New to BP pistol, 1851 Navy question

D

DBotkin

New member
Though I've shot a BP rifle for quite a while, my kids (bless their hearts) gave me something for Fathers Day that I'd always wanted - a black powder revolver. This one is a Pietta 1851 Navy in .44. Makes quite a spectacle when one of those nails a full, well-shaken can of Keystone Light. It's about all that stuff is good for anyway...

So far I have learned not to use Crisco on top of the balls; what a mess. By the time we'd fired the first few rounds, the remaining blobs of Crisco were melted. Well, it's all I had handy; I'll be using lubed wads UNDER the balls from now on. My .38 S&W brass holds around 14 gr. of FFFg, which was remarkably well behaved in this gun. We fired one cylinder full, and had a ball (pardon the pun, I suppose) at it. My 30 year old supply of Goex and Navy Arms caps are still bright & work perfectly.

So here is my question. I have read the manual, of course, and understand how to disassemble the gun for cleaning. Problem is, I have not been able to drive out the wedge pin! I've tried whatever pieces of plastic (shattered) and wood (splintered) I could find around, as well as an old brass .22 cleaning jag (bent). None have budged the pin. I'm afraid to use too much force or a steel drift for fear of marring the finish. I also notice the end of the wedge has a springy part that seems to be stepped on the end to keep it from sliding through the frame. I tried using a thin piece of steel to hold that down while I smacked the end of the wedge; no joy.

How much is it going to take to get this SOB apart? What kind of tool(s) do I need, and how hard am I going to have to whack it? And should I be using the rubber mallet, plastic body hammer, 18 oz, claw or the 3 pounder? Full swing, or chip shot? :) I'd really like to clean this puppy.
 
I use a Brass rod about 3/8 in dia. ground down to about 1/4 inch and I hit it hard with a plastic hammer. I've heard golf tee's work in a pinch. When the wedge is new they take more effort to remove, but after it's been in and out a few times no problems. Careful putting it back in, doesn't have to be as tight as people think. Some people prefer to push them in by hand only.

It's great you were careful, I put some pretty deep scratches on my first colt replica trying to use a flat screwdriver. Definately a no no!:)
 
wedge

Check to see if the lip on the wedge spring is caught on the side of the weapon. If so you'll need to depress it before the wedge will move.
 
Like marcseatac I use a brass pin punch that I got from a local hardware. I use anything handy to strike the punch - a small (7 oz) hammer, a pair of pliers, whatever. It does take some good whacking on a new gun sometimes. I've not had a problem with the spring, but it could be in the way so that is something to check out.

Perhaps some Liquid Wrench (a very small amount) along the edges for a lubricant will help (be sure to clean it out thoroughly afterwards - you do not want any to be left in the slot the next time you shoot it).

When you reassemble use a little Bore Butter or Ballistol to lube the wedge/slot. Again, just a little bit. It will eventually loosen up so that finger pressure is enough both removing and installing.
 
DBotkin, I have the same revolver and had the same issues you are having, the wedge would not come out - period.

First of all, make sure that no splinters or pieces of plastic are caught inbetween the wedge and the leaf spring. Try to remove everything you can.

Next, pound the crap out of it, while supporting the revolver as best you can. I would suggest using a folded towel underneath on top of a solid table.

Pound away. I wouldn't be too worried about the finish, old revolvers were used and have character marks, anyway. I really don't think the brass rod is going to work unless it is less than 1" long, and then you won't be able to hold onto it. What I found useful was taking a recently minted penny (mostly zinc unlike old copper ones), covering up the outside of the wedge, and hitting it with a substantial hammer. It is really soft and will help keep you from marring the barrel if you sink the wedge out.

Once I got it out, I chased the corners of the wedge with a file and a dremel tool.

Don't worry about hitting the wedge directly with a hammer... it makes it much more practical to shoot if you don't care about hitting it with whatever you've got with you at the time, and if you can always reblue it or another one for presentation.

BTW, my wedge is still very tight... which is why I just gave up and use a hammer by itself on a regular basis.
 
Well, I got the sucker apart and cleaned. Finally used a BASD and gave it a few good, hard whacks... wedge came out, got it apart with no problem. Cleaned it all up, and while I had the barrel clean & warm I wiped it down with some denatured alcohol and applied some cold blue to the nicks around the wedge. I have decided this will be a "shooter", not necessarily a showpiece... after all, it's not horribly expensive, and it's not like the Piettas are (from what I can see) made with museum quality fit & finish. I do like it, though. Picked up a holster for it today, in fact. I'm hoping to get out and do some more shooting, but there's a motorcycle in the garage whining because it hasn't been ridden much lately. Alas, the last 3 miles of road to the range is loose sand & gravel, so shooting == truck ride, not bike...
 
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