Replacement of loose cylinder pin on 1860

[rebelyell62]

Have any of you folks ever replaced a cylinder pin on a colt? ( Pietta 1860 army) Is this somthing that can be done safely and easily by someone with limited skills ( myself ) . I under stand that the pin is "locked" into place by means of a "pin" thru th frame. Any and all advice is appreciated.
 

[Black River Smith]

I am also interested in hearing if someone has taken the cyl. pin out.  I am possibly going to convert a Pietta 1860 to a Richards 1st.

The back of the cyl. pin has a peened-in impression.  That impression is of a rectangle and in the center is what looks like a pin image.  I scratched at it but still cannot tell if it is an inset pin or not.  This is definitely a different appears than the pins I took out of two ASM 51's and a Uberti.

Anyone have any experience with this.

[44caliberkid]

I just removed one from an ASM, but I looked at 2 Piettas and a Uberti that I have and none of them looked pinned.  Some makers would drive a pin down thru the frame at a right angle to the cylinder arbor, "pinning" it in place.  Look under the hammer, in the hammer slot, clean/scrape away any dirt/powder residue there and you should see (or not see) a round pin that has been ground off to match the contour of the frame. It goes straight down from the top, against the arbor pin.
  If you don't have one, you're in luck, and halfway home. 
   If you don't have a pinned arbor, strip the frame all the way down to just the frame and arbor pin.  Spray some WD-40 or other penetrating oil on both sides of the arbor where it enters the frame and in back of it.  Find or make a tool that fits in the wedge slot real good.  A big screwdriver filed or ground to fit tight works well. You need about 12" of handle minimum.
   Now put the frame in a vise.  I have aluminum soft jaws, but you can improvise something some your vise jaws don't scratch the frame.  Also don't get carried away with vise pressure, or you'll tweak the frame.
   Get out your propane torch or Mapp gas/oxygen torch and start heating the frame and pin from the backside (hammer slot).  Don't do this in bright light, you want to be able to tell when the frame/arbor pin is just beginning to show signs of red (dull, dark, red)  When you get to this point, stick your tool in the slot and unscrew it (counterclockwise)  It'll take quite a bit of force to break it loose, but then it will unscrew pretty easy.
   If you have a pinned frame, you need to drill out the pin before you can heat and unscrew the arbor pin.  Use a drill press with a vise.
   Remember not to touch your frame or pin with your bare hand, it will hold the heat for a long time.  Let it air cool.
   I was most surprised that this procedure did not harm the factory fake case hardening. I cleaned off the blackening and it looked like new.
   God bless your effort, let us know how you came out.

[Montana Slim]

You're getting some good advice, but I'll add:
Could be real easy to remove on a Pietta. I've had to replace the locking pin on most of my Pietta 1860's. The cylinder pins had gotten wobbly after firing a few rounds (new). In one case the lock pin was falling out.

When you drill-out the pin, first drill down to the pin, through the metal that is (supposedly) peened to hold it in place. The factory lock pins are quite soft & you shouldn't have trouble drilling through them, if needed.

I replaced the soft pins on my guns with tight fitting dowel pins and well peened in place. I'd never try to remove after this.

One of my Uberti 1860s needed this after one trip to the range, as well.

Best luck,
SLim

[Lone Gunman]

After drilling out the keyway pins I've always tapped the hole and replaced the pin with a set screw.  This is especially useful on the conversions since it allows easy removal of the conversion ring so the backside can be cleaned occasionally.