1858 Remington Question

[Red Oak]

I have a Pietta 1858 Remington which I like, but the hammer spring seems exessivly heavy.  Does anyone make a lighter spring?  Or is this just best left alone?

Regards

Red Oak

[Blackwater 53393]

You’ll need to be careful about getting the main spring too light. While it my fire the caps, if the hammer spring is too light it will rebound and possibly let the cap jam the action. It’s not as critical on the Remington replicas, but still a possibility.

 

I removed the spring on mine and gently re-arched them. By slightly bending the springs a little at a time and trying them out, I was able to get a happy medium between heavy enough to reliably bust a cap and light enough to be comfortable for an entire match. It took several tries. I saved a little time by leaving the grip panels off and firing the caps on empty cylinders until I thought I was close.  Ended up putting just a touch more tension back into the first couple.  After a couple, you’ll kinda get an eye and a feel for what you’re doing.

 

 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

1. Make sure the strain screw in the front strap is not pushing against the spring making it heavier.

2. Piettas have been known to have the main spring too long and binding on the back of the hammer just before full cock..  That was the case in the two stainless Piettas that I won last year.  Trimming the ends helped.

3. Uberti Model P (Cattleman) main springs fit!  They are loose in the slot at the bottom but work fine.  I am using mine with conversion cylinders so I can go lighter with the main spring.  I tried a couple of Evil Roy main springs but they were still heavier than I wanted so I hour-glassed the heck out of two Cattleman springs.  I haven't shot the guns percussion yet but when I do I'll expect to use some springs not quite that light and/or use the strain screws to add tension.

[Sedalia Dave]

1 hour ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

3. Uberti Model P (Cattleman) main springs fit!  They are loose in the slot at the bottom but work fine.  I am using mine with conversion cylinders so I can go lighter with the main spring.  I tried a couple of Evil Roy main springs but they were still heavier than I wanted so I hour-glassed the heck out of two Cattleman springs.  I haven't shot the guns percussion yet but when I do I'll expect to use some springs not quite that light and/or use the strain screws to add tension.

 

To tighten up the springs in the slot I use a spacer cut from extruded aluminum angle. I put the spacer in front of the spring and make sure to radius the top edge of the spacer where the spring contacts it.