New pietta 1851 Wedge screw question, Help! new guy

[t4613]

Hi Guys,
What is the purpose of the wedge screw? Does it need to be removed before removing the wedge? I have seen guys on YouTube just tap out the wedge and make not mention of the screw. I have not taken it apart yet or fired it. I plan on giving a good cleaning this weekend and fire it for the first time Saturday.  Any help would be great. Thanks

[shooter69]

Usualy if you turn out the scew a half turn or so you can remove the wedge for dissasembly, and not have to remoe the screw. Also the wedge will be retained enough so as not to fall out of the barrel and get lost. This is how i do it with my 1860 army. Some just remove the screw.

[His lordship.]

I rarely took my wedge completely out on my cap and ball revolvers, never messed with the screws unless doing a bluing job.  Just tap out the wedge until the screw stops its travel and clean/oil it and the square hole it came out of.   

[tpelle]

I've never touched the wedge screw on any of my BP revolvers.  I just press the wedge out from the right side, then continue to withdraw the wedge until the spring hooks on to the screw head as intended.  If you want to completely remove the wedge you can just sort of lift up on the wedge to compress the spring, then unhook it from the screw head.

The wedge screw was never really meant to removed on a routine basis.  Its only purpose is for the screw head to slightly overlap the wedge slot so as to provide a "lip" on which the wedge spring hooks to retain the wedge and hopefully prevent its loss.  When the wedge slot is broached during the machining of the barrel lug, the broaching operation, by it's very nature, makes it impossible to leave the slot with a lip to catch the spring.  Hence the wedge screw.