My 60 Pietta has a cotter pin style, hemispheric mortise cut ,parallel to the bore and the blade is soft soldered in place. I just filed out a new one of brass in target profile (square top) and soldered it back into the factory mortise. I ordered a second cylinder for the gun and found it group shot to a different point of aim than did the one that came in the gun. I'm sure this is because of cylinder notch placement changing the chamber/barrel alignment.
Do you know or understand the principles of tension and compression of steel and joint interfaces. Metal is elastic and moves when force is applied. When joining points, threads, wedges, slots ,end blocks, dovetails, mortises , cross pins etc. are added were talking about substantial movement under applied force. What were interested in most is the specs. while under the load of use,in this case the discharge of the revolver. The idea is to set up the machine to behave at peak efficiency while under the load of the intended purpose it is to accomplish.
Let me guess you work in a meat packing plant making bologna. There is no point in responding to you further. Just enjoy managing your elastic guns with your feeler gauges. I bid you adieu!
Well actually, not that it matters as some of the best gun mechanics never had any formal training , I'm a schooled gun mechanic that has been working in the trade continually, as a hobbyist, for over 40 years and have learned some things along the way from experience. One of the main things is that there is always more than one approach to any solution and finding the best that works for you is the target. Some others are that there is always something new to learn about every thing and no one knows it all but God.
If I were to install and end block I think I would use glass bedding and release agent in the well end. This would give the closest form fit to the full arbor end and is removable. It will easily do the job as is seen in the glass bedding of recoil lugs and barrel roots in muzzle loaders.
In regard to revolver tuning, we use the feeler gauge to check cylinder gap at 3-6-9 and 12. You will find that they are almost without exception different and some times by quite a lot. Feel is the key word in the use of the gauge. Were looking for close slide fit without binding the gauge to a stop. Often times barrel cylinder gap will be out of a plane of parallel not only top and bottom but side to side or combination of both. This is quite normal with any revolver but especially true in open tops. When the light comes on in a chamber and the ball hits the forcing cone all of those carefully made measurements change and are not same any more. Even barrel torsion from bullet or ball spin has an effect on this gap shape. Where these tolerances allow the frame and barrel interface to end up under load determine accuracy and longevity.
I’ve always suggested running the gun, any gun, for a good while before making all of the “improvements” And “tuning” you’ll read about on the internet. Chances are really good that nothing besides load development will need to be done. This applies to cap and ball, cartridge guns, probably even ray guns should they become available...
I wholeheartedly agree. Thank you, Woodnbow.
