Cylinder pin looseness, how long does it ta

[His lordship.]

I have recently purchased an 1860 Pietta steel framed army, and a Uberti steel framed 1851 in .36.  The Pietta's wedge pin goes in with finger pressure and I shoot light loads, the Uberti has to have the wedge pin pounded in with a rubber mallet due to the slight misalignment in regards to the pin slot and the barrel slot, I also shoot light loads.  

About how long, if ever, will it take to have the cylinder pin shake loose in it's threaded assembly to the frame?

Back in the early 1980's I used to have a Euroarms 1851 colt in .36 that had the cylinder pin slot wear out to the point that the gun was misfiring due to the slop with the wedge, but that was 8 years of extensive shooting with hefty loads, and the quality of the gun was poor.

Thanks.

[curator]

Colt-type cap & ball revolvers are hard on the barrel wedge. Modern repros have wedges made of soft steel and are quickly deformed. The originals were case hardened and were MUCH tougher. None-the-less, they were considered an ordinary wear part that was replaced if it no longer allowed the barrel cylinder gap to be set correctly (.005-007) All fronteer gunsmiths had replacement wedges in stock. The only old Colts with original wedges were the ones carried and rarely shot. The best way to handle this is to make a new one out of tool steel and water-quench harden it.

 For best accuracy the barrel cylinder gap is set with an automobile feeler gauge of .005". Drive the wedge in until the feeler gauge slides smoothly between the barrel and cylinder face with some friction. A proper gap is essential for accuracy, ballistic uniformity, and functioning without binding.

[Flint]

The wedge, if it is only finger pressure tight is on the edge of needing replacement.  The "misalignment" of the slots between the barrel and the arbor is how the wedge keeps things tight, and that is how it should be.  

A rubber hammer is not your best choice, as you have to hit too hard and it smacks the barrel as well as the wedge, shocking the whole assdembly.  Get a brass wedge remover made for muzzle loading rifle wedges, or make one, rectangular to match the wedge.  Then hold it against the wedge and hit the brass drift with a wood or plastic hammer, so the force goes only to the wedge.

Buy a couple spare wedges from VTIgunparts.com.  Make sure you mark them or bag them labeled as to Uberti or Pietta.