Thinning of barrel on a Colt replica

[bang]

Ok. Sent out several Emails to hopefully get reason.
After looking at a couple of mine it appears the heel on the lever does extend just a hair into the barrel when rotated. May just be mine, don't know. Not enough though a minute bit of trimming wouldn't cure it.
Another thought is machining process and availability of cutter size in standard to make one pass with tolerance build ups in mind that maintain integrity. From the markings it appears the process used a milling wheel that cut in to depth then plunged both positive and negative to obtain width.
Manufacturers are notorious for cutting any number of movements of process to expedite production without implementing specialty tools and or time. IMO

 

[SDSmlf]

Ok. Sent out several Emails to hopefully get reason.
After looking at a couple of mine it appears the heel on the lever does extend just a hair into the barrel when rotated. May just be mine, don't know. Not enough though a minute bit of trimming wouldn't cure it.
Another thought is machining process and availability of cutter size in standard to make one pass with tolerance build ups in mind that maintain integrity. From the markings it appears the process used a milling wheel that cut in to depth then plunged both positive and negative to obtain width.
Manufacturers are notorious for cutting any number of movements of process to expedite production without implementing specialty tools and or time. IMO

Think price point. Every movement, cutter change or whatever adds cycle time to the process. That adds cost that most don’t want to pay for.

 

[bang]

Pietta closed till 29th. Get back on this then.

 

[bang]

Have contacted Pietta. Best answer I can get out of the it the cut is for loading lever. Duh.
I'm sticking with machining process and availability of cutter size in standard to make one pass with tolerance build ups in mind that maintain integrity.

 

[MiddleJohn]

After looking at dozens of pictures of original Colt cap & ball revolvers I'll say, the undercut is the result of sloppy machine setup and tolerancing.

None of the original Colt 1851's I looked at had a undercut like the one in your picture.

As far as safety goes, I wouldn't worry about it. The walls on your revolver's cylinder chambers are thinner than the thickness of the barrel where the undercut exists and the pressure in the cylinder chamber is far greater than the pressures at the location of the notch in the barrel.

And my Navy '51 clone, bought in the late 60's, does not show the cut when looked at from the side.
It's there but does not easily show when all closed up and was done with a single pass it appears.
The brass frame 36cal is marked "EIG". And if I remember correctly it was under $50 out the door with a bag
of buckshot at San Francisco Gun Exchange. Those were the days!

 

[Long Johns Wolf]

Checked subject pistols I own. Here are my findings:
2nd gen Colt 1851 Navy SQTG #15379 from 1975: no cut
Uberti Colt 1851 Navy RTG #9557 code XXVI/1970: cut
Uberti Griswold & Gunnison #016158 code XXVI/1970: cut
Uberti Schneider & Glassick #027752 code XX8/1972: cut
Uberti miniature Colt 1851 Navy SQTG #PM809: cut
Hope that helps.
Long Johns Wolf

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I have looked at a couple of my Colts and Uberti/ Colts for that divot under the barrel. None have that. My oldest Uberti is from 1959-60. No such goof under the barrel. I don’t know if I’ll get around to checking the rest, but I’m satisfied.