Bill Akins
New member
Some time back I had (since sold) a stainless (like) Pietta 1851 Marshal.
Back then I tried the 1851 Marshal's fluted, stainless (like) cylinder on my Pietta 1860. It fit perfectly. Cabelas has those 1851 fluted Marshal cylinders (that also fit the 1860) stainless (like) available for $71.99 each at this below link....
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Piet...hal+cylinder&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products
Just a few months ago Cabelas was selling them for $64.99 each. I should have got them then, but I didn't get around to it until last week and by then they were up to $71.99 each.
Anyway.....They arrived today. One fit right on with no problems but the other one had some material still inside the arbor hole that had not been totally machined out. A ring in the arbor hole where the mill bit had not been taken far enough down so a little metal was still there close to the cylinder's star, in the arbor hole, preventing it from sliding over the arbor. So I had to file that a bit with a half round file. But after some filing, it fit perfectly.
The reason I got these was three fold. 1. Stainless (or nickel) in a black powder revolver is much easier to clean than blued steel and won't rust up like blued steel will from the corrosive salts in expended black powder. 2. My revolvers were already nickel so I wanted something that matched their finish. 3. Both my 1860's had gold cylinders and I had found out that firing a gold cylinder flakes the gold off of it. After finding that out, I resolved not to fire my second revolver's cylinder. So I just had the one fluted gold cylinder that had gold flaked off it. When I had complained to Traditions about that, they sent me another gold cylinder free of charge. But it is solid and not fluted. But I was afraid at that point to fire ANY gold cylinder for fear of flaking the gold off it. So now I have one perfect fluted gold cylinder, one perfect solid gold cylinder, and one fluted flaked off gold cylinder....that I set aside as accessories for the two revolvers that will never be put on except for display.
For shooting I'll be using these new stainless (like) fluted cylinders.
A little info about them. They both have pins between the cylinder nipples so my hammer can rest on the pin and not slide over to the next cylinder. Fit and finish are excellent except for that one little defect in the arbor hole that I had to half round file a little. Other than that, they are excellent.
One thing about the stainless (like) steel. It is NOT in the white regular steel that has been highly polished. I did some research on the net about these cylinders and although I can't remember where I found this info....here is what I found.....
The steel is NOT regular steel. It is some kind of hard steel that isn't exactly the same as "stainless steel" (even stainless isn't really stainless, it is stain RESISTANT). Anyway....I read that this special steel has almost the same qualities as "stainless" steel in that it is very rust resistant just like what we know as "stainless steel" is. If memory serves me, I think the article said it had nickel or some other additive in it. Anyway, I was satisfied after reading about it that it is just as good as "regular" stainless steel. So for all practical purposes it is the same as stainless steel. But technically it isn't. That's why I call it stainless (like) steel. Wish I could remember where I found that info to give you the link. But since I didn't bookmark it, and can't remember where I read it, you'll have to take my word on it.
Here's a few pictures of my Pietta 1860's with the new cylinders on them.
Below pic is from some months ago when I put my 1851 Marshal stainless (like) cylinder on one of my nickel 1860's. That's how I found out I could use the 1851 Pietta cylinders on my Pietta 1860's. You can see my old flaked off gold cylinder below the revolver.
Next three pics were taken today just after I finished putting the new cylinders on my Pietta 1860's. You will notice in the first below pic that the bottom one of my revolvers still has its gold hammer installed. I took the other gold one off the other revolver because its bolt spring leg cam had worn out and I bought the case colored hammer from a member here. I plan to take the other gold hammer off too before I shoot it (to prevent it flaking like my gold cylinder did) and today I ordered a "Pietta replacement parts set" which included a new case hardened hammer (and other parts) from EMF who has them for $30.00 (which is ten dollars cheaper than Cabelas). Here's a link to EMF for that Pietta replacement parts kit. The picture they use is of a Pietta 1858 hammer, but the kit is for the 1851 and 1860's and they just used the wrong pic in the ad.....
http://www.emf-company.com/store/pc/1851-1860-PIETTA-PARTS-KIT-80p1232.htm
This is about as close as you can get to having stainless 1860's unless you want to pay around $900.00 or more each for the ultra rare few stainless ones rarely seen on Gunbroker. Eventually I plan to have Masonic medallions inset into the grips. I'll never sell these, these will be inherited by my heirs.
In above pic, the three small boxes hold my perfect, fluted, unfired, gold cylinder, my perfect, non fluted, solid, unfired, gold cylinder, and my fired flaked off gold, fluted cylinder. I keep them with the revolvers in the case. Also included is my nipple wrench and an extra bolt spring plus an aluminum tool I made to allow me to gently tap out my barrel wedge without scratching my barrel.
Another pic of aluminum tool for pushing out barrel wedge. I filed my wedges so that I can usually push the wedge out just using thumb tension, but just in case the wedge gets sticky, I made this little aluminum tool to aid me pushing the wedge out without using steel so I won't scratch my barrel. Its end fills the wedge hole and won't slip like using a steel screwdriver that many uninformed people use to drive the wedge out with. I hate to see scratched and dinged up barrels on the right side of the cylinder wedge from driving the wedge out with a steel screwdriver and slipping and dinging and scratching up the barrel on people's revolvers who don't know any better. I see very many used ones scratched and dinged up like that on Gunbroker.
Can't wait to get that new case hardened hammer and install it and take them shooting with the new stainless (like) cylinders. I've shot one already (the one with the flaked off gold cylinder) a lot and it is very accurate. Should be just as good with the new cylinders. Have yet to fire the second revolver.
Well that's it. White PVC grips, nickel with stainless (like) cylinders. I think they look great. What do you think?
.
Back then I tried the 1851 Marshal's fluted, stainless (like) cylinder on my Pietta 1860. It fit perfectly. Cabelas has those 1851 fluted Marshal cylinders (that also fit the 1860) stainless (like) available for $71.99 each at this below link....
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Piet...hal+cylinder&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products
Just a few months ago Cabelas was selling them for $64.99 each. I should have got them then, but I didn't get around to it until last week and by then they were up to $71.99 each.
Anyway.....They arrived today. One fit right on with no problems but the other one had some material still inside the arbor hole that had not been totally machined out. A ring in the arbor hole where the mill bit had not been taken far enough down so a little metal was still there close to the cylinder's star, in the arbor hole, preventing it from sliding over the arbor. So I had to file that a bit with a half round file. But after some filing, it fit perfectly.
The reason I got these was three fold. 1. Stainless (or nickel) in a black powder revolver is much easier to clean than blued steel and won't rust up like blued steel will from the corrosive salts in expended black powder. 2. My revolvers were already nickel so I wanted something that matched their finish. 3. Both my 1860's had gold cylinders and I had found out that firing a gold cylinder flakes the gold off of it. After finding that out, I resolved not to fire my second revolver's cylinder. So I just had the one fluted gold cylinder that had gold flaked off it. When I had complained to Traditions about that, they sent me another gold cylinder free of charge. But it is solid and not fluted. But I was afraid at that point to fire ANY gold cylinder for fear of flaking the gold off it. So now I have one perfect fluted gold cylinder, one perfect solid gold cylinder, and one fluted flaked off gold cylinder....that I set aside as accessories for the two revolvers that will never be put on except for display.
For shooting I'll be using these new stainless (like) fluted cylinders.
A little info about them. They both have pins between the cylinder nipples so my hammer can rest on the pin and not slide over to the next cylinder. Fit and finish are excellent except for that one little defect in the arbor hole that I had to half round file a little. Other than that, they are excellent.
One thing about the stainless (like) steel. It is NOT in the white regular steel that has been highly polished. I did some research on the net about these cylinders and although I can't remember where I found this info....here is what I found.....
The steel is NOT regular steel. It is some kind of hard steel that isn't exactly the same as "stainless steel" (even stainless isn't really stainless, it is stain RESISTANT). Anyway....I read that this special steel has almost the same qualities as "stainless" steel in that it is very rust resistant just like what we know as "stainless steel" is. If memory serves me, I think the article said it had nickel or some other additive in it. Anyway, I was satisfied after reading about it that it is just as good as "regular" stainless steel. So for all practical purposes it is the same as stainless steel. But technically it isn't. That's why I call it stainless (like) steel. Wish I could remember where I found that info to give you the link. But since I didn't bookmark it, and can't remember where I read it, you'll have to take my word on it.
Here's a few pictures of my Pietta 1860's with the new cylinders on them.
Below pic is from some months ago when I put my 1851 Marshal stainless (like) cylinder on one of my nickel 1860's. That's how I found out I could use the 1851 Pietta cylinders on my Pietta 1860's. You can see my old flaked off gold cylinder below the revolver.
Next three pics were taken today just after I finished putting the new cylinders on my Pietta 1860's. You will notice in the first below pic that the bottom one of my revolvers still has its gold hammer installed. I took the other gold one off the other revolver because its bolt spring leg cam had worn out and I bought the case colored hammer from a member here. I plan to take the other gold hammer off too before I shoot it (to prevent it flaking like my gold cylinder did) and today I ordered a "Pietta replacement parts set" which included a new case hardened hammer (and other parts) from EMF who has them for $30.00 (which is ten dollars cheaper than Cabelas). Here's a link to EMF for that Pietta replacement parts kit. The picture they use is of a Pietta 1858 hammer, but the kit is for the 1851 and 1860's and they just used the wrong pic in the ad.....
http://www.emf-company.com/store/pc/1851-1860-PIETTA-PARTS-KIT-80p1232.htm
This is about as close as you can get to having stainless 1860's unless you want to pay around $900.00 or more each for the ultra rare few stainless ones rarely seen on Gunbroker. Eventually I plan to have Masonic medallions inset into the grips. I'll never sell these, these will be inherited by my heirs.
In above pic, the three small boxes hold my perfect, fluted, unfired, gold cylinder, my perfect, non fluted, solid, unfired, gold cylinder, and my fired flaked off gold, fluted cylinder. I keep them with the revolvers in the case. Also included is my nipple wrench and an extra bolt spring plus an aluminum tool I made to allow me to gently tap out my barrel wedge without scratching my barrel.
Another pic of aluminum tool for pushing out barrel wedge. I filed my wedges so that I can usually push the wedge out just using thumb tension, but just in case the wedge gets sticky, I made this little aluminum tool to aid me pushing the wedge out without using steel so I won't scratch my barrel. Its end fills the wedge hole and won't slip like using a steel screwdriver that many uninformed people use to drive the wedge out with. I hate to see scratched and dinged up barrels on the right side of the cylinder wedge from driving the wedge out with a steel screwdriver and slipping and dinging and scratching up the barrel on people's revolvers who don't know any better. I see very many used ones scratched and dinged up like that on Gunbroker.
Can't wait to get that new case hardened hammer and install it and take them shooting with the new stainless (like) cylinders. I've shot one already (the one with the flaked off gold cylinder) a lot and it is very accurate. Should be just as good with the new cylinders. Have yet to fire the second revolver.
Well that's it. White PVC grips, nickel with stainless (like) cylinders. I think they look great. What do you think?
.
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Probably a little out of my price range.
