Close the Cylinder/Barrel Gap

Smokin'Joe

New member
I reduced the barrel to cylinder gap on my brass frame Pietta from .008" to .004". First I removed the alignment pins with Vise Grip pliers. They pull straight out. They were slightly dented in the process but they are soft steel and were filed smooth and reused.

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Insert arbor into recess in barrel and twist barrel and frame side to side while holding abrasive paper or cloth between the two. This technique will allow you to remove metal from either or both surfaces. A like amount of metal was removed from the arbor to allow for proper mating of the two parts.

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On my gun the wedge is still quite usable. It seats in deeper but still does its job. I did, however, notice that the clearance between the wedge spring rivet and the wedge retaining screw was pretty close so I filed the screw head down to increase the clearance at that point. Reinstall the alignment pins with Lock Tite if you feel the need.
 
Excellent. That's the reverse procedure I advised someone to do wherein I advised them to install a shim over their frame pins to INCREASE their barrel to cylinder gap because their cylinder was too close and binding against the forcing cone.


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Hawg, You may be right for target shooting where many rounds are fired. I like a tight gap for a carry weapon. All I will fire is one cylinder worth or maybe two if I bring along a spare
 
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