Brass frame 1858 Remington

[Dellbert]

I like the Colt and Remmies. I keep them cap & ball, and use the ".357 and .44 Magnum for the excessive muzzle blast and recoil.

[45 Dragoon]

I think that's just great Dellbert.

I can enjoy both .  .  .  .  .  at the same time.  Beauty and the Beast.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
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[ssb73q]

Hi, tore down the new brass frame Pietta 1858, cleaned off all the preventative oil with paint thinner, Ballistolled up all the parts and put the revolver together with the Wolff reduced power spring. The Kirst .22 cylinder needed a little fitting and then the .22 barrel was installed with a 0.002" barrel/cylinder gap. This is the finished product:



This is the new .22 with its Colt 1851 cousin:



Have I shot it yet? Not yet, but that will come soon after a couple of evenings of excessive fondling.

Regards,
Richard

[45 Dragoon]

ssb73q,
 We will keep our eyes  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  OPEN!!!       



Question, has the '51s arbor situation been addressed?

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
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[ssb73q]

Hi Mike, what 1851 arbor situation are you referring? The arbor length is perfect for the C&B cylinder use. IMO .22s will never shake loose a new 1851 revolver arbor.

Regards,
Richard

[45 Dragoon]

Well, was referring to the arbor bottoming out in the barrel assy. but after re-reading  your post (about the .002" thing) I see it was about the Remie.
As far as the arbor being correct for the C&B cyl., it should bottom out every time it's assembled. Just askin.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram

[ssb73q]

Hi Mike, it seems that all recent production Pietta Colts have the arbor length perfect such that the barrel/cylinder gap doesn't change no matter the amount of force on the barrel wedge. My recent production Uberti Colt arbors are always short where the barrel/cylinder gap varies with the amount of wedge pressure. Maybe the short arbor was the way Colt made their revolvers back in the day? I build up the arbor end on some of my Uberti Colts with brass washers and then file the arbor end to a perfect barrel/cylinder gap.

Regards,
Richard

[ssb73q]

Hi, shot the Pietta brass framed revolver with Kirst .22 conversion cylinder and my full length barrel this morning. At first I had a problem with the revolver producing two groups ~1.25" apart shooting from 15yds.  It turns out that the front barrel nut was only hand tight after the initial shooting. I torqued down that nut good with a wrench, that did the trick. The 1858 now shoots 1/2" groups, 1.25" low, and 3/8" to the left from 15yds using Remington ThunderBolts using a towel rest. I had to use Remington ammo first, didn't I? It will be interesting on how this setup works using Wolf Match Target .22s.

No photo, it didn't happen? Ok see:



Regards,
Richard

[ssb73q]

Hi, I tried some different ammo. Six shots from 15yds held over a towel rest. The target on the left is the Wolf Match Target, the right is the CCI Quiet. The CCI Quiet did much better than I expected and the Wolf did worst. The Wolf also leaves a dirty powder residue on the inside of the revolver frame. I'm coming to the conclusion that the real accuracy limitations of this 1858/Kirst .22 setup are my age and old eyes. The targets:



Regards,
Richard

[Captainkirk]

That is darn good shooting, Richard! I'd say you achieved your goal!

[45 Dragoon]

Hey Richard,
 I don't know if you've been to my website  but, fixing arbors is what I do. Piettas have come a long  way  but I still fix them too ( to me , a .002" barrel /cyl clearance is perfect). Uberti doesn't even think there's a problem! !! The original Colts  arbors bottomed out.

Good job with the .22 !!

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @goonsgunworks

[StrawHat]

Good looking grips on that pea shooter!

Kevin

[ssb73q]

Hi Kevin, those are the nicest grips I have ever seen on a recent Pietta, and all that for $150 with free shipping. While my brass framed 1851 and 1858 .22s aren't a fact in history, they can just written off as an Italian invention. I can do that since my family is Italian. 

I think that the brass framed BP revolvers are simply beautiful in their own right. Being set up as .22s will let me shoot in my basement all winter. I don't even need to wipe them down after shooting. I have other .22 handguns, but find shooting the 1800s single actions brings me the most shooting enjoyment. 

I'm still suffering on whether I should file down the front sights. After years of buggering up some firearms, I have learned to keep all my gunsmiting attempts easily reversible.

Regards,
Richard

[StrawHat]

...I'm still suffering on whether I should file down the front sights ...
Regards,
Richard...

My opinion, neither requested nor binding, is to remove it completely and dovetail a new one in place.  You then have a front sight adjustable for windage and elevation.  Switch back to C&B?  Switch out the front sight!

Kevin

[ssb73q]

Hi Kevin, what has you think that I can put in a dovetail front sight without screwing it up? 

I have an extra 1851 barrel that I don't mind buggering, but screw up the 1858 and I'm in trouble.

Regards,
Richard