whats my clearance ?

shoebox1.1 · January 3, 2007, 12:21 AM

1851 navy pistol.. what should the headspacing or cylinder to barrel clearance be at rest (hammer down) and cocked ready to fire (hammer back)? if i play with the center shaft that the cyl rides on it changes the tightness or looseness of the main gun parts. i think i have it correct... you have to tap or push VERY firm to get the wedge in and when you do this you can just barely see light between the cyl and barrel. if i make this clearance loose you can slide the cyl .050-.080 front to back and there is a small gap at the lower locating pins. also when i have it what looks correct the wedge goes in and hangs out more to the left side that the right. it is in far enough to the right that the release pin in the wedge locks onto the barrel. i assume this is correct. just want to make sure before i shoot.

Hafoc · January 3, 2007, 12:25 AM

Durned if I know. But with my .31 Pocket Model and .44 Dragoon, if I tapped the wedge in a little too far the cylinder would bind. Tap it back out a bit from that point and it worked just fine. That's all I never knew about it. Maybe it's all I needed to know.

shoebox1.1 · January 3, 2007, 12:33 AM

thats what im going through now.. if i go in too much it binds.. so i get it there and just come back a lil bit and it feels perfect.

pohill · January 3, 2007, 04:15 AM

If you push the wedge in too far, it will peen or stretch the metal on the exit slot, and then you'll have all kinds of nightmares trying to get the barrel/frame connection tight again (yep, I did it with my 1st revolver, an 1860 .44 Pietta). Also, as Hafoc said, the cylinder could bind. If you don't push it in far enough, the barrel/frame connection will work loose when you shoot. Don't worry about the cylinder gap - trust your instincts. If it looks right, if it's tight but not too tight, it's OK. The wedge will show more on the left than the right. The spring latch should at least clear the exit slot. Originally, the wedge screw on the left side was intented to be used as a depth set for the wedge, and to keep the wedge from falling out during disassembly.

read this link for some good info:
http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Choy.html

January 3, 2007, 12:21 AM	#1
shoebox1.1 Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2006 Location: mckinney tx Posts: 122	whats my clearance ? 1851 navy pistol.. what should the headspacing or cylinder to barrel clearance be at rest (hammer down) and cocked ready to fire (hammer back)? if i play with the center shaft that the cyl rides on it changes the tightness or looseness of the main gun parts. i think i have it correct... you have to tap or push VERY firm to get the wedge in and when you do this you can just barely see light between the cyl and barrel. if i make this clearance loose you can slide the cyl .050-.080 front to back and there is a small gap at the lower locating pins. also when i have it what looks correct the wedge goes in and hangs out more to the left side that the right. it is in far enough to the right that the release pin in the wedge locks onto the barrel. i assume this is correct. just want to make sure before i shoot.

January 3, 2007, 12:25 AM	#2
Hafoc Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2005 Posts: 552	Durned if I know. But with my .31 Pocket Model and .44 Dragoon, if I tapped the wedge in a little too far the cylinder would bind. Tap it back out a bit from that point and it worked just fine. That's all I never knew about it. Maybe it's all I needed to know.

January 3, 2007, 12:33 AM	#3
shoebox1.1 Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2006 Location: mckinney tx Posts: 122	thats what im going through now.. if i go in too much it binds.. so i get it there and just come back a lil bit and it feels perfect.

January 3, 2007, 04:15 AM	#4
pohill Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2005 Location: northeast Posts: 521	If you push the wedge in too far, it will peen or stretch the metal on the exit slot, and then you'll have all kinds of nightmares trying to get the barrel/frame connection tight again (yep, I did it with my 1st revolver, an 1860 .44 Pietta). Also, as Hafoc said, the cylinder could bind. If you don't push it in far enough, the barrel/frame connection will work loose when you shoot. Don't worry about the cylinder gap - trust your instincts. If it looks right, if it's tight but not too tight, it's OK. The wedge will show more on the left than the right. The spring latch should at least clear the exit slot. Originally, the wedge screw on the left side was intented to be used as a depth set for the wedge, and to keep the wedge from falling out during disassembly. read this link for some good info: http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Choy.html