Chain Fire

[Tracy]

I was shooting a new 58 Rem.by Pietta{Traditions}yesterday.Pointed gun at target pulled the trigger and boom boom the cylinder to the left went off.Ilooked and the cap was almost off.I fired the gun again and it shot fine,cocked the piece pulled the trigger and boom boom another chain fire the cylinder imediate left of barrel looked and the cap was almost completly off.I had checked the caps for fit before I loaded the gun and they fit very snug had to have a knife to get them off.When I seated the .454 balls I got a very thin ring of lead that did not make a complete circle.I then rembered that I didnt remember to put grease on top of the balls[duh].
When I cleaned the gun I noticed that 3 of the cylinder holes looked like they were slightly out of round.Should I try .457 balls,and grease[duh],use it for a wallhanger, or what?Its a brand new gun.

 

[PitchyPine]

I would be taking that cylinder off and have those holes checked if you think something isn`t right. If the holes are ok then the next size bigger ball until you get a ring shaved off then i use a wad under the ball and crisco over the ball.

 

[Rebel]

If by chance you bought it from Cabelas, i would return it to them and get another one. They are very good about taking care of their customers.

 

[crockett]

The cylinder holes could be out of round but that seems odd- how do you bore a hole out of round? The tight fitting caps seem to be okay- you didn't squeeze them into an oval shape etc- is that correct? They went straight on and have to be pried off with a knife?
There must be a blow back effect directed towards the chamber to the left of that chamber aligned with the barrel. The grease is the standard cure but several shooters have said that after a shot or two the flame of the fired rounds has burned out the grease. Try some pre-lubed wads over the powder and under the ball. These wads are oversized and should seal up the works- I would recommend test firing the gun is some sort of vise, etc in the interest of safety.

 

[mec]

"The cylinder holes could be out of round but that seems odd- how do you bore a hole out of round? "

It would seem to be (and probably is) a lot harder to bore one oval than round but when there's a will, there's a way.

A few years ago, it was not uncommon to find cylinders with chambers of two or three different diameters. This was particularly true of the defunct and un-mourned ArmiSan Marco revolvers. It seems like they would have to go to a lot of trouble to screw up a revolver like that. Maybe they drilled pilot holes and then used a cluster of reamers of all different sizes on a friction clutch to complete the fubar.

 

[Bob Riegl]

:hmm: I always hate when I hear this---a good customer invests some of his hard earned money and has faith in the manufacturer---makes a buy and gets shafted. I am relieved that you were not hurt. Why am I not surprised when I hear about another Pietta customer gets the royal shaft---because I have experienced it and many others have been taken in. I do not believe that is the problem causing the chainfire---basically if you use a wad over the charge no chainfire should occur IMHO. The usual culprit is that the nipples are slightly oversized for #11 and perhaps #10's also. Without the proper nipple seal you get failures to fire on the first go round or chain fires. Fixing the nipples is as easy as removing them chucking them into a drill, slowly run a small file over the nipple until the nipples and cap fit easily. However, all that said, either have the gun checked by a smith (who knows the business) or return it to Cabelas pronto---don't attempt to shoot it again. Then basically look for that gun made by Uberti, it's less of a crap shoot. :thumbsup:

 

[rebel727]

I don't buy into the nipple seal causing chainfires. Way back when I bought my first c&b revolver nobody was shooting them. I didn't know squat about how to load or anything else. I just poured powder in the chambers and rammed a ball in. Had to pinch fit my caps because they were too big. Had chainfires galore. Sometimes it'd fire all six at once. They didn't stop till I started putting Crisco over the balls. Never had another chainfire since I started doing that, even if some or all of the caps jumped off and left the nipples on charged chambers open. I was using heavy loads too. Had to carve off the front of the balls to get the cylinder to turn. just my 2¢

 

[PitchyPine]

I don't buy into the nipple seal causing chainfires. Way back when I bought my first c&b revolver nobody was shooting them. I didn't know squat about how to load or anything else. I just poured powder in the chambers and rammed a ball in. Had to pinch fit my caps because they were too big. Had chainfires galore. Sometimes it'd fire all six at once. They didn't stop till I started putting Crisco over the balls. Never had another chainfire since I started doing that, even if some or all of the caps jumped off and left the nipples on charged chambers open. I was using heavy loads too. Had to carve off the front of the balls to get the cylinder to turn. just my 2¢

I tend to agree, i`ve shot my Colt a lot where the caps have fallen off and never had a chain fire, besides when your facing someone with carved balls ya don`t argue with him.
:rotf:

 

[renovato]

I'd return it under warrantee. There's no excuse for that kind of slop from the factory.

An overpowder wad, or grease over the ball either should eliminate the problem if it shoots well and you decide to keep it.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I've owned and shot 4 different Pietta '58 Rems. and never had a chainfire occur. On one of them the hand and spring broke prematurely is only problem I've had with them. They all shot good. The one I have now shoots real good. They all used #10 caps. Once I was out of #10's and 'pinched' some #11's to fit _ I've got a feeling I was lucky to not have a chainfire. I always used grease over the balls (that shaved a ring of lead when pressed in) until I started making my own felt wads and placing drop of Go-Jo atop. I've just got the feeling that your problem has something to do with the nipple/cap area rather than the chamber mouth and ball fit.

 

[WRussell]

Could the holes be out of round because they bored them and then heat treated? Warpage. The cylinder itself should be out of round if true. Also the hardness is possibly not uniform. Not a good thing.

 

[Tracy]

Rebel 727 when all 6 went off where did the ball in the bottom cylinder end up?
The ring off of the ball looks more like a fingernail than a circle.The wife says that the holes look perfectly round to her but look out of round to me.
The gun was bought at Gander Mountain.They said there were no returns on B.P.guns,but mabey they will exchange a faulty gun.I would be happy with that.I dont know if they are as good as Cabelas on exchanges.

 

[Tracy]

Crockett I didnt need to squeeze the caps they slide on with some pressure.This my first c and b revolver its got me a little gun shy.

 

[bob308]

if you think the cylinder dores are out of round measure them. if they are ok then i think you need a bigger ball. i had a walker one time that chain fired the problem was fixed when i got a bigger ball for it. i was using .451 went to a .457 cured the problem.

 

[Okwaho]

Instead of just grease only try some meal between the ball and grease thereby bringing the ball up to the front of the cylinder.with the space between being full of meal.
Tom Patton

 

[crockett]

Jess- if you want to send back the gun then do so but I would first try the wads. They come dry or pre-lubed- get the pre-lubed to start.
1. Pour in the powder charge,
2. add the wad(for a 44 percusion revolver)
3. ram the ball until firmly seated
4. cap the nipple and shoot- just load two chambers to start.

On the vise business, you may create more trouble than you are trying to solve but the vise needs to be on a heavy base that can slightly move from recoil, Take off the wood grips and pad the frame in leather before putting in the vise and then the string on the trigger- make SURE the muzzle is pointed into a berm, etc.

I really think just adding the wads will eliminate all your troubles- let us know how you are doing.
At this point don't mess with cream of wheat or corn meal- it is used to fire reduced powder charges while keeping the ball near the end of the muzzle.

I don't recommend squeezing oversized caps on a nipple that is the wrong size but...I used to do it without a problem.

 

[Okwaho]

I am in general agreement with Crockett here.However,the use of meal was a method of loading used by CW cavalrymen or anyone armed with revolvers and engaged in in close combat.The purpose of the meal{and remember they didn't have wads etc.}was to bring the ball out to the front of the cylinder ahead of the meal so that the slightly projecting ball just barely cleared the rear of the barrel as the cylinder revolved thus reducing the distance that the ball traveled inside the cylinder before it engaged the rifling of the barrel and increasing the gun's effectiveness and accuracy.See "Civil War Collector's Encyclopedia" {the one volume edition] by Francis Lord,P.223 illustrating a relic revolver recovered from the Battle of Ball's Bluff with at least two rounds still in the cylinder as outlined above.
Tom Patton

 

[rebel727]

Rebel 727 when all 6 went off where did the ball in the bottom cylinder end up?

Don't know. Probably splattered into oblivion against the ram. Might be why the loading lever had a short life span. That and really puttin out on it trying to force balls down on too much powder. Anyhow this is what it looked like.

 

[mec]

I did that with a 31 pocket remington and have probably come close with my 44

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Wow, what a mess. So you were forcing the ball onto a heavy charge of BP? Figger some powder was forced out the chamber mouth maybe? Lucky U did not have a finger or 2 taken off!