New to BlackPowder revolvers- question on cylinder/bore 'fitting'.

[bczrx]

Hello,

I have an 1864-production year Remington 1858 New Model Army. Using a light I can see a hint of the edge of the chamber wall on the side of the barrel when I look down the muzzle.

I plan on fitting a new cylinder stop to align it properly.

However, I need some advice on how I should fit it.

I have fit stops on Ruger [SA and DA/SA], S&W DA/SA and Colt DA/SA revolvers.

I know that the design theory behind the Ruger DA/SA and S&W DA/SA revolvers was that a hint of side-to-side motion of the cylinder was allowed as this allowed the bullet to 'align itself' in the chamber of the barrel.

Colt on the other hand wanted a 'bank vault lock-up', where there is no motion allowed- rotational or fore/aft.

When I go to fit the stop to the original Remington New Model Army, should I set the cylinder stop/bolt so that it allows NO rotational motion when the cylinder is stopped//locked in place?

Or should I allow a hint of wiggle room to allow it to self-center, a la Ruger and S&W?

I don't want to destroy the barrel [or any other part of this 160 year old revolver], so I figured I'd ask the collective first.


Thank you for any insights you can share.

 

[Philip Lebow]

I would try and set the stop for solid alignment, free of wiggle..Wear in the hand will eventually result in some wiggle anyways. As you know, the hand holds the cylinder against the stop. Use a range rod (sounds like you have them) to confirm your alignment.

 

[maillemaker]

I am no gunsmith. But it seems to me the most important thing is that when fully cocked, the chamber is aligned with the bore. On firing, the bullet will be gone in an instant before play will have much chance to do anything.

A borescope is useful in seeing the "crescent moon" shape of a misaligned chamber.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Hello,

I have an 1864-production year Remington 1858 New Model Army. Using a light I can see a hint of the edge of the chamber wall on the side of the barrel when I look down the muzzle.

I plan on fitting a new cylinder stop to align it properly.

However, I need some advice on how I should fit it.

I have fit stops on Ruger [SA and DA/SA], S&W DA/SA and Colt DA/SA revolvers.

I know that the design theory behind the Ruger DA/SA and S&W DA/SA revolvers was that a hint of side-to-side motion of the cylinder was allowed as this allowed the bullet to 'align itself' in the chamber of the barrel.

Colt on the other hand wanted a 'bank vault lock-up', where there is no motion allowed- rotational or fore/aft.

When I go to fit the stop to the original Remington New Model Army, should I set the cylinder stop/bolt so that it allows NO rotational motion when the cylinder is stopped//locked in place?

Or should I allow a hint of wiggle room to allow it to self-center, a la Ruger and S&W?

I don't want to destroy the barrel [or any other part of this 160 year old revolver], so I figured I'd ask the collective first.


Thank you for any insights you can share.

Not really,

 

[Philip Lebow]

The cylinder alignment issue is long standing..This is why all revolvers have forcing cones at the back of the barrel.
This is to try and reduce the damage from misaligned chambers. Of course the better aligned the cylinder, the less bullet damage, and better accuracy results..Just do the best you can to get perfect alignment. Some of the older revolvers have issues with the cylinder stop hole, making the alignment adjustment difficult. The other variable,
is the location of the notches in the cylinders themselves, which are not always perfectly indexed to the chambers.
Check the alignment of ALL the chambers, you might see some variations.