

[El Gringo]

Thanks Jerry.  I'm rather new to them.
The 1860 was awful fun shooting. I also got a flask and capper for Christmas to speed up loading, but I know the capper I have probably wont work on the Remmy copy.
Gotta love to clean them as much as shoot to enjoy them...which I do.

I gotta hit the Greensburg gunshow sunday and pick up some more Ballistol and another capper...
and Remington # 10 caps.

If I get the gumption I'll get some leather and make up a couple holsters this summer.

Simon, thats some good info, but I'm afraid I'll muff it up myself. It seems to be smoothing out.

[simonkenton]

Naw, you can do it, if you have a belt sander it is easy.
Mail it to me and I'll fix it for free.