NEW Midway Pietta 1860 in Army Question

[Larry-in-Eastbay]

I am a novice BP enthusiast and have a few BP revolvers.
I just recently purchased the Pietta 1860 in Army Caliber with extra cylinder from Midway.
Its for making a conversation piece display cased kit for my sitting room, as I have an old ASM to do the shooting with.
Ya, I know Uberti makes prettier guns (fitment and finish) more appropriate for this sort of thing, or better yet a 2nd generation Colt, or if i hac lots a coin and original...... but it is what it is.

I feel lucky, considering the fitment and function issues on new revolvers since Pietta/Uberi went CNC, that everything looks good say one item.
I have not shot this puppy yet and debating on doing so as it would add more character getting her dirtied up a bit.

So the one fitment issue is that the capture screw for the wedge sits to high.
The edge of the screw does not protrude down a little bit over the rectangular hole cutout to "capture" the wedge spring hook when the wedge is tapped out.
The wedge simply falls out when tapped out to remove the barrel or cylinder.
NO BUENO!
I will surely end up losing the wedge if I do use it as a shooter.
It seems to me that the only way to correct properly is to mill the rectangular hole a little wider so that the screw does protrude over the cut-out.
The Pietta cutout is a bit narrow in comparisons to my other revolvers including my ASM 1860 ..... at only 0.1185" as the caliper flies.
Alternatively Pietta may have drilled the screw hole to high/out of spce

QUESTIONS
1) Would you return this revolver for another, especially since it would invite another issue/issues to pop up in the replacement revolver..... this one is a keeper otherwise...... then again its brand new and should have had good fitment, no correction needed, QC checked at factory and not allowed to be put into a customer shipment.

2) Is there a wider screw that can be used (what size thread/pitch) and where could I obtain such? Maybe I should just work the cheapest part, buy a replacement just in case this fails, and look into smashing the screw head to widen it by putting it into a hole in a steel block and BANG! BANG! BANG!, then redress by filing and flat screw driver smashing in the groove to reform the looks and just cold blue it. I an tell you now a little smashing won't do, it would need to be allot

3) If a wider screw is not an option, Am I on the right track thinking about widening the rectangular cutout on the barrel since it seems a bit narrow anyways.......screw side so the spring has room to pop out and then get caught on the capture screw? If anyone else corrected such what id you do to correct it? My milling is skills are very limited by tools and bits and currently smallest is a 1/8" end mill for one of those all in one machines. The cutout is very narrow and looks like it would be a beeeoooitch to try to use teeny tiny itty bitty files to remove sufficient metal without it becoming a six month filing project-especially being barrel steel I would expect it to be made of quality and industrial graded steel with some strength .......and not cheap hardware store sheet metal steel that files easily.

4) Should I just get a bag of replacement Pietta wedges to replace the original wedge, and the replacement wedge, and the replacement og the replacement wedge, and so on as I lose them when knocking them out and missing being careful that one time and just chalk it up to loving character of this sucker?

Since purchased for a sitting room display I do not wish to butcher up the fit or finish.

For another NEW PIETTA wedge tightness data point for all, this brand new wedge could not be pushed out by hand but with a brass punch and a few light taps with the hammer it came out. No 4 pound sledge hammer needed on this one!

Thank you in advance for useful answers.
larry

 

[Gee Dog]

I am a novice BP enthusiast and have a few BP revolvers.
I just recently purchased the Pietta 1860 in Army Caliber with extra cylinder from Midway.
Its for making a conversation piece display cased kit for my sitting room, as I have an old ASM to do the shooting with.
Ya, I know Uberti makes prettier guns (fitment and finish) more appropriate for this sort of thing, or better yet a 2nd generation Colt, or if i hac lots a coin and original...... but it is what it is.

I feel lucky, considering the fitment and function issues on new revolvers since Pietta/Uberi went CNC, that everything looks good say one item.
I have not shot this puppy yet and debating on doing so as it would add more character getting her dirtied up a bit.

So the one fitment issue is that the capture screw for the wedge sits to high.
The edge of the screw does not protrude down a little bit over the rectangular hole cutout to "capture" the wedge spring hook when the wedge is tapped out.
The wedge simply falls out when tapped out to remove the barrel or cylinder.
NO BUENO!
I will surely end up losing the wedge if I do use it as a shooter.
It seems to me that the only way to correct properly is to mill the rectangular hole a little wider so that the screw does protrude over the cut-out.
The Pietta cutout is a bit narrow in comparisons to my other revolvers including my ASM 1860 ..... at only 0.1185" as the caliper flies.
Alternatively Pietta may have drilled the screw hole to high/out of spce

QUESTIONS
1) Would you return this revolver for another, especially since it would invite another issue/issues to pop up in the replacement revolver..... this one is a keeper otherwise...... then again its brand new and should have had good fitment, no correction needed, QC checked at factory and not allowed to be put into a customer shipment.

2) Is there a wider screw that can be used (what size thread/pitch) and where could I obtain such? Maybe I should just work the cheapest part, buy a replacement just in case this fails, and look into smashing the screw head to widen it by putting it into a hole in a steel block and BANG! BANG! BANG!, then redress by filing and flat screw driver smashing in the groove to reform the looks and just cold blue it. I an tell you now a little smashing won't do, it would need to be allot

3) If a wider screw is not an option, Am I on the right track thinking about widening the rectangular cutout on the barrel since it seems a bit narrow anyways.......screw side so the spring has room to pop out and then get caught on the capture screw? If anyone else corrected such what id you do to correct it? My milling is skills are very limited by tools and bits and currently smallest is a 1/8" end mill for one of those all in one machines. The cutout is very narrow and looks like it would be a beeeoooitch to try to use teeny tiny itty bitty files to remove sufficient metal without it becoming a six month filing project-especially being barrel steel I would expect it to be made of quality and industrial graded steel with some strength .......and not cheap hardware store sheet metal steel that files easily.

4) Should I just get a bag of replacement Pietta wedges to replace the original wedge, and the replacement wedge, and the replacement og the replacement wedge, and so on as I lose them when knocking them out and missing being careful that one time and just chalk it up to loving character of this sucker?

Since purchased for a sitting room display I do not wish to butcher up the fit or finish.

For another NEW PIETTA wedge tightness data point for all, this brand new wedge could not be pushed out by hand but with a brass punch and a few light taps with the hammer it came out. No 4 pound sledge hammer needed on this one!

Thank you in advance for useful answers.
larry

Very gently and carefully elevate (bend) the wedge spring upward so that it’s high enough to catch under the wedge screw

 

[CaptainKirk]

What Gee said...
Pietta's don't suffer from short arbor syndrome. With that wedge driven in firmly with a nylon mallet, it's not going anywhere.

 

[Larry-in-Eastbay]

No,
Thanks for the effort but......
........I think I did not explain clearly the issue.

The top of the rectangular cutout in the barrel for the wedge is below the outside edge of the capture screw cap/head, so as the wedge comes out of the barrel, the rectangular cutout keeps the spring hook pushed down below the outside edge of the capture screw, and just slides on out. The spring has plenty spring in it and would spring way higher when in the barrel if the rectangular cutout in the barrel was higher. I have to push the spring hook down quite a bit to put the wedge back in and can get it in with the capture screw in all the way. The capture screw hole, as drilled by Pietta in this revolver, has a relatively large ligament between the screw hole and the rectangular wedge cutout in the barrel ..... relative to my other revolvers, where the hole is extremely close to the rectangular cutout .... allowing the outside edge of the capture screw to overhang over the rectangular cutout in the barrel and catch the hook in the wedge spring.

Has anyone else had this problem and if so how did you correct it-including if you just said fooey and returned the revolver.

As another data point for those discussion on what the capture screw does, I did notice as originally received that the capture screw was not screwed in all the way by Pietta and left out enough to match just barely allowing the spring hook on the wedge to clear the other side and not allow the wedge to be pushed in further. This last bit of info is FYI and not part of the issue this revolver has.

 

[Gtrubicon]

Can you post a picture?

 

[45D]

No,
Thanks for the effort but......
........I think I did not explain clearly the issue.

The top of the rectangular cutout in the barrel for the wedge is below the outside edge of the capture screw cap/head, so as the wedge comes out of the barrel, the rectangular cutout keeps the spring hook pushed down below the outside edge of the capture screw, and just slides on out. The spring has plenty spring in it and would spring way higher when in the barrel if the rectangular cutout in the barrel was higher. I have to push the spring hook down quite a bit to put the wedge back in and can get it in with the capture screw in all the way. The capture screw hole, as drilled by Pietta in this revolver, has a relatively large ligament between the screw hole and the rectangular wedge cutout in the barrel ..... relative to my other revolvers, where the hole is extremely close to the rectangular cutout .... allowing the outside edge of the capture screw to overhang over the rectangular cutout in the barrel and catch the hook in the wedge spring.

Has anyone else had this problem and if so how did you correct it-including if you just said fooey and returned the revolver.

As another data point for those discussion on what the capture screw does, I did notice as originally received that the capture screw was not screwed in all the way by Pietta and left out enough to match just barely allowing the spring hook on the wedge to clear the other side and not allow the wedge to be pushed in further. This last bit of info is FYI and not part of the issue this revolver has.

The better fix would be a larger dia. screw head.
The problem "really" is the wedge spring on Piettas sticks out passed the end of the wedge anyway . . . so even with the correct screw head size, the wedge will clear the wedge slot before the spring catches anyway.

Pietta can fix the arbor problem but they can't seem to make a simple wedge .

Mike

 

[russellshaffer]

I just take the wedge out and set it on the bench while I'm cleaning. Just like the wedges on my hook breech rifles. No problem.

 

[45D]

The Pietta wedge screw has a shoulder that holds the bottom side of the head off of the barrel -

Remove the shoulder and it will sit flush against the barrel -

That will help retain the wedge somewhat . . .

Mike

 

[Jappo]

That's a common problem with the Pietta. All 1860 models I've had did/do the same.

 

[blfuller]

If the screw head protrudes into the wedge window enough to catch the spring, it should be okay. You would just need to do as described above to bend the spring to interface properly with the screw head. If the outside diameter of the screw head does not extend into the wedge window then I would return it and get one that does interface properly.