1851 Navy Cylinder Gap

[Bad Karma]

Should there be another 0 there?

 

[ahedgpe]

Should there be another 0 there?

Yes, that should be .007", thanks for pointing that out.

 

[TheOutlawKid]

Im new here...but i would like to put in my .02 if i may. I have a bit of experience with these guns, tuning for myself and some customers....and i would say .007 is a little large for my taste. I go for .0025-.004. You lose less back pressure and it also keeps less fouling away from the cylinder face. A tight cylinder gap is especially important on brass frames as you dont want the cylinder to slam back against the frame during recoil as it will indent it and cause more issues. I have slicked up brass framed piettas and now they can handle full loads without issue...and some customers have even contacted me back and told me they abused them with high loads for hundreds of rounds and the gun is as tight as it was when i sent them back. Brass frames get a bad rep for frame stretching etc...but all these issues can be solved if the right work is done to the gun before any permanent damage is done. For some of these guns there is a bit of troubleshooting that needs to be done to get it perfect as one adjustment can cause another issue. A brass framed pietta gun that was sent to me recently had a .014 cylinder gap...i made it into a .0025 or .003 (forget which one) gap. To do this i had to pull the barrel guid pins and shave down the frame slightly and then also shave down the arbor. Were talking very slight adjustments, like thousandths of an inch at a time. Luckily with this procedure on this particular gun..i didnt end up having a wedge issue where when some of the above adjustments are made the wedge will either not fit or swim loosely in its slot. Anyways...the customer was very happy and as was i to make him see how reliable a cap and ball gun could be and he has now fallen deep into the addiction. Brass framed guns , once damaged, are usually salvagable and can be made just as hardy as steel frames (as far as taking full loads) if the right adjustments are made. To avoid issues its always best to make these adjustments before damage can be done. And remember...make verg very small adjustments at a time...a little change can make a huge difference on a gun. Also dont take material off the barrels forcing cone or cylinder face etc. Usually it just tajes adjustments to tje arbor or arbor wedge slot, troubleshooting should be done before any work is done to the frame such as pulling pins and taking material off of the frame. And just a helpful FYI..If you damage the pins i have noticed the dremel tool bits shafts make a great fit and replacement. I keep worn out or damages bits just in case i need to cut the shaft off to make a pin for someone.

 

[nkbj]

A week ago actually found a new in the box set of feeler gauges for 99 cents.

 

[Robert w]

I have 2 one with almost no gap can't get a sheet of paper in between the other has a rather large gap both still fire but the one with the large gap has obvious less power! also the large gap has more side powder flame! there's a chance of multiple cylinders firing if I don't use bore butter! I have had the large gap for a number of years and even finished a deer off with it! bought the 2nd 2 years ago when i noticed the large gap! i do use 30 grain Pyrodex probably why it has the gap! also break these things down when not using for a long period of time! took a few days to break them down they froze up! after last season I didn't clean them, and they rusted up!

 

[Stantheman86]

That gap looks big.....

I own many brassers, I'm up to 6 now. I don't know, I just like them.

I am also interested in the use of a large washer to protect the frame from being battered by the cylinder.