• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Pair of Belgian 1860 Army’s

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Here's my Whitneyville Dragoon with the same . . .

20220423_114706.jpg


Mike
 
Yes, they were, SA.
Evidence by the harder Belgian steel used in their making.
Check www.1960nam.org.
Between fall of 1959 and early summer of 1973 a total of ca. 16,000 units was produced over 5 basic models but with > 50 sub-variations.
All the Centaure conversions I am aware of were made after 2007 by European and U.S. conversion artists.
I have not seen a Centaure C&B variant or a Centaure conversions with a spacer.
Seemingly not necessary.
Long Johns Wolf
 
Ok, I'm talking about short arbors and you're about nothing but Centaures. Sorry to waste your time.

Mike
 
My point in making my comment was that ALL reproduction Colt Open Top revolvers, Uberti, Pietta, ASM, ASP, Colts 2nd gen series, Sig. Colts, Centaures . . ALL of them except for the originals and Piettas of the last 12 or so years have short arbors. It seems that feature ( the most important feature in the design) has eluded all the reproduction offerings.

Mike
 
Can’t argue, got four Colts set by the guy talking about short arbor, and two set up by another gentleman in Alaska, have two more , a 1st model Dragoon, a very recent purchase from these pages that haven’t been touched.
The Dragoon has a very tight wedge and if tapped in to far will bind the cylinder. Short arbor shallow hole what ever, I’ve learned how hard to tap the wedge to where the cylinder
rotates freely.
The second of those two a 5 1/2 in barreled 51 Navy in 44Cal seems fine.

Because of other features more than arbor I plan on shipping the two with no modifications to the gentleman in Alaska soon as I get settled in for the summer back home.
I especially like the action stop and the cap raker feature.
 
For the fun of it I just took some pics of my arbor and hole. I don’t see any evidence of the arbor bottoming out but not sure. After taking a quick measurement, it definitely does not bottom out. Has at least 1/8” space. I did notice the peened area on the cylinder side of the wedge
 

Attachments

  • 08861F60-C0B9-40B8-8B7E-72F4E193C1E9.jpeg
    08861F60-C0B9-40B8-8B7E-72F4E193C1E9.jpeg
    114.7 KB · Views: 45
  • A381164C-92DB-48DC-A2E7-434C3B8AA7A9.jpeg
    A381164C-92DB-48DC-A2E7-434C3B8AA7A9.jpeg
    160 KB · Views: 46
  • 55430D9E-FC79-4066-AD14-F26D71D0F045.jpeg
    55430D9E-FC79-4066-AD14-F26D71D0F045.jpeg
    123 KB · Views: 45
Last edited:
Thanks for these informative pics, Andrewmtnman,
Would you let me have the serial number of your Centaure RNMA 2nd var./1st sub-var., please.
I would like to add the data to the Centaure website www.1960nma.org.
Long Johns Wolf
 
Looks like at least 1 Centaure has a short arbor!! ( l'm sure they all are ). It's an easy but important fix.
I hadn't heard of the loose arbor problem these revolvers have but that's a symptom of short arbors. The barrel pulled tight against the arbor is the answer.
Just goes to show, they are made just like all the other reproductions.

Mike
 
Looks like at least 1 Centaure has a short arbor!! ( l'm sure they all are ). It's an easy but important fix.
I hadn't heard of the loose arbor problem these revolvers have but that's a symptom of short arbors. The barrel pulled tight against the arbor is the answer.
Just goes to show, they are made just like all the other reproductions.

Mike
Wow Mike think you made your point. You’ve sure built short arbors into a lucrative trade. What’s the average turn around time now. Three years. !! Just asking.
 
Ha!!! Same old Whughett !!
Depends on what's being done. Custom revolvers aren't an assembly type item. So, silly questions get silly answers.

Mike
 
Ha!!! Same old Whughett !!
Depends on what's being done. Custom revolvers aren't an assembly type item. So, silly questions get silly answers.

Mike
Must be something going on I'm not hip to. I for one have learned a lot from 45D and have been motivated to seek further information as a result in an area which I am relatively new to, C&B revolvers. Nobody is born knowing this stuff and I appreciate hands on real world experience.
Keep em coming Mike!
Robby
 
Looks like at least 1 Centaure has a short arbor!! ( l'm sure they all are ). It's an easy but important fix.
I hadn't heard of the loose arbor problem these revolvers have but that's a symptom of short arbors. The barrel pulled tight against the arbor is the answer.
Just goes to show, they are made just like all the other reproductions.

Mike
Thanks Mike, looks like I have some work to do :mad:. Where would I get the parts to complete the repair?
 
Stantheman86, crazy ain't it!!!! Lol

Thanks Mike, looks like I have some work to do :mad:. Where would I get the parts to complete the repair?
I use a #12 ss pan head sheet metal screw. Cut off the threaded shaft and file or sand the flat surface down until you get your endshake measurement with the wedge driven in tight.
I use a Philips head screwdriver bit in a drill motor and a 1" belt sander to hurry things along. As you can see in my photos above, the Philips slot can be seen all the way through (what you see in the photos is the flat side, that may give you an idea of why I use a belt sander!! Lol). The rounded part makes it "self centering" when placed against the cone shaped end of the arbor hole.
#12's work in belt pistols, #14's in horse pistols.

Mike
 
Back
Top