Asking for experienced advice on revolver wear n tear

[Phil Coffins]

Not an expert on Remingtons but I’d be checking on the shape of the hand as it alines with the cylinder. Looks as if the tip is bearing on the ratchet as a point.

 

[Sudsy]

I agree, but the hand is good! My guess is the hand is hardened and obviously, the back of the cylinder is soft.
Thanks for your input.
Larry

Something is chewing at that cylinder in a way it shouldn't
Could the pin that holds the hand to the hammer be bent ?

 

[jefair1]

You might want to contact Charlie Hahn. Ther is a link at N-SSA .org under sutlers. He does a lot of work on revolvers and is highly recommended.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

If you know a really good welder he can stick a tiny drop of hard weld on each chip. You can then work them into shape with files and a Dremel.
I rebuilt a broken tooth on a Walker cylinder like that. You'd never know it had been broken. According to the welder (does aerospace stuff really knows his ####) the new tooth is even stronger than the old ones

Although if it's to that point I'd just replace the cylinder and since they're cheap, along with the stop bolt and the hand.

I only wonder when you have a welder do that, and then you finish the fitting..., does that void any of the manufacturer's responsibility if the cylinder for some reason fails in a bad way and somebody gets hurt?

I agree with the idea of just replacing the cylinder, and the hand. Cylinders for the Uberti are available. I'd get one now, before inflation does any more economic damage, and then you have it when the original fails. Do replace the hand as well, perhaps first.

LD

 

[bigted]

First, if it works properly then just use it for as long as you can before it stops working properly.

Looks to me that it has been forced to function after the fouling is to a point where the cylinder shoulda been removed and the face wiped off and the cylinder pin re-lubed.

The Remington Army revolvers will not run nearly as long as the Colt revolvers will before needing attention at the cylinder face at least.

When shooting I have a very near dry (damp) cloth to wipe the face off and this usually helps keep the revolvers in fine running shape.

When the hammer cooking gets gummy ... STOP and clean things! I betcha this is why the cylinder cooking notches are chipped and worn.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Not an expert on Remingtons but I’d be checking on the shape of the hand as it alines with the cylinder. Looks as if the tip is bearing on the ratchet as a point.

Good point! Looks OK, but I do not have anything to compare it to.
Larry

 

[Sudsy]

I only wonder when you have a welder do that, and then you finish the fitting..., does that void any of the manufacturer's responsibility if the cylinder for some reason fails in a bad way and somebody gets hurt?

That's actually a really good point.
My Walker was an Armi San Marco, long out of business so it didn't matter.

 

[Davey Boy]

In My Opinion

If you want a welder to do it, find one that does that work frequently and not one that will give it a try

My friend had a welder do work and it looked liked pigeons pooped on it

It was wrecked

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

In My Opinion

If you want a welder to do it, find one that does that work frequently and not one that will give it a try

My friend had a welder do work and it looked liked pigeons pooped on it

It was wrecked

That is a telltale sign he should not have been called a welder!

 

[BadDaditood]

since the hand is harder than the cylinder
Maybe you could soften the hand (pawl) ?
Get it red hot then let cool slowly. When it wears out replace it. Hands are a lot cheaper than cylinders!!

 

[Flinter 2]

Allot of folks new to repro BP revolvers don't ready them to shoot when they get them out of the box, at the factories they are coated with anti rust compounds, the compound have very little to no lubrication properties, and some of them can even be abrasive, most maker suggest that they be cleaned and lubed before shooting.
That said, if it were mine I would first contact Uberti USA and tell them of my issue with the revolver and ask them if they can repair it or replace the damage parts.
Depending on what they suggest I may or may not decide to keep shooting it as is, and when it stops working I use it as a wall hanger and buy a new one, and make sure to clean the factory coating off all the parts, I'd use a good high quality grease on the internals and on the arbor (cylinder pin) and lube the frame and barrel, I have several Uberti and Pietta BP revolvers that have had hundreds of shots fired through them in Cowboy shoots and range practice and don't show any wear.
But I keep them cleaned and well lubed, I take them completely apart after each shooting session, I soak the parts in warm water mixed with a good quality dish soap and then clean them all individually with a soft bristle tooth brush, rinse them well in hot water, wipe them off and let them air dry, when dry I lube each part and put them back together, then test for functioning.
While is sounds like allot of work it's not once you establish a routine, taking the time to care for you revolvers will keep them looking good and running good for a life time of shooting fun.

 

[user 48679]

As an expedient/temporary repair, I would remove the cylinder, support atop a sturdy bench top, then peen the displaced metal back into place with a flat-faced drift pin & a 16oz ball peen hammer.

 

[Eterry]

I don't think packing grease or the lack thereof caused the problem your looking at. It seems reasonable to me the back of the cylinder is much softer steel than the hand, or the hand is just too hard, (which is a little hard to believe is possible) and thru normal use the hand has worn the back of the cylinder. This should not have occurred, but it did. Running the Cylinder pin dry will speed up the wear. I would look at a replacement hand, get a cylinder stop while your at it, dress the notches with a file/and or a punch and light hammer and see what happens.

As to welding, there are Stick/Mig/Tig/Xray certified welders who as my Pa said, could mend anything from a Ferris Wheel to a Broken Heart. Then there are guys who took a few classes in at a Vo-Tech I wouldn't let weld on a chicken coop. I'm not sure the welder is needed yet, but look for a "smith" who can weld, not someone who says "Geez I always wanted to work on a pistol".

Years ago I had an OLD S&W revolver get out of time. The umpire standing at my 8 o'clock got fragged by my rapid fire, so I knew we had a problem. A local gunsmith luckily had parts for a 1930's vintage Smith, and replaced the hand and stop. The stop was wore to a nub, but he replaced both parts cause he had them. Then he gently filed the notches on the cylinder to make it run smooth. I still shoot it.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

As an expedient/temporary repair, I would remove the cylinder, support atop a sturdy bench top, then peen the displaced metal back into place with a flat-faced drift pin & a 16oz ball peen hammer.

That is a good idea, except the issue is not displaced metal, but removed metal. Can't put back what is not there. The hand chewed out the metal leaving a hole.
Thanks anyway
Larry

 

[Phil Coffins]

Reading your posts it’s clear that the cylinder is being cut. Replacing the hand with another of the same shape would do the same cutting. A softer hand would wear quicker but not stop the cutting either. With out the gun in hand I can’t say what is happening but a clever fellow like you should be able to figure out what the angles should be and approach the problem in a systematic way. Buying parts isn’t the first step in fixing the issue.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

since the hand is harder than the cylinder
Maybe you could soften the hand (pawl) ?
Get it red hot then let cool slowly. When it wears out replace it. Hands are a lot cheaper than cylinders!!

Thanks for your thoughts, but I disagree. IMO both wear surfaces should have some hardening. The hand is good, the culprit is the seemingly soft back of the cylinder.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Reading your posts it’s clear that the cylinder is being cut. Replacing the hand with another of the same shape would do the same cutting. A softer hand would wear quicker but not stop the cutting either. With out the gun in hand I can’t say what is happening but a clever fellow like you should be able to figure out what the angles should be and approach the problem in a systematic way. Buying parts isn’t the first step in fixing the issue.

Ha ha, thanks for tooting a horn! If I were clever, I would still need some background experience with revolvers. Mine is close to none.

 

[M. De Land]

TIG welding is a possibility, but I do not have the equipment nore the expertise. All other parts seem to be in good condition. I am looking for answers as to what others have done. Cheap cylinder? Don't know where you have seen cheap cylinders, but the ones I have seen are $100 bucks. Not gonna do that yet!
Thanks
Larry

You might get away with welding on a cylinder with black powder use as the pressures are quite low but I never would recommend it. For any weld to take place the steel has to be raised above molten temperature and this most definitely will change the yield strength at the weld for shock load which is a different breed of cat from normal tension stressing. The problem is the metal at the weld will usually be much harder than will the parent metal and this sets up a term called a heat riser which basically is a brittle spot.
I believe the trouble here is the nose of the hand/pawl is miss shaped and never properly fit and dropped to the bottom of the ratchet seat. It could also be a weak hand spring or some kind of obstruction in the frame hand channel.

 

[Widows Son]

Slam cocking…a good name. Mid twentieth century B grade westerns put a lot of unrealistic crap in the public imagination. When I was a teenager I ruined my Italian made ‘51 Navy try to emulate what my fictional heroes did.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Visiting my neighbor and he had two 58 Remingtons so I bought them. Taking them apart to show how the hand isn't sharp and has a slight curve to the tip. These pistols have been shot a fair amount and the cylinders are in good shape. The hands are hard and the cylinders aren't. It's the shape that counts.
IMG_0752 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr