Today's purchase

[M. De Land]

The bolt tether (screw) along with the added bolt block are below the contact plane of the window bolt and cylinder notch so any clearance to allow vertical movement of the bolt in the window is going to be a bolt crowding offset support. Any clearance of the bolt to allow vertical motion in the window is going to be slightly tilted when impacted by the cylinder notch contact from it's rotation and the off set block below the contact plane is not going to eliminate all of this motion. The window in the frame is still going to be the main rotation block via the bolt. The early bolt drop and it's spring tension on the cylinders circumference will lesson this impact inertia from the contact and subsequent slight twisting/tilting motion of the bolt in its clearance from cylinder rotation energy.
Fanning is abuse of a revolver and out side any design parameters of a revolver and will eventually loosen them all no matter whats done to strengthen them.
Try not to be offended by thought contrary to your own and resist the tendency to be riled up and think for a moment from a different prospective, you may learn some things of value that can advance your own skill level.
I think back to when I started my apprenticeship in glass work and the things I learned from my mentors but over time (50 years plus now) I found my own ways and means and methods of doing the same work more effectively and efficiently than what I had been taught by the experts of the time. The same has been true of gun work which I've been doing for nearly the same length of time.

 

[M. De Land]

View attachment 263035View attachment 263037View attachment 263038We, my dog & I, drove, actually I did all the driving, he rode shotgun, about an hour today to get this Pietta Remington and accessories. The seller says it was bought new, by him, in the mid eighties. He says he shot it with the Pydrodex, 12 times then cleaned it and oiled it. Included with the pistol was a shoulder holster, the remaining Pydrodex, a can of Goex FFF, the remaining round balls, the tin of caps, the bag of lubed wads, a nipple prick, a powder flask, and all the paperwork that came with the gun. All the accessories were in an Ammo box. He has polished the internal parts so it operates smoothly. I got it all for about what the accessories would cost.

Getting back to the original post, I have been very happy with mine but these early guns do need some work to bring them up to their full potential. Be that as it may they will very often work for decades just as they came from the factory without any help from those of us who want to make them into match grade guns.
Shoot it and have fun then decide if you want any upgrades !

 

[Rich44]

The op was simply showing the great buy he got and now his post is being taken over. Great information, so now that we have the 2 great revolver mechanic's together. Give me your opinion.

In reference to cylinder to barrel gap, while I might not be an expert with using feeler gauges. The .003 leaf seems to me to be ever so slightly loose when checking the gap on this Colt. Got any ideas?

 

[45D]

In reference to cylinder to barrel gap, while I might not be an expert with using feeler gauges. The .003 leaf seems to me to be ever so slightly loose when checking the gap on this Colt. Got any ideas?

Is this the only picture you have?
The forcing cone appears to be "all there" so . . . the cylinder looks to be short ( judging how far back from the front of the frame). Have you tried an Uberti cylinder? If it's short, a Pietta cylinder may work. The wedge is in upside down and missing the retaining spring. Overall, it looks to be in father rough shape.

Mike

 

[45D]

On another note, it's easy to be "judge and jury" when you (apparently) have no guidelines . . .
When a person has been taught by the best, and the teacher was taught by the best from Colt custom shop and in turn taught "gun handling " to the Hollywood crowd ( 50's / 60's), was a fast draw champion ( traveled with and competed against Bob Munden) taught the late Eddie Janis, it's a fairly decent "pedigree" and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have met Jim Martin.
So, when "others" tell you "there's no "right" way ( there definitely IS) or what you do is "your opinion" ( it definitely ISN'T), it's not only a slap to me but to Jim, his knowledge - all the way back to Colt itself. You can find that information backed up by books, and manuals ( rarely in videos).
Bolt blocks aren't new. It's been used to protect the revolvers' action for many many decades ( from the Colt shop). It's simple to make and doesn't take anything away from the operation of the action, it Does do exactly what it's installed for and pretty much makes the revolver "bullet proof" (when timed correctly).

The 2 best upgrades the casual shooter can do to their SA is an action stop and a bolt block ( preferably with correct timing). I'm not here to sling mud, just trying to help, but I will take up for my training, Jim's teaching and those who have been taught "classically".

Nothing wrong with experimental deviation to "try new things" but honestly, you can't think of anything "new" that hasn't been done before. About the only thing outside of "per Colt design" that actually works is SLIGHTLY advanced timing (certainly NOT halfway between the notches) for speed shooting. Other than that, you're degrading the reliability and parts life of the revolver. With over 1,000 SA's in customers hands, I'm sure I would have heard if something doesn't work . . .
( not an ad )
Mike

 

[Relic shooter]

After 60+ years of collecting & shooting original Colt & Remington revolvers with 50% or less finish to not devalue these firearms I've found the vast majority of those that passed military specs had perfect timing & produced no drag marks on the cylinders.
Being a competitive shooter required learning how to tune & shoot these originals without devaluing them I became a fair firearm mechanic.
The only improvements I sometimes found necessary on most was to install lighter hammer springs & maybe stone the action surfaces to improve trigger pull.
Today we're trying to make mass produced replica revolvers work as well as the originals & that often requires numerous fixes & talents of folks with the proper knowledge & tooling to do it correctly.
There are some pretty talented members on this forum & must admit I've learned some new revolver tuning tricks myself via photo descriptions from member 45D & information from others like M DeLand.
Members who openly share their firearm knowledge in building, repairing & tuning are a huge help to newer members & are the glue that keeps our forum & historical sport alive.

 

[45D]

After 60+ years of collecting & shooting original Colt & Remington revolvers with 50% or less finish to not devalue these firearms I've found the vast majority of those that passed military specs had perfect timing & produced no drag marks on the cylinders.
Being a competitive shooter required learning how to tune & shoot these originals without devaluing them I became a fair firearm mechanic.
The only improvements I sometimes found necessary on most was to install lighter hammer springs & maybe stone the action surfaces to improve trigger pull.
Today we're trying to make mass produced replica revolvers work as well as the originals & that often requires numerous fixes & talents of folks with the proper knowledge & tooling to do it correctly.
There are some pretty talented members on this forum & must admit I've learned some new revolver tuning tricks myself via photo descriptions from member 45D & information from others like M DeLand.
Members who openly share their firearm knowledge in building, repairing & tuning are a huge help to newer members & are the glue that keeps our forum & historical sport alive.

Thank you Relic shooter! I truly appreciate your posts and your knowledge as well.

Mike

 

[M. De Land]

The op was simply showing the great buy he got and now his post is being taken over. Great information, so now that we have the 2 great revolver mechanic's together. Give me your opinion.

In reference to cylinder to barrel gap, while I might not be an expert with using feeler gauges. The .003 leaf seems to me to be ever so slightly loose when checking the gap on this Colt. Got any ideas?

View attachment 263469

With a feeler gauge one should be able to feel some resistance on both sides of the blade as it is passed through the gap without it sticking . If no resistance is felt than move up to the next blade thickness and feel it out again.
I like to check the gap with the tip of the blade at 12-3-6 and 9 o'clock to determine how level/square the cylinder face is with the barrel breech. The picture shown has a much larger gap than .003 and is tighter at the bottom than the top which means the chambers are out of alignment with the bore in the vertical plane.
When tightening a large barrel/cylinder gap via the wedge adjustment, very often the lower lug must be trimmed to maintain a level plane with the barrel breech because they are on separate draw up levels both offset from the bore and chamber alignment.
The lower lug cantilevers the barrel and if one moves the barrel back on the arbor via a wedge draw then some adjustment usually needs to be made to the lug to keep the gap square to maintain vertical alignment. I have done this by hand filing but get much better results and faster on my lathe which maintains very square contact with the frame laterally and perpendicularly.
In the picture no lower lug trimming should be needed but certainly a wedge adjustment or in my method new one made, to draw up the gap at the top and level it out.
It might even need a arbor end trim if it's end fit now.

 

[Rich44]

Sorry, Had no idea you guys would take post 23 seriously. It was meant as a joke.

 

[Crow Choker]

Rich44, that appears to be a original with alot of gray hairs or a repo that has had a hard life and been rode hard and put away wet.

 

[M. De Land]

Sorry, Had no idea you guys would take post 23 seriously. It was meant as a joke.

Good one, fish on, I took it hook, line and sinker !

 

[M. De Land]

Good one, fish on, I took it hook, line and sinker !

I would try and save it though if it were mine just for the challenge !

 

[45D]

Sorry, Had no idea you guys would take post 23 seriously. It was meant as a joke.

Can't believe you'd do that to a couple of old guys!!!

I didn't want to hurt your feelings but I was gonna say it looks like it was machined with a Sears bench belt sander!!

Mike

 

[Rich44]

The stories that Colt could tell would probably make us all cry.
By the way I win.

 

[springfield art]

Yikes! Retire it and get a newly made repro to shoot!

 

[45D]

By the way I win.

Yes . . . yes you do . . .

 

[BadDaditood]

To OP:
Lucky dog! Both ya

 

[M. De Land]

The stories that Colt could tell would probably make us all cry.
By the way I win.

Young Whipper Snappers, no respect for their elders !

 

[Curtis Lee]

Nice Find,Tom!

 

[Relic shooter]

View attachment 263035View attachment 263037View attachment 263038We, my dog & I, drove, actually I did all the driving, he rode shotgun, about an hour today to get this Pietta Remington and accessories. The seller says it was bought new, by him, in the mid eighties. He says he shot it with the Pydrodex, 12 times then cleaned it and oiled it. Included with the pistol was a shoulder holster, the remaining Pydrodex, a can of Goex FFF, the remaining round balls, the tin of caps, the bag of lubed wads, a nipple prick, a powder flask, and all the paperwork that came with the gun. All the accessories were in an Ammo box. He has polished the internal parts so it operates smoothly. I got it all for about what the accessories would cost.

Nice score Tom !!

That shoulder holster may not be traditional in style but is a far more comfortable way to pack while hunting in the backwoods & mountains !
There are several suppliers who sell nice vintage styled sixgun shoulder holsters.
When hunting with my flintlock I tweaked a shoulder holster to pack my Harpers Ferry pistol.