Uberti 1851 Navy

[George Rodgers]

The gap between the barrel and cylinder on my 1851 Navy varies. I can not insert a feeler gage at the top and the bottom has a gap of about 0.004".

 

When I put the barrel assembly back on the frame, there is a gap at the top. However, this gap closes when I insert the barrel wedge.

 

How much gap should there be? Do I make adjustments to the barrel or the wedge?

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

If the arbor is LONG ENOUGH, where it bottoms in the bore in the barrel, this ought not happen. Some folks end up shimming by putting something in the bottom of the bore (I guess ya could JB weld a small washer or whatever as a spacer) to make that fit right. If the arbor is too short, the wedge cams the barrel up, closing the gap. A check for a proper arbor is to slip the barrel on the arbor with the barrel sideways, and note how the lug on the barrel bottom mates with the front of the frame. it should be dead perfect, not too long or too short. If the lugs mismatch, yer gonna have camming when the wedge is installed.

 

The ideal situation is a wedge set with firm thumb pressure ends ya up in the same place as simply putting the barrel on with no wedge and pressing it firmly against the frame. I prefer 6-8 thou. gap.

[J-BAR #18287]

Check out the info on this link:

 

http://www.theopenrange.net/forum/index.php?topic=7988

 

I am following Pettifogger's instructions in tuning a new pair of Uberti London 1851s. It works.

 

Check out his instructions for Pietta problems in the same forum. Some of it is applicable to Ubertis as well.

[Long Branch Louie]

I've got an Armi San Marcos Walker Colt that would lock up when you pushed the wedge in to where it belonged. I am a toolmaker by trade and finally ended up resquaring the cylinder face. It was out .003-.004" and I wound up with a gap of about .006" once I got everything right.

[Ranger Sgt. Jake McCandless #3368]

Adirondack Jack covered the arbor to barrel lug well. From what you describe the forcing cone end of the barrel and possibly cylinder face need checking also,once you have the arbor/ barrel lug fit taken care of. I have had barrel forcing cones not quite square,not a cylinder not square but then maybe I have just been lucky. I use a machinist square to check the forcing cone of the barrel and a facing cutter to square up the barrels forcing cone. I found a piece of heavy safety glass approximately 1/4" thick,with luckily a 1/2 hole in roughly the middle. That I use to check squareness of the cylinder face. If the cylinder needs facing I think I would look for someone with a lathe to square it up,as I said maybe I've been lucky with that so far. Adios Sgt. Jake

[Long Branch Louie]

Jake, that's what I had to do, I put it in the lathe and checked the face with an indicator and saw the runout. Armi San Marcos are not at the top of the quality heap by any means, I suspect if you checked a lot of Italian guns, many have a cylinder face out of square, but the gap is usually enough they get away with it. This was mounted on an arbor, by the way, so the squareness was checked to the center bore of the cylinder, not the outside surface.

[Ranger Sgt. Jake McCandless #3368]

Jake, that's what I had to do, I put it in the lathe and checked the face with an indicator and saw the runout. Armi San Marcos are not at the top of the quality heap by any means, I suspect if you checked a lot of Italian guns, many have a cylinder face out of square, but the gap is usually enough they get away with it. This was mounted on an arbor, by the way, so the squareness was checked to the center bore of the cylinder, not the outside surface.

Louie I know what you mean about ASM guns,been burned twice by their products. I will never knowingly purchase any product they have a hand of any kind in.I also suspect you are also correct if one chucked one up and checked for runout,might be out to a small amount. Had a pard that had one way out and a local bench rest smith did exactly that and trued up the face of the cylinder. He also had him open up the cylinder throats,amazing difference in how his sixgun shoots now. Adios Sgt. Jake