Shot my dragoon today, questions

bigcountry11 · June 26, 2010, 01:56 PM

Ok, went and shot my dragoon. One, shocked how accurate it can be. I was shooting 2" groups at 10 yards. More accurate than me. Thats with 30gr of 777p. Then had wedge issues and couldn't get wedge to go in all the way and accuracy went to crap. Tried 42gr of 777, and the loading lever kept falling.

1.) When you clean, do you take apart the whole frame and trigger assembly? Or just wipe as much as possible out of the frame and hammer, and oil?
2.) I had issues where the wedge wouldn't go in all the way until the metal clip snapped. So I polished the wedge a hair with emory cloth. Is this bad?
3.) Should I be able to remove and add the wedge with my hand? I am using a rubber mallet and plastic pin.
4.) How in the world did cowboys get shots off so quick? Had issues with caps CCI #10 falling apart and getting binded in the cylinder. Every shot, I had to shake and pick out pieces of cap.

Hawg · June 26, 2010, 02:42 PM

1. I don't but I do remove grips and immerse whole thing in soapy water. Flush it out good with WD-40 and oil.
2. no but wedge shouldn't go all the way in.
3. When it's new it might require a lil help but after it's been disassembled a few times it should go in and out with thumb pressure.
4. Get in the habit of raising muzzle and slightly tilting to right as you cock it. Caps will fall to side.

bigcountry11 · June 26, 2010, 06:07 PM

Thanks Hawg. I didn't dunk the whole frame in water. Just barrel and cylinder and nipples. I just tried to wipe out as much fouling from the caps I could.

Fingers McGee · June 26, 2010, 06:35 PM

1. I only do a complete disassembly and cleaning on my C&Bs after six to eight CAS matches (2-3 months/300 to 400 rounds). A nylon bristle gun cleaning toothbrush with some BP solvent cleans the cap residue pretty well. Then a rag and q-tips get the rest cleaned off of the frame.
2. No. I'm assuming that you were charging the cylinder off the gun - and that the wedge was hard to put back in after a cylinder change. If so, there was probably a fouling issue causing it.
3. What Hawg said.
4. IME, tresso nipples and #10 Remington caps pretty much solve the cap jam problem.

FM

bigcountry11 · June 26, 2010, 07:06 PM

So here was my wedge issue. I had the wedge to where the metal was flush with the right side of the gun. So not all the way thru. After 12 shots, it must have backed out some. Groups went to crap. I noticed alot of play with the cylinder and now wedge has been pushed back some. Totally stuck. Wedge is in but at an angle and won't go all the way thru. I finally get wedge out and not can't remove the barrel. Every time I pull off, I hear metal binding somewhere.

So took it home and played with it. Only way to get the barrel off was to pull the barrel out about 1/2" and twist off and finally came out. I still don't know what went wrong. But its cleaned and back together with wedge about 2mm protruding the right side.

Another strange thing is, you would figure you could turn the barrel around the cylinder post (thing the cylinder turns on) when not totally seated. But it doesn't. Only turn with resistence.

mykeal · June 26, 2010, 10:40 PM

Sounds like the wedge being inserted at an angle created a burr on the arbor at the wedge slot.

Jbar4Ranch · June 27, 2010, 09:00 AM

Don't "pull the barrel off", use the ram between chambers to push it off. I use a thin piece of leather between the ram & cylinder.

Solve 98% of your cap problems with Remington #10 caps and Treso nipples. Just switching to Remington caps will solve most of your problems.

bigcountry11 · June 27, 2010, 10:18 AM

Jbar, thats not what I am referring too. At this point, I already used the loading lever to move the barrel 1/4. I am talking about after that.

denster · June 27, 2010, 12:05 PM

I'm assuming your Dragoon is an Uberti. The cylinder arbor is a taper on the part that goes into the barrel lug. If you get even a little fouling in the barrel lug it will jam things up, it will also bind up if you tap the wedge to hard as you are forcing two tapers together. With the wedge properly fitted you should just start to feel resistance as the radius on the end of the wedge clears the far side, then a light tap to set and lock it assuming your barrel is all the way on and the bottom lug is contacting the frame. Uberti uses a properly designed wedge system but it is not always fit correctly. To fit it you file a very small amount off the tapered side towards the muzzle maintaining the taper until you get the fit I mentioned. This is generally only a very few thousandths of an inch.

June 26, 2010, 06:35 PM	#4
Fingers McGee Senior Member Join Date: March 19, 2008 Location: High & Dry in Missouri Ozarks Posts: 2,113	1. I only do a complete disassembly and cleaning on my C&Bs after six to eight CAS matches (2-3 months/300 to 400 rounds). A nylon bristle gun cleaning toothbrush with some BP solvent cleans the cap residue pretty well. Then a rag and q-tips get the rest cleaned off of the frame. 2. No. I'm assuming that you were charging the cylinder off the gun - and that the wedge was hard to put back in after a cylinder change. If so, there was probably a fouling issue causing it. 3. What Hawg said. 4. IME, tresso nipples and #10 Remington caps pretty much solve the cap jam problem. FM __________________ Fingers (Show Me MO smoke) McGee - AKA Man of Many Colts - Alter ego of Diabolical Ken; SASS Regulator 28564-L-TG; Rangemaster and stage writer extraordinaire; Frontiersman, Pistoleer, NRA Endowment Life, NMLRA, SAF, CCRKBA, STORM 327, SV115; Charter member, Central Ozarks Western Shooters Cynic: A blackguard whose faulty vision see things as they are, not as they should be. Ambrose Bierce

June 27, 2010, 09:00 AM	#7
Jbar4Ranch Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 1999 Location: Near Helena, Montana Posts: 1,719	Don't "pull the barrel off", use the ram between chambers to push it off. I use a thin piece of leather between the ram & cylinder. Solve 98% of your cap problems with Remington #10 caps and Treso nipples. Just switching to Remington caps will solve most of your problems. __________________ Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets replaced... SASS 47015

June 26, 2010, 01:56 PM	#1
bigcountry11 Member Join Date: May 13, 2010 Posts: 40	Shot my dragoon today, questions Ok, went and shot my dragoon. One, shocked how accurate it can be. I was shooting 2" groups at 10 yards. More accurate than me. Thats with 30gr of 777p. Then had wedge issues and couldn't get wedge to go in all the way and accuracy went to crap. Tried 42gr of 777, and the loading lever kept falling. 1.) When you clean, do you take apart the whole frame and trigger assembly? Or just wipe as much as possible out of the frame and hammer, and oil? 2.) I had issues where the wedge wouldn't go in all the way until the metal clip snapped. So I polished the wedge a hair with emory cloth. Is this bad? 3.) Should I be able to remove and add the wedge with my hand? I am using a rubber mallet and plastic pin. 4.) How in the world did cowboys get shots off so quick? Had issues with caps CCI #10 falling apart and getting binded in the cylinder. Every shot, I had to shake and pick out pieces of cap.

June 26, 2010, 02:42 PM	#2
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,188	1. I don't but I do remove grips and immerse whole thing in soapy water. Flush it out good with WD-40 and oil. 2. no but wedge shouldn't go all the way in. 3. When it's new it might require a lil help but after it's been disassembled a few times it should go in and out with thumb pressure. 4. Get in the habit of raising muzzle and slightly tilting to right as you cock it. Caps will fall to side.

June 26, 2010, 06:07 PM	#3
bigcountry11 Member Join Date: May 13, 2010 Posts: 40	Thanks Hawg. I didn't dunk the whole frame in water. Just barrel and cylinder and nipples. I just tried to wipe out as much fouling from the caps I could.

June 26, 2010, 07:06 PM	#5
bigcountry11 Member Join Date: May 13, 2010 Posts: 40	So here was my wedge issue. I had the wedge to where the metal was flush with the right side of the gun. So not all the way thru. After 12 shots, it must have backed out some. Groups went to crap. I noticed alot of play with the cylinder and now wedge has been pushed back some. Totally stuck. Wedge is in but at an angle and won't go all the way thru. I finally get wedge out and not can't remove the barrel. Every time I pull off, I hear metal binding somewhere. So took it home and played with it. Only way to get the barrel off was to pull the barrel out about 1/2" and twist off and finally came out. I still don't know what went wrong. But its cleaned and back together with wedge about 2mm protruding the right side. Another strange thing is, you would figure you could turn the barrel around the cylinder post (thing the cylinder turns on) when not totally seated. But it doesn't. Only turn with resistence.

June 26, 2010, 10:40 PM	#6
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	Sounds like the wedge being inserted at an angle created a burr on the arbor at the wedge slot.

June 27, 2010, 10:18 AM	#8
bigcountry11 Member Join Date: May 13, 2010 Posts: 40	Jbar, thats not what I am referring too. At this point, I already used the loading lever to move the barrel 1/4. I am talking about after that.

June 27, 2010, 12:05 PM	#9
denster Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 581	I'm assuming your Dragoon is an Uberti. The cylinder arbor is a taper on the part that goes into the barrel lug. If you get even a little fouling in the barrel lug it will jam things up, it will also bind up if you tap the wedge to hard as you are forcing two tapers together. With the wedge properly fitted you should just start to feel resistance as the radius on the end of the wedge clears the far side, then a light tap to set and lock it assuming your barrel is all the way on and the bottom lug is contacting the frame. Uberti uses a properly designed wedge system but it is not always fit correctly. To fit it you file a very small amount off the tapered side towards the muzzle maintaining the taper until you get the fit I mentioned. This is generally only a very few thousandths of an inch.