replica revolvers

[t.l.a.r. eng]

To start, I am not an expert! I read alot and ask alot of questions. Then I try things while shooting. Things that work, I keep and things that don't, well.......

My 51 Navy started life as a Dixie Gun Works "kit" made by Pietta and I turned the barrel round because that is the way I wanted it. This gun would not have been able to be shot from new without several modifications.

1. The barrel didn't line up and lock with the bore.
2. The nipples would not hold any make of caps.

To solve the first two problems, I turned an aluminum slug one end fitting the cylinder and the other end fitting the barrel. Thus when the two are together with the locating slug in-between, the bolt should be able to keep the cylinder indexed correctly. The bolt was modified to fit deeper and more securely in the cylinder to keep it in time. Thankfully as on most modern Pietta revolvers the wedge is actually a wedge and the cylinder arbor is the correct length to "wedge" the barrel to the frame.

The nipples were too long, and the taper incorrect, so they were chucked in the lathe and the taper and length corrected to accept #10 Remington caps. This allso took care of the dry firing problem from the nipples being too long and able to be struck with the hammer.

First try at the range and 7 yard target, I could once in a while actually hit the target Let my friend try it, no, it really does shoot that bad.

Measuring the cylinder bore revealed it to be waaaay under sized for the barrel. The cylinder was reamed to .373 or 3/8 inch and .380 balls were cast for it. Now the balls would be .002 larger than the groove diameter. Back to the range with 20 grains Goex, we could actually hit the target, but not reliably.

At this point I figured the revolver was just meant to be a replica to look at and never would shoot right.

 

[t.l.a.r. eng]

A month or so passed and I went back to the 51 and decided to see if it could be improved upon.

The forcing cone was allmost non-existant compared to the nice 11 degree cone on my Uberti's so out to the shop to make a tool.

Here is an 11 degree forcing cone reamer I made that got the job done. Then the other end was crowned and lapped after I made sure it was square.

The bore of the barrel is a little rough as it looked to be broached and a little rough. Using a lapping compound, I lapped the barrel.

Next, back at the range, the revolver would hit 15 yard targets easily, but it shoots high. As I had been using 20 grains Goex, I started to work up the load from there. 22 grains, no wad, no grease, no difference.

I have read alot about the ball is supposed to be at the end of the cylinder, so I filled the cylinders with 25 grains and that moved the ball closer. Accuracy wasn't improving, in fact getting worse.

Next I tried loading the cylinder with 27 grains and ball, plain. The cylinder was pretty much full. With this load, accuracy went way down and alot of unburnt powder was everywhere.

The next weekend, I decided to go the other way with 20 grains black with wonder wads. Might have helped some, going in the right direction.
Pietta recommends 11 to 15 grains black, but the rammer will not seat the ball on the powder with this short of a load, so I used 11 grains, a wad, and ball. The first shot was so soft I stopped and took off the barrel to make sure the ball made it out! :shocked2:

Like I said,I am no expert.

So next we try the cornmeal and fillers. 15 grains Goex black, wonder wad, filler, ball, still short in cylinder. Shoots, but way high over the target. :idunno: Huh?

After a frustrating afternoon with the messy fillers, I decided corn meal and what not is for breakfast, not for shoot'n

Final load worked up ended up being back at the 20 grains Goex, 2 wonder wads, and .380 ball. Ball ends up at the mouth of the cylinder, no messy fillers and greases to play with, revolver shoots like it should. :hatsoff:

Like I said, I am no expert but maybe it would encourage others to dig a little deeper and find what works and what doesn't and keep a log with each revolver on what it likes. The Pietta and Uberti revolvers are a good value for the money and they can be made to shoot right if you are persistant.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

That certainly is one cool looking revolver. The grips are beautiful. As for shooting high, have you thought of making the front sight a bit taller? You can make a temporary front sight out of just about anything. I have an old EMF 1851 Navy. I shot it so much the original front sight feel off. It always shot high. So I replaced the sight with a brass screw shank and left it high. The sight was filed down to where I wanted it to be. After figuring it out and shooting from a sand bag, the revolver is pretty much dead center at twenty-five yards. I still have to do my part... :hmm:

 

[SAJones]

What 2 Deuce said: I have a bunch of Colt replicas of various types, & all but one shoots high. That's a 2nd generation Dragoon with conical balls. I replace the front sights on those that group well or I'm willing to change (most of my 2nd & 3rd gen Colts are as is). I get good accuracy out of a 3rd gen Colt 1861 & an EMF police pocket with the new front sights. A good barrel helps. I enjoy working on these things almost as much as shooting them, so good luck & maybe you will get the magic formula.