Antique revolver headspace repair

sportee

sportee

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Ive got an antique colt that could use a little tightning up of the cylinder/barrel gap. I know i should just leave it alone but in my opinion the gap might be a bit large and i want to tighten it up some how. If i shim the rear of the cylinder i could get it tighter but then the lock up wouldnt be very solid. if i shim the fromt of the cylinder it locks up excellent but opens up the headspace gap a bit. Can this be done w/o removing the barrel? what should a good gap be?

When i say "shim" i mean something as think as a double sheet of aluminim foil...very thin. I havent measured the gap yet so i cant say how wide it is.
 
you are not indicating a comcern about head space but clearance between cylinder and barrel end, this would suggest a lack of understanding about revolvers and that before you get into ruining a good gun you seek out a good smith
 
what im talking about is the space between cylinder face and barrel. if the gap is too large it can lead to flame/gas cutting of the top strap..i know what im talking about...if im using the wrong terminology let me know what the correct terminology is.

the point is...i want to reduce the chance of flame cutting on the topstrap. ive thought that if i could put a thin spacer/bushing in to tighten up the cylinder which has the usual 100 yr old play in it i might be able to curb the flame cutting concern.
 
Have you ever observed the sort of gas cutting that you are concerned about in an antique, black powder revolver?
I know it was a problem with .357 Max. revolvers, but that is a very high intensity cartridge.
 
I really doubt you will ever cause flame cutting on the backstrap using black powder or equivalent modern loads. The way you change cylinder gap is to pull the barrel, reface the shoulder then reinstall and recut the barrel so your gap is proper. What is proper spacing for an old Colt????
What type of gap are we talking about here, is it 10 thousand, 20 thousand of an inch. Get a set of feeler guages and check the space in fired condition.

khornet
 
You might find, that upon closer examination of the top strap, all the cutting that could happen has already happened. Older Smith & Wesson revolvers had a small hollowed out area there and Smith finally stopped the practice as it took time on the assembly line and was an answer to a problem that wasn't there. It does not matter how close the "Cylinder gap" is, the cutting, if any, will still happen. As noted above, taking off the barrel and recutting the shoulder is the only way to fix the "Problem" you have described. I agree with Khornet, what gap are you looking for? The cylinder gap on my Uberti Colt Copy is less than .002 and the same for one of my Smith & Wesson Hand MK II Ejector Second Models made in 1906. On the other hand one of MY MK VI Webley's has a gap of .012 and an old H & R .32 I have has a gap of .011. Lead spitting usually does not happen because of a larger than "Normal" cylinder gap but a revolver out of time and mis-aligned. Try not to fix that which is not a problem. It's kinda like teaching a pig to sing, you waste your time and annoy the pig!

Scott
 
"...100 yr old play..." Before you do anything, you should have it checked both by a competent BP smithy and an appraiser of antique firearms. It may or may not be safe to fire with any ammo or too valuable as a collector's piece to shoot at all. Real antique Colts bring a very long dollar depending on condition.
 
I havent checked the gap yet with a feeler gauge. Ill get to that as soon as i can. I have shot the gun many times with black and it functions perfectly. It also has the little cut out at the face of the cylinder on the topstrap. Ive read this was done to keep the gun from jamming up when the BP fouling got heavy. The bit of cutting that is there now might be from some smokeless...im sticking to BP.

to respond to Sunray...although the colts are extremely valuable mine isnt a 4000.00 gun or anything. Its still worth a fair bit as all colts are but its a shooter...not something that one would only touch with cotton gloves. :)

With the processs you describe for "fixing" a gap problem...i'll leave it be. Its not really bad, just a concern for me.

Have any of you ever come accross or heard of flame cutting with BP? if not my question is answered and my concern can go to rest.

just to keep everyone informed i will still check the gap tonight.
 
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My bp revolvers do not show flame cutting.
If the cylinder is wobbly, you might consider a new base pin bushing, and a new base pin. The bushing would need to be fitted. The original parts could be retained, and replaced if necessary.
 
tiriaq said:
My bp revolvers do not show flame cutting.
If the cylinder is wobbly, you might consider a new base pin bushing, and a new base pin. The bushing would need to be fitted. The original parts could be retained, and replaced if necessary.
Click to expand...


Are your BP revolvers original equipment or the new stuff? Knowing that the old steel was softer i wonder if the BP rounds would have the effect of flame cutting....in the end it might have been the smokeless that was shot in the old girl that etched the topstrap.
 
Unless its really big gap dont sweat it.
My old wilkinson had like and 1/8 inch barrel to cylinder gap!
The thing out shot most modern revolvers

.006 tho is about right for most revolvers

Listen instead of takeing your gun to a so called gunsmith who may or may not have ever seen and antique revolver LOL
Go on Ebay under books and look for this book
PISTOLSMITHING
By George C. Nonte, jr
Its and ex book and is 500 pages thick with everthing a guy could think to ask explained for us Non gunsmith types.
Might cost $25 but its worth it. its and old book i paid $15 for mine.
Copyright 1974.
At least you will be able to figger out alot of stuff for your self.
Its one of the best books out there on Pistol smithing.
Good luck
 
sportee said:
Are your BP revolvers original equipment or the new stuff? Knowing that the old steel was softer i wonder if the BP rounds would have the effect of flame cutting....in the end it might have been the smokeless that was shot in the old girl that etched the topstrap.
Click to expand...
I have an 1873 (made in 1880) colt saa .44-40 and it has bad pitting under the top strap. This is not from flame cutting but from the dirty old primers and black powder. This little erea seemed to get neglected when cleaning by the old timers. It can be repaired by a good tig welder.
 
Thanks to all that replied. Im pretty sure now that the cutting was caused by the smokeless. Im not so worried now about ruining my 130 year old gun. i'll just keep shooting with black - and keep cleaning it well. Thanks for the advice.
 
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