new 1860 army - Page 2

Hardcase · March 21, 2011, 08:57 AM

Welcome aboard!

enyaw · March 22, 2011, 08:36 AM

When chamber are chamfered to not shave lead it isn't as easy as it sounds. There has to be two chamfers cut to not shave lead or one "way too wide and deep" of a chamfer.
When there's one chamfer then there is an edge deeper in that shaves lead so then that lower edge then needs chamfered. Makes more of a funnel to the opening. Makes for having to seat the balls a little deeper and loose powder capacity.
The plungers concave edge is there to push lead against the chamber walls anyway so shaving a ring isn't a bad thing.
Most of the chambers are a little tapered anyway in the Italian guns.
The best thing to do is ream the chambers to ,at least. be the same diameter as the barrels groove diameter. Makes for more consistant accuracy.

Noz · March 22, 2011, 09:25 AM

Chamber chamfering is not a necessity but a convenience. It makes the pistol easier to load since the ball is already "down in the chamber" a bit.

As with most black powder guns, it ain't rocket science and does not need to be treated as such.

A couple of turns of a LEE case chamfering tool in each chamber will break the sharp edge of the chamber mouth and allow a nice easy loading.

Is it exact? NO!

Does it need to be exact? No!

Does it work? Yes!

All of my competition guns are thusly treated.

Let me lay something else on you.

When I first started SASS competition with C & B pistol I shot Remingtons. Because the Italian guns have short triggers ie do not fill the trigger guard from top to bottom, I frequently pinched my trigger finger between the toe of the trigger and the trigger guard. I occasionally came up with some impressive blood blisters. I switched to the 1860 Armys and had the same results.

What if the trigger were just a tiny bit longer?

I bought a spare trigger, put the curved portion into my vise and squeezed, listening for the dreaded ping of the metal breaking followed by the clink of it hitting the floor. To my surprise, the only thing hard about the triggers is above the screw hole. Below the screw hole is soft steel that bends easily. Squeezing the bend makes the bend shallower and in effect makes the trigger longer.
Bend them until the toe just clears the trigger guard. If the toe hits the trigger guard, then put a little curve back into the trigger. This also tends to move the trigger back in the trigger guard which is again a good thing.

No more pinched fingers.

Again, ain't rocket surgery!

March 21, 2011, 08:57 AM	#26
Hardcase Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Location: Sunny Southern Idaho Posts: 1,909	Shotput79 Welcome aboard! __________________ Well we don't rent pigs and I figure it's better to say it right out front because a man that does like to rent pigs is... he's hard to stop - Gus McCrae

March 22, 2011, 09:25 AM	#28
Noz Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2009 Posts: 643	Chamber chamfering is not a necessity but a convenience. It makes the pistol easier to load since the ball is already "down in the chamber" a bit. As with most black powder guns, it ain't rocket science and does not need to be treated as such. A couple of turns of a LEE case chamfering tool in each chamber will break the sharp edge of the chamber mouth and allow a nice easy loading. Is it exact? NO! Does it need to be exact? No! Does it work? Yes! All of my competition guns are thusly treated. Let me lay something else on you. When I first started SASS competition with C & B pistol I shot Remingtons. Because the Italian guns have short triggers ie do not fill the trigger guard from top to bottom, I frequently pinched my trigger finger between the toe of the trigger and the trigger guard. I occasionally came up with some impressive blood blisters. I switched to the 1860 Armys and had the same results. What if the trigger were just a tiny bit longer? I bought a spare trigger, put the curved portion into my vise and squeezed, listening for the dreaded ping of the metal breaking followed by the clink of it hitting the floor. To my surprise, the only thing hard about the triggers is above the screw hole. Below the screw hole is soft steel that bends easily. Squeezing the bend makes the bend shallower and in effect makes the trigger longer. Bend them until the toe just clears the trigger guard. If the toe hits the trigger guard, then put a little curve back into the trigger. This also tends to move the trigger back in the trigger guard which is again a good thing. No more pinched fingers. Again, ain't rocket surgery! Last edited by Noz; March 22, 2011 at 09:50 AM.

March 22, 2011, 08:36 AM	#27
enyaw Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2008 Posts: 134	When chamber are chamfered to not shave lead it isn't as easy as it sounds. There has to be two chamfers cut to not shave lead or one "way too wide and deep" of a chamfer. When there's one chamfer then there is an edge deeper in that shaves lead so then that lower edge then needs chamfered. Makes more of a funnel to the opening. Makes for having to seat the balls a little deeper and loose powder capacity. The plungers concave edge is there to push lead against the chamber walls anyway so shaving a ring isn't a bad thing. Most of the chambers are a little tapered anyway in the Italian guns. The best thing to do is ream the chambers to ,at least. be the same diameter as the barrels groove diameter. Makes for more consistant accuracy.