1872 OPEN TOPS WEDGE PROBLEM

[J.C. Smoke, SASS #22300]

When installing the wedges on my open tops, they bind the cylinder.  If I leave the wedge loose, and tighten the screw, they rotate correctly.  But when firing, the wedge will work its way tight and then the cylinder will not rotate.  Help is needed.

[TN Mongo, SASS #61450]

I had this problem with a used open top I use to own (I now have a new set).  I tried ordering new wedges from VTI; they still did not resolve the problem.  I took the pistol to a gunsmith who is very good with this style of revolver.  He examined the pistol and the wedge slot was a little off size (the slot was a little too large for the wedge to fit properly).

 

We tried a thin aluminum shim with the current wedge and the revolver functioned normally.  The gunsmith advised me that I could continue to use the shim, but the best solution was to fabricate a properly fitted wedge.  He and I are old friends so he offered to make and fit a new wedge at a minimal charge.  I opted for the new wedge.

 

Another top smith who works with this type of pistol is listed below:

 

Goons Gun Works

[Kid Rich]

If the wedge makes your cylinder too tight your arbor length is probably not correct.

kR

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

OK, for ALL

 

The Uberti 1871/72 Open Top suffers from an abysmal fit of the Barrel to the Arbor.  Depending on your view, Either the bore in the barrel lug is too deep or the Arbor is too short.  Most of us call it "Short Arbor Syndrome."  NO amount of piddling with the with wedge will fix it.  The fit of barrel to arbor must be corrected BEFORE anything else is done.  There is an excellent tutorial, written by Larsen E. Pettifogger showing how to fix this fit problem.  Read thru Larsen's tutorial, then FIX the real problem.

 

There is also an ultra simple, ultra quick and ultra cheap way to make a temporary fix.  Drop a #10 stainless Split washer down the barrel bore and put the gun together.  You WILL have to refit the wedge. 

[Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329]

Here are the excellent articles  written by Larsen E. Pettifogger several years ago, and published in the Cowboy Chronicle.

IMHO, every Open Top shooter should have these in their files.

--Dawg

 

Tuning the Uberti Open Top Revolvers_1 copy 2.pdf Tuning the Uberti Open Top Revolvers_3 copy.pdf Tuning the Uberti Open Top Revolvers-4 copy.pdf tuning Uberti_2 copy.pdf