After having trouble removing the barrel wedge on a Pietta '51 Navy, I read a thread somewhere that said just hammer away. I used a brass Lyman punch and a carpenter's hammer, and the force must have been transferred to the pin holding the spring to the wedge because the pin sheared, taking a chip of the left end of the wedge with it. The chip is on the top side of the wedge, beside the pin hole. Has anyone ever seen or heard of this before? I considered getting a new wedge assembly from VTI, but because the wedge is so tight, I think I'll just file it down ("front" edge) and see whether it will stay in place without a spring. I see in my NRA Firearms Assembly book in the disassembly instructions for the '51 that some apparently didn't even have a wedge spring.
It will take a lot of filing to narrow the wedge. Right now, the tip just barely protrudes from the right side of the barrel. If I get it narrow enough to be more "centered," I don't think it could shoot loose and fall out without being noticed creeping left.
Thanks.
It will take a lot of filing to narrow the wedge. Right now, the tip just barely protrudes from the right side of the barrel. If I get it narrow enough to be more "centered," I don't think it could shoot loose and fall out without being noticed creeping left.
Thanks.