New to me Pietta 1861 Navy - cylinder binds

[Putterboy2]

Brand new to this discipline. I bought a second hand Pietta Colt 1861 Navy, doesn't appear to have been fired but not sure. When cocking and rotating the cylinder (with decocking after each click), the first three cockings/rotations are easy and smooth, but the next three become increasingly harder, as if something is binding. The hammer pull gets much heavier from the 4th to the 6th. After the 6th, it is instantly easy again. Is this a common issue with this brand/model or might something be wrong? Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Patocazador]

Tap your wedge key out just a bit on your '61 so it's not binding so tight. That should loosen up the rotation . Check to see that the cylinder/barrel gap is the same at each station. If it is not, your arbor may be bent.

 

[ZUG]

First off -- take it apart and give it a good cleaning & inspection. Then lightly oil the internals & lightly grease the cylinder pin with a good grease (lubriplate comes to mind). Assemble the pistol (don't pound in the wedge too far - barrel gap of between 0.006" to 0.010" should do it) and give it a try.

 

[snubnose57]

Interesting. I have a Remington .44 that does the exact same thing...

 

[Patocazador]

The Remington has a flimsier shaft (arbor) and yours is probably bent (or some nipples aren't seated all the way).

 

[nkbj]

For info only...
I have a 1851 Pietta from years ago that couldn't be disassembled.

Took huge amounts of careful analysis and slow hand work to make it right. At the factory they literally hammered parts together. If you have an old one, well who knows!

The normative production these days is totally different and out of the box probably better than the war time originals in fit as well as materials. From what I've seen they intend to take first place in the market by virtue of quality and price.

 

[M. De Land]

The Remington being a solid frame gun has a base pin not an arbor.
It doesn't need to be as large as an arbor as it is secured to the solid frame at both ends and does hot have to be thick enough to accommodate a wedge.
A bent arbor will not make a cylinder hit high on one side any more than the other but a crooked arbor hole through the cylinder will.
This can easily be checked in a lathe or for that matter a base plate with a snugly fitting pin through the cylinder and a dial indicator.