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Is this safe to shoot?

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My father passed about a year ago, in going thru his things we came across cap and ball revolver that we did not know he had.It looks to be a Navy Arms Co. brass frame 1860 Army in 36 Cal. The barrel to cylinder gap with the hammer at full cock is .017 and I am wondering if it will be safe to shoot. Please keep in mind, I am not going to shoot thousands and thousands of shots with it, just pinking at most 4 times a year in remembrance of my father. Thank you all for your information in advance. I enjoy this forum very much!
 
Hammer in battery, I will assume you mean in the fired position, hammer down on the nipple position, there is zero gap, but I thought that was just spring tension holding it there from the hammer??? Sorry, cap and ball revolvers are kind of new to me, thank you for your patience in teaching me.
 
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The old brass frames would loosen up because the loading lever pulled the cylinder axle loose. If the weapon cycles smooth and after taking the cylinder out, the cylinder axle is tight. Cock the hammer and grab the cylinder and see how far it rolls one way or the other. It should be fairly snug with maybe few thousands. Check the cylinder snugness with the hammer down, side to side or up and down. When the weapon is cocked the bolt ( that little medal lug under the cylinder) should settle in the recess portion of the cylinder on the bottom. The hand ( little finger that rolls the cylinder operated by the hammer) should index the chamber behind the barrel each cycle.
All in all, if the axle through the cylinder is loose in the frame, it is a wall hanger. It can be repaired, but by a machinist, gunsmith.
 
What I have to teach would fill a thimble but others will be along shortly.
Those numbers are a bit excessive but if you’re only firing a cylinder full a few times a year AND you use the brass frame recommended 20 grains 3f (or equivalent) maximum loads it’s likely safe to shoot. The gap will allow a fair amount of fouling on the arbor and you shouldn’t fire the gun in close proximity to others on the left and right. I can’t imagine it will spit lead unless badly out of time and if it fouls a bunch you’re going to clean it up right away anyway so no harm, no foul... sorry, bad pun for so early in the day.
I suspect the revolver may have been fired with maximum loads to create the numbers you’ve recorded but that can’t be determined without a closer look at the piece.

20 grains powder, 10-15 grains of corn meal or similar, one .454 round ball and a number 10 cap and you’re on your way. Enjoy.
 
The old brass frames would loosen up because the loading lever pulled the cylinder axle loose. If the weapon cycles smooth and after taking the cylinder out, the cylinder axle is tight. Cock the hammer and grab the cylinder and see how far it rolls one way or the other. It should be fairly snug with maybe few thousands. Check the cylinder snugness with the hammer down, side to side or up and down. When the weapon is cocked the bolt ( that little medal lug under the cylinder) should settle in the recess portion of the cylinder on the bottom. The hand ( little finger that rolls the cylinder operated by the hammer) should index the chamber behind the barrel each cycle.
All in all, if the axle through the cylinder is loose in the frame, it is a wall hanger. It can be repaired, but by a machinist, gunsmith.
See? Great information from @sawyer04

I would quibble that the arbor probably won’t pull loose so much as the recoil shield becomes battered but either way. The results are excessive cylinder gap.
 
Thank you for your responses, arbor is tight in the frame, cylinder won’t really rock much when ready to fire, VERY minimal, no play anywhere when hammer is I’m fired position, indexes perfectly when going thru mock fire sequence, not dry firing pistol; everything else looks ok, just noticed a gap in the barrel to cylinder and wanted to get some opinions before I made a really bad choice. Thank you all again!
 
I would quibble that the arbor probably won’t pull loose so much as the recoil shield becomes battered but either way

Arbor is the appropriate term. Old habit, calling it the cylinder axle. I have repaired a few Arbors, I feel they were mistreated and the loading lever was asked to load a larger bullet than recommended.
 

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