flintlockmdj
45 Cal.
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- May 6, 2005
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Today I traded for a Colt '51 Navy .44 cal but the wedge is loose. What is the best way to tighten it?
More patent info: (from A HISTORY OF THE COLT REVOLVER by Haven & Belden)
Patent #1,304 dated 8/29/1839. In this patent, Colt talks about the "key" or wedge. "As the key C is to act laterally as a wedge to draw the receiver and the barrel into contact, it is of importance that it should be checked when forced sufficiently far in, or the receiver might be wedged up and prevented from turning. For this purpose I insert a screw, e, Fig.3, into the steel button f, which is attached to D D... The head of this screw, overlapping the end of the mortise, receives the wedge and checks it. By turning this screw the force of the wedge may be tempered. In fig. 5 g is a spring-latch on the under side of the key, which catches upon D when the key is forced in and prevents its accidental removal."
I have an 1860 colt and that is how it was explained to me it dose both jobs holds it in and to a small degree allows one to adjust the tension by the depth. This came up as mine was jamming after one cylinder. After backing it out a bit (there not much to work with) then polishing the center pin more it is working great. Fact to night I ran 9 cylinder loads in it and never a jam this is the first time for this gun to run that good. To night I also at the end tried it again to make sure so ran the screw in and wala jam after 8 rounds fired. I have also read here like the first fix that filing the sides may help in my case also and being I need a new wedge as my spring broke to night what the hey I am going to try it .mykeal said:Zonie,
I had occasion recently to discuss this on another forum, and essentially made the same argument that you did - the screw is there to keep the wedge from falling out. However, another member of that forum then posted the following:
More patent info: (from A HISTORY OF THE COLT REVOLVER by Haven & Belden)
Patent #1,304 dated 8/29/1839. In this patent, Colt talks about the "key" or wedge. "As the key C is to act laterally as a wedge to draw the receiver and the barrel into contact, it is of importance that it should be checked when forced sufficiently far in, or the receiver might be wedged up and prevented from turning. For this purpose I insert a screw, e, Fig.3, into the steel button f, which is attached to D D... The head of this screw, overlapping the end of the mortise, receives the wedge and checks it. By turning this screw the force of the wedge may be tempered. In fig. 5 g is a spring-latch on the under side of the key, which catches upon D when the key is forced in and prevents its accidental removal."
The referenced patent apparently applies to the Paterson revolver; I've not been able to verify the claim, however.
Boiling it down it says to me that the screw can be used to regulate the depth the wedge is inserted as you suggest.
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