Author Topic: 51' navy eating cylinder notches for lunch?!? (Read 770 times)

Will52100 · « **on:** January 18, 2005, 05:32:24 PM »

For some reason I've got a Pietta that likes to eat cylinders. Specificly the locking notch on the cylinder is getting eat up. The lead in ramp for the locking lug is getting the last 1/32" or so battered and smeared down into the locking notch.

Never seen anything like it before. I miked the locking lug out, and it's a couple thousands under size of the locking notch on the cylinder.

No more Peitta's, and especialy non from Cabela's! Next time I'll just get a Uberti and be done with it!

Any idea's what I can do to fix this problem? Don't have this problem with my other 36 navy from Cabela's.

Thanks,

Will

Singing Bear · « **Reply #1 on:** January 18, 2005, 06:07:41 PM »

Give this a try. When in battery, is the cylinder able to move backwards out of battery? It'll only be a little bit, but enough to cut into the cylinder notch on the side you're conderned with. Had a 60 that did that and found the cylinder stop to be a bit too wide and cut at too steep an angle. Fixed that right up with a flat file.

Also, even if the lug of the stop is smaller than the cylinder notch, it don't mean it'll be right in there when in battery. Had another gun that did that and I fixed that by filing the lug narrower on the low or trailing side of the lug. Same symptoms in this instance as well. The cylinder will not properly lock up in battery and can easily be rotated out. Just a bit, but enough to really eat up the ramp side of the notch. You can feel that "hitch" when the lug catches that ramp rim and you get that sick feeling that you know it's cutting away metal.

Btw, one of the problem guns was an ASM and the other a Pietta. Most of my collection are Piettas and only had this problem with one of them. Don't get down too much on Pietta. Like any other brand of replica, there's always the few that get by, even with supposedly better made Uberti's. The later made Piettas are supposed to be even better than the earlier one's. If you have one of the earlier one's, this could also be the problem. Not very far back, either. Only a couple years or so. All my Piettas are the earlier makes. I been lucky. :grin:

Will52100 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 19, 2005, 04:33:25 AM »

The gun seems to lock up solidly, though firing may cause some movement. There is too much head space, even with the wedge screww removed and wedge driven all the way up theres more head space than I like. Maybe I just got a junker. The other Pietta I got from Cabela's while not to the level of colt or even Uberti is very nice and a great shooter with nothing more than changing out the niples. This ones acuracy sucks, it groups around 4-6", while I can get the other into 2" or smaller. The chambers all line up with the bore so that's not the problem.

I'll try a new locking lug and go from there.

Thanks,

Will

Shorty · « **Reply #3 on:** January 19, 2005, 12:24:22 PM »

My Pieta 1860 does the same thing. The cylinder stop is too far aft of the notches in the cylinder to ride on the center of the ramps. I stoned the stop, it does lock up tightly, and I've deburred the notches, figuring they'd eventually wear in. I think that the cylinder is just too soft.

I do hear that Pieta has improved their quality recently. :grin: Considering the dollar exchange values, one can't fault the price/quality of Pieta.

Will52100 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2005, 06:11:20 AM »

I think your right Shorty, after trying a couple new bolts and stoning the old one and putting a new cylinder in it still has the same problem, looks like the bolt is too far aft of the notch.

I think I could fix it by reworking the shape of the bolt, but with the other problems this gun has got I think it'll become a parts gun. Off the the local gun shop to order a Uberti.