Killing quarantine time on my 1860s

[Ace]

I’ve got two never fired pietta 1860s, only 11 serial numbers apart. I plan on making these my forever guns, to be my go to for anything. Possibly one day my main guns if I decide to start shooting CAS competitions. Big plans for these ones..

Now I’ve been a mechanic and fabricator since childhood, so I have to say I’m pretty confident and comfortable with tools and steel in my hand. Also previously building a few modern weapons, I had many many tools on hand.

Anyways, while I’m stuck at home in California for this quarantine, I’ve been looking for free/next to free things to keep myself busy. So I completely stripped each pistol, and spent some time cleaning and deburring. Slicked them up mildly, as I don’t want to do too much and screw it up. I took the obvious off with a small diamond file, some smoothing with sandpaper in places, and did some smoothing work on all the internal rubbing parts with an Arkansas stone. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! Immediately noticeable. As I said I didn’t remove or reshape very much at all if any, mostly a polish on parts that rub. But one place I did remove quite a bit was the hammer face. It was clear the nipples had left a very noticeable ring in each hammer, and they had never been dry fired. And I mean it was quite a deep indent on both pistols. So with a fine triangle file I removed until it left a small mark of sharpie from the rear of the nipple, then a quick hit with fine sandpaper, then onto a bit of work with an Arkansas stone, removing all sharp edges, they are highly polished. Almost a mirror finish. They still just BARELY touch the nipples, but I wanted that in case I switch to an aftermarket nipple and it’s a shorter length. I may modify the stock nipples the way I’ve seen in Blackie Thomas’s video, not sure.

I also did some small amount of smoothing to the grips/frames. More to come on that. I think I’m going to sand everything very smooth, creat my own checkering, and refinish in a better looking color. We shall see. Anyways, just wanted to share. If anybody has any comments on nipple/cone selection, I’m open. Seems to be a topic of serious gun to gun, and serious personal opinion.

[Ace]

Pics

[Hawg]

I never had the need to change nipples but if I did I'd go with Treso/Ampco

[Ace]

I have read so much on tresco’s, SliXshot, track of the Wolf, and a few people who say stock nipples will work just fine if the gun is tuned. I plan to just give stocks a try and see how they perform with all the other work I have done. If they don’t do well, I will do the minor groove(Blackie Thomas) in them to see how that helps. I have no problem buying aftermarket, but there’s so many objective opinions on nipples I don’t know 

[Hawg]

I have read so much on tresco’s, SliXshot, track of the Wolf, and a few people who say stock nipples will work just fine if the gun is tuned. I plan to just give stocks a try and see how they perform with all the other work I have done. If they don’t do well, I will do the minor groove(Blackie Thomas) in them to see how that helps. I have no problem buying aftermarket, but there’s so many objective opinions on nipples I don’t know

All I can say is I've been shooting these things since 1969 and never saw the need to change nipples. The factory nipples work just fine for me.

[Ace]

Hawg, what is your shooting style? My biggest worry is rapid consecutive shots, caps jams, etc. I plan on some cap rakes/guards, which realistically should eliminate the need to change nipples as well. Just curious as to how you shoot, if your more casual and no competition, and if you have more patience for cap jams then a 33 year old kid like me hahaha

[Hawg]

Hawg, what is your shooting style? My biggest worry is rapid consecutive shots, caps jams, etc. I plan on some cap rakes/guards, which realistically should eliminate the need to change nipples as well. Just curious as to how you shoot, if your more casual and no competition, and if you have more patience for cap jams then a 33 year old kid like me hahaha

One hand slow fire. I've never had a cap jam up the works to the point of having to take a gun down to get it working again. I occasionally get one stuck to the hammer.

[45 Dragoon]

If you want a "no contact" setup (dry-fireable) you need a very tight barrel/cyl clearance if you expect  high reliability.  I would suggest a clearance of at least .003" or less.  Most folks don't dry fire and I don't ask. I understand it would be nice for practice but some caps may be a little weak and they need a good "smack"!!  Having to " run around "  and strike it again may cost a match at best  or (if they are truly "go to" guns)  your life at worst!!   I set all revolvers up to have an  "interference"  fit, meaning that there is hammer /nipple contact .  .  .  the cap will cushion the strike and protect the hammer face. My mainsprings are reduced to allow a 4lb. hammer draw which also helps protect the face.
  Dressing down the arbor length (you said they are Pietta's) will get you to your bbl/cyl clearance. The reason for the tight clearance is so the cyl won't go forward  enough to "get out of the way!" .  .  .  and allow failure to fire.

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

[Ace]

Goon, thanks for the tip. I’ve been watching the cylinder move forward when I let the hammer down, do I’m assuming if I were to dry fire, it would still leave a small impact dent. I’ve heard that slix nipples are .010” longer, so if I need to I will buy them or add tiny .005” shims behind factory nipples

[ShotgunDave]

Ace, I really like what you did to the hammer faces on the guns. That will go a long way to helping with cap jams. I also really like your rig. Clean and simple. Very nice.

I also have 2 Pietta 1860's. One has Tresso nipples and the other is stock. I've never noticed any difference in function. I added cap rakes to both guns and slicked up the guts just as you did. Makes a big difference. I also put hammer stops in both guns. That really makes them run good. Next I'm going to figure out how to make bolt blocks for them, like Mike Brackett does. I've also adjusted the cylinder clearance on both guns. The gap is .003 on both. They run like Swiss watches.

[Ace]

Dave, thanks! I spent a lot of time on the hammers with an Arkansas stone, just because I know the smoother the metal, the less the drag. I’m a little afraid I removed too much, but one 11 out of 12 nipples they still push the cylinder to barrel, one nipple seems a little shy. I’m hoping the caps will make up the difference. And I know there is a shim to possibly use. I did order SliXshots, just to have on hand. I’m thinking of doing cap rakes myself, but am a little hesitant. I’ve seen many online, and I know I’m completely confident in my capabilities and tools, but being a perfectionist I will quickly admit I am not a gunsmith. I am willing to make the most capable percussion revolvers, over time, that are capable of shooting very well. Not just for me, but maybe one day for my son.

[Ace]

Also, the holsters were quite affordable and very well made, from Etsy, bigtexasleatherworks. Not a sales ad for anybody, I was just very happy with the craftsmanship and price. The belt is just a concealed carry from a major site. All in all, the rig cost about $75

[ShotgunDave]

I would bet you'd have no problem installing cap rakes Ace. They are actually really simple to install. A drill press isn't even required. It helps, but it can surely be done without one. Just center punch where you want the hole and drill away.

If you're looking for longevity, consider doing the hammer stops. They're invisible when the gun is assembled, so they don't mess up the looks of your pretty guns. But they really do help keep the guns from beating themselves up, specially with heavy use.

$75 is a helluva deal for all that leather.

[Ace]

Dave, thanks for the info!!! I do appreciate the help. I do feel comfortable in my skills, but the more I read, more knowledge, less chance of mistakes. I’d really like to look into hammer stops. I honestly know nothing about them, but they do seem even simpler than cap rakes to install.Would like to learn more

[ShotgunDave]

I hear ya Ace. It can be a little off-putting deciding to take a drill to your prized pistols. Been there myself. But like you, I just read up on things and dove in. The worst that can happen is you mess up a part and have to replace it. The good thing is, everything is available for these guns, and nothing is really too expensive. So here's a few pictures that may help you out.

This first picture shows the location of the hammer stop. You just need to drill a hole part way into the inside of the trigger guard. DON'T DRILL ALL THE WAY THROUGH! Just wanted to be clear on that! Then tap the hole for whatever setscrew you choose and screw it in.




This one shows the hammer cocked, so you can see right where the mainspring rests on the setscrew.




Basically you just want the hammer to stop moving as soon as the cylinder rotates and stops. If the hammer over-travels, the hand continues to put pressure on the cylinder, causing undue stress on the parts. It's really easy to adjust the setscrew with a cut down Allen wrench. Just move it in or out until the hammer stops moving right as the cylinder stops. You'll immediately feel a difference in the gun. A good difference.


Good luck!!