Cabelas is a first class operation..I received my Pietta replacement 1851 navy 36 caliber today...they inspected it before shipping, and its absolutely perfect, and for the price, cant be beat..now all I have to do is completely strip it down and get rid of the load of Oil the thing is soaked in, and get it ready for the range..I never broke one of these down before..I hope it goes together again ..lol..its a real beauty..
1851 colt navy replacement
- Thread starter Zathras
- Start date
WALKERsD210
New member
1851 Navy
My wife had ordered mine on a Sunday night. Wed morning it was here. Have had to fight tooth and nail to keep it away from her, in fact I think she is going to get one for herself. I did find one thing that may or may not be a problem, if you lower the hammer on top of a cap it will lock up the cylinder requiring tear down to clear. All I do now is set the hammer in between the caps on the small pins which keeps it from rotating. And yes it's a thing of beauty!!
My wife had ordered mine on a Sunday night. Wed morning it was here. Have had to fight tooth and nail to keep it away from her, in fact I think she is going to get one for herself. I did find one thing that may or may not be a problem, if you lower the hammer on top of a cap it will lock up the cylinder requiring tear down to clear. All I do now is set the hammer in between the caps on the small pins which keeps it from rotating. And yes it's a thing of beauty!!
Zathras. Essentially that is what they do. Remember the gun has to come here from Italy and then sit in inventory until it is sold. Does keep the gun from rusting. Just use a little care in taking it down and it will clean up nicely. Before you take it apart make sure you have a set of gunsmith screwdrivers or you will booger up the screw heads. If you don't have a set Wal-Mart sells a decent set under the Winchester name for about ten bucks. A few tips for taking it apart since you've never done it before. First put the gun on half cock and take out the wedge. You may need a brass punch to do this as a lot of the time they are in tight. Next rotate the cylinder till the wall between two chambers is under the rammer and use the rammer to move the barrel off the frame. Remove the cylinder and lower the hammer. Next loosen the screw in the bottom of the grip frame and then remove the two screws in the top on either side of the hammer and then remove the screw at the bottom of the grip frame and slide the grips and frame off. Next you remove the mainspring. This screw is normally reall tight. If it doesn't turn with moderate force go to the top of the spring at the hammer and push down and out the left side of the gun. This will free the spring and the screw so it can be turned out. Next loosen the screw in the front of the trigger guard and then remove the two screws at the back of the guard then remove the front screw and lift off the trigger guard. Next take out the bolt/trigger spring, this screw is normall also very tight make sure you have a good fitting blade in the screwdriver. Once the screw is out remove the spring noting how it contacted the trigger and bolt. Then remove the trigger screw and lift out the trigger and then the bolt screw and lift out the bolt. Last remove the hammer screw and slide the hammer downward and it will come out bringing the hand with it. That's it you can now clean everything up. On reassembly there are a couple of tricks. Start the hand in it's slot prior to sliding the hammer up into place. When installing the bolt/trigger spring hold pressure forward on the trigger so the arm of the spring doesn't slip off. When installing the trigger guard start the forward screw first then install fully the back two screws and then snug the front screw. When installing the grips and frame start the bottom screw first then install fully both top screws and go back and and tighten the bottom screw. When you put the barrel back on the first few times it may be snug, putting the muzzle on a block of wood and a firm push down will generally seat it. Slide the wedge through with thumb pressure only and it will seat don't beat it into place. One final thing none of the screws need to be farmer tight, snug is good and no more. Enjoy your new pistol.
Rifleman1776
New member
".......if you lower the hammer on top of a cap it will lock up the cylinder requiring tear down to clear....."
Nonsense. Something is wrong with your gun if that happens.
However, the pins are there between cylinders for a 'safe' rest.
Nonsense. Something is wrong with your gun if that happens.
However, the pins are there between cylinders for a 'safe' rest.
Actually it's not nonsense and nothing is wrong with the gun. The caps just aren't fully seated on the nipples and the hammer isn't going far enough forward for the bolt leg to snap back over the cam. Probably only lacks a few thousandths of forward movement. Try using a larger cap or a push stick to seat the caps you are using.
WALKERsD210
New member
Caps not seating
I had come to the conclusion and have a new set of nipples on the way just so I can modify one set very slightly in length. Just waiting for Pony Express and all these darn doctor appointments
I had come to the conclusion and have a new set of nipples on the way just so I can modify one set very slightly in length. Just waiting for Pony Express and all these darn doctor appointments
WALKERsD210
New member
I took nipple from my Pietta 1858 and one from the 1851 the 1858 measured .174 and the one from the 51 came in at .183 What I wanted to attempt is shorting and turning the sides down just slightly. Being that my eyes are not what they were I will have to turn to my son for the machine work. The parts he works with are smaller than a knat's hair so I think he might get them close enough. I just didn't want to screw up one set and then have to order a set to replace those. I never carry a revolver with the hammer on a cap in the first place but this will give me something to do and keep me from wandering the streets. Thanks guys
When a hammer goes down on a cap and hangs the gun up it's because the bolts leg can't snap back on top the hammers cam that activates the movement of the bolt out of the cylinders notch.
Most of the time it's as denster mentioned and is just the caps don't fit the nipples properly. Why go thru the trouble to hone down nipples ruining them if the caps don't fit right and cause the gun to jam?
Sometimes when a gun does jam from the bolt not returning to the top of the hammers cam a sharp jolt with the butt of your palm to the side of the frame ,or anywhere actually, will cause enough vibration to get the bolts legs on top the hammers cam. You can hear s tiny "snap" when the bolt leg gets atop the cam.
If caps are fully seated and the gun still hangs up then.....there is,plenty of times, machine burrs/new gun not broke in type burrs to gently hone away. Hone the burr to the top edge of the hammers cam or the burr on the inside of the legs curvature or both.
On occaision the bolts leg is not able to get atop the hammers cam because the bolts head goes thru the frames window too far because of a short head. In a case like that the bolts leg needs honed where it rides the cam(lays next to the cam where it sticks or hangs up). The bolt moves on it's screw like a teeter-tooter on the play ground. One side goes up and the other goes down. One side goes up too far and the other side goes down too far ect.ect.
In a case where the bolts leg needs honed to get atop the hammers cam that means a close fit between the bolt leg and the cam.That means when the hammer moves the slightest amount the bolt also moves. That may put the bolt leg too close to the hammer cam in relation to the strength of the mainspring and the gases forced from the nipples flash channel. The gases can move the hammer upon firing and move the bolt also. That can move the bolt from the cylinders lock notch that locks the gun in battery. That would be a case where the blow back moves the hammer and thus the bolt to unlock the gun upon firing and cause unexplained accuracy problems.
The stiffness of the hammers mainspring may be too weak or the "bolts leg too close to the hammers cam" or the nipples flash channels burned out or all the above. Everything is relative. A certain space can be left between the hammers cam and the bolts leg when the hammer is down to quard against hammer blow back moving the hammer and the cam and the bolt as the gun fires. If the space between the hammers cam and the bolts leg is too great in relation to the hand the hand will try to move the cylinder bvefore the bolts head is out of the cylinder notch. That damages the cylinders notch.
The gun in question may have the bolts leg too close to the hammers cam. The bolts leg is worked in a case like that and not the length of the nipples cones unless the nipples are the wrong ones for the gun or defective and too long. How to decide? Time to research some dimensions.
Working a nipples cone can get hairy. The cones are tapered most of the time and that exasperates the ease of that. All the nips have to be exactly the same within a few .001's also. It's much easier to get the right nipples for the gun or work the bolts leg when the gun does have the right nipples.
Most of the time it's as denster mentioned and is just the caps don't fit the nipples properly. Why go thru the trouble to hone down nipples ruining them if the caps don't fit right and cause the gun to jam?
Sometimes when a gun does jam from the bolt not returning to the top of the hammers cam a sharp jolt with the butt of your palm to the side of the frame ,or anywhere actually, will cause enough vibration to get the bolts legs on top the hammers cam. You can hear s tiny "snap" when the bolt leg gets atop the cam.
If caps are fully seated and the gun still hangs up then.....there is,plenty of times, machine burrs/new gun not broke in type burrs to gently hone away. Hone the burr to the top edge of the hammers cam or the burr on the inside of the legs curvature or both.
On occaision the bolts leg is not able to get atop the hammers cam because the bolts head goes thru the frames window too far because of a short head. In a case like that the bolts leg needs honed where it rides the cam(lays next to the cam where it sticks or hangs up). The bolt moves on it's screw like a teeter-tooter on the play ground. One side goes up and the other goes down. One side goes up too far and the other side goes down too far ect.ect.
In a case where the bolts leg needs honed to get atop the hammers cam that means a close fit between the bolt leg and the cam.That means when the hammer moves the slightest amount the bolt also moves. That may put the bolt leg too close to the hammer cam in relation to the strength of the mainspring and the gases forced from the nipples flash channel. The gases can move the hammer upon firing and move the bolt also. That can move the bolt from the cylinders lock notch that locks the gun in battery. That would be a case where the blow back moves the hammer and thus the bolt to unlock the gun upon firing and cause unexplained accuracy problems.
The stiffness of the hammers mainspring may be too weak or the "bolts leg too close to the hammers cam" or the nipples flash channels burned out or all the above. Everything is relative. A certain space can be left between the hammers cam and the bolts leg when the hammer is down to quard against hammer blow back moving the hammer and the cam and the bolt as the gun fires. If the space between the hammers cam and the bolts leg is too great in relation to the hand the hand will try to move the cylinder bvefore the bolts head is out of the cylinder notch. That damages the cylinders notch.
The gun in question may have the bolts leg too close to the hammers cam. The bolts leg is worked in a case like that and not the length of the nipples cones unless the nipples are the wrong ones for the gun or defective and too long. How to decide? Time to research some dimensions.
Working a nipples cone can get hairy. The cones are tapered most of the time and that exasperates the ease of that. All the nips have to be exactly the same within a few .001's also. It's much easier to get the right nipples for the gun or work the bolts leg when the gun does have the right nipples.
Rifleman1776
New member
A lot of words to confirm what I said "nonsense".
Other factors are a play to create the so called 'lock up'.
If everything was working properly there would be no lock up lowering the hammer on a cap.
That said, it is a very dangerous practice. I can see no reason to do, or even, try doing that.
Other factors are a play to create the so called 'lock up'.
If everything was working properly there would be no lock up lowering the hammer on a cap.
That said, it is a very dangerous practice. I can see no reason to do, or even, try doing that.
well, Denster..sounds like a pretty "involved job"..not sure what your reference to the "hand" is...and not sure about some of the directions, but I will try my best...if I get frustrated,and cant get it back together..I guess this gun will just be so many parts...lol..I never knew what a "science" this would be...all I wanted to do was have a little fun, old fashioned style...
A cap that's too small and doesn't seat all the way can hang the gun up by not letting ther hammer go down far enough to let the bolts leg get back on top the hammers cam that moves the bolt out of the cylinders lock notch. Long sentence.
Anyone can fear tearing down a cap&baller but after the "first kill" it gets easier and.....there are numerous people that can help a Pard get it back together the first time around....even the second or third time around.
I type a lot ,maybe, but using two fingers instead of one gets it going faster.
Anyway.....we'll get er done.
Anyone can fear tearing down a cap&baller but after the "first kill" it gets easier and.....there are numerous people that can help a Pard get it back together the first time around....even the second or third time around.
I type a lot ,maybe, but using two fingers instead of one gets it going faster.
Anyway.....we'll get er done.