Pretty new to the cap and ball world - I picked up an original Remington 1858 New Model Army and it seems the cylinder only advances on cocking when the muzzle is pointed down. It will do so every time in that case. I gather from some light reading that this is most likely to be a broken hand spring, which sounds like a relatively common issue. Anyone more knowledgeable than me want to offer some input, and maybe a suggestion on any sources for a replacement hand spring in Canada? (seems to be lots in the US but rather foolish shipping cost for a small part...)
Remington 1858 cylinder not advancing (hand spring issue?)
- Thread starter DocZoid
- Start date
BlackPowderBurner
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- the chesterfield
They’re not hard to take apart and work on. You should be able to easily confirm if yours is broken or not even present (it sounds like either could be true). When looking at shipping it would be worth your time to call the store in question and enquire about a lower more sane rate of postage.
fingers284
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta Cowboy Ranges
Been a wile since Ive had my New Model apart but I think I remember the hand spring as just a wire spring with a proper bend in it...should be a snap to build a workable replacement. Or, yours may have just slipped out of the spring holder position.
The symptom you describe is definitely a broken or dislodged hand spring. Another way to test this is to take out the cylinder and look at the hand. It should stick out of the recoil shield slightly, and respond with spring pressure if pushed into the frame. To fix it, take off the grip. Remove the main spring, remove the trigger guard and the screws in the side holding the hammer, trigger and cylinder stop. Thake each piece out in succession (hammer last) and slide the hammer and hand down and out of the frame. Temove the little screw holding the hand against the hammer in order to get both pieces out. You will see right away if the hand spring is broken, missing or just came out of its seat. If the latter is the case, insert the spring into the seat and gently compress in a vise to make the slot tighter and seat the spring. Re-assemble in the reverse order. Make sure you put the spring in properly (see picture). If the spring is missing or broken, you will have to make a new one. Not difficult. If it's broken right at the seat, usually you can gently pry the seat open just enough to force out the broken stub and re-insert the remaining spring. Tighten the slot as above. It's probably long enough to still work. 
The Italian hand springs come in a few shapes and sizes. Once the OP identifies the shape of his spring, the Italian ones can be made to match exactly, and at a lot less fuss than trying to make one.
R.
I realised I did not respond after many helpful replies here - thanks for the advice, it was pretty straightforward in the end as was said, and just needed the hand spring to be realigned (not replaced, fortunately). It is back to revolving on demand now.
Here is the gun in question for those interested in them, the next mystery being what is carved into the right grip (the underside is more legibly marked QTR). It is a late gun, 136### which I believe is February 1865. And it is quite a handful.
Here is the gun in question for those interested in them, the next mystery being what is carved into the right grip (the underside is more legibly marked QTR). It is a late gun, 136### which I believe is February 1865. And it is quite a handful.
Probably some attempt by a previous owner to mark it as his property, crudely done. Some military outfits would carve a variety of numbers or letters into the stocks, but these are usually done professionally and neatly. They were used to identify groups of guns as being the propery of particular units or branches of the military. This is not one of them, I'm afraid...
Indeed. The gun itself is military marked as you would expect, the left grip still has the faint cartouche and there are a few inspector markings on the metal. I have always appreciated the personalized grip carvings I've seen with this era of guns - a little more elegant than the more modern carving your SIN/SSN into the metal, even if this is just as likely to have been some bored kid any time in the last 160 years...
