Civil War era Remington questions from a first time owner

[LzChase]

I've aquired an old Remington revolver and as a first time owner I have a few questions.

First of, it has a gap between the face of the cylinder and the forcing cone measuring 0.0137 inch/0.35mm. Is this acceptable or should I consult with a gunsmith?

Next, the original cylinder is missing and has been replaced with a cylinder bearing a different serial number. Is this normal? Everything else seems to be original.

I'd also like to know what to oil the mechanism with and how much oil to use. It was packed with grease for storage when I got it so I cleaned it out. I currently have Ballistol, Brunox Turbo-Spray and Hoppe's no. 9 Lubricating Oil.

Next are the two most important questions boiling down to one: Is it safe to fire this gun?

With the hammer cocked, the cylinder is not rock solid. It is able to move a very very little bit, to where you can just barely feel it. It's very minimal but it is there. Should this be a of concern?

Second, the bore seems to have some pitting. The rifling is still there but it isn't perfectly smooth. The protruding bit is old fouling that seems to be really caked on. I've ordered a set of bronze brushes.

 

[Justin.44]

Got more pics of the whole gun?

 

[LzChase]

Got more pics of the whole gun?

I left it at the gunsmith to fix the front sight, I'll post more pictures as soon as I can

 

[Justin.44]

Cool. If I had time I could answer some of your questions but there's some guys here that know a lot more than me about original revolvers. The gunsmith should be able to tell you if it's safe to fire.

 

[Clark Badgett]

You can use a little vasaline or clean ANIMAL grease for the cylinder pin. Veggie greases or oils will polymerize in short order and get sticky.

 

[LzChase]

Cool. If I had time I could answer some of your questions but there's some guys here that know a lot more than me about original revolvers. The gunsmith should be able to tell you if it's safe to fire.

Unfortunately he doesn't know a lot about black powder revolvers as a type of weapon, he specializes in antique airguns and .22 rifles. He's an artist at fitting dovetail sights but the only gunsmith I know who specializes in black powder lives several hundred miles north. I often speak to him at the Gothenburg military fair but it's 3 months away. Since I don't have his contact info, I decided my best bet for now would be the forum.

PS: I'm located in Sweden where black powder shooting is not a very big sport and very few specialize in such weapons. I've not been able to find another gunsmith who works within the area of black powder.

 

[Justin.44]

Unfortunately he doesn't know a lot about black powder revolvers as a type of weapon, he specializes in antique airguns and .22 rifles. He's an artist at fitting dovetail sights but the only gunsmith I know who specializes in black powder lives several hundred miles north. I often speak to him at the Gothenburg military fair but it's 3 months away. Since I don't have his contact info, I decided my best bet for now would be the forum.

PS: I'm located in Sweden where black powder shooting is not a very big sport and very few specialize in such weapons. I've not been able to find another gunsmith who works within the area of black powder.

Yeah you came to the right place for help. Even though he's not familiar with black powder firearms, any competent gunsmith should fully understand the workings of a single action revolver. You'll get lots of good advice here to help you out.

 

[B P Arn]

... it has a gap between the face of the cylinder and the forcing cone measuring 0.0137 inch/0.35mm. Is this acceptable or should I consult with a gunsmith?

Next, the original cylinder is missing and has been replaced with a cylinder bearing a different serial number. Is this normal? Everything else seems to be original.

I'd also like to know what to oil the mechanism with and how much oil to use. It was packed with grease for storage when I got it so I cleaned it out. I currently have Ballistol, Brunox Turbo-Spray and Hoppe's no. 9 Lubricating Oil.

Next are the two most important questions boiling down to one: Is it safe to fire this gun?

With the hammer cocked, the cylinder is not rock solid. It is able to move a very very little bit, to where you can just barely feel it. It's very minimal but it is there. Should this be a of concern?

Second, the bore seems to have some pitting. The rifling is still there but it isn't perfectly smooth. The protruding bit is old fouling that seems to be really caked on. I've ordered a set of bronze brushes.

A barrel to cylinder gap of 0.014" is excessive, but not unsafe to shoot. However, it should be corrected to a proper gap.

That Ballistol lubricant you already have is probably the best possible lubricant that can be used, in my experience.

The gun is safe to fire, in my opinion.

Before shooting it, scrub that bore with a bronze brush and solvent. It should clean up without too much trouble.

 

[45D]

You'll probably have a "failure to fire" if your aiming low . . .

Mike