Remington gas bushing question

[Cincinnati Slim]

I love shooting my Remmies with blackpowder cap and ball and cartridge converter loads  but my Uberti SAA Colt clone runs a lot longer before cylinder binding because of the Cylinder pin gas bushing.

So I have a question for you 1875 and 1895 cartridge gun shooters. From what I can tell from looking at the exploded views on the VTI gunparts site, even the cartridge loading Remmies lack a cylinder base pin gas bushing. If the 19th century originals also lacked this I can certainly see why the Colts were more popular.

Without the gas bushing I can't get more than two cylinders out of my Remmies before I have to pull the cylinder pin and clean it off.

My Colt clone will run twice that long before binding up.

Now there is a blackpowder gunsmith in central Ohio ( I'm not mentioning the name because he's the subject of a lot of controversy in another forum) who offers a bronze base pin gas bushing upgrade for Remmies. He also has a conversion where the base pin is totally replaced by a pair of spring loaded ball detents fore and aft. This runs longer before binding than the standard base pin and allows rapid cylinder changes for fast reloads.

I have to admit, it does sound pretty interesting.

Cheers,

Cincinnati Slim

[Dusty Morningwood]

I suggest really laying on the heavy gun grease on the cylinder pin.  I do this with my Open Tops and have no problems.  Since the Remmie is so easy to take the cylinder out of, you can "top off" the grease every few stages.

[St. George]

Originals didn't have the cylinder bushing - and they worked fine.

But then, they were expected to work as designed and back then - no one shot them a tenth of what they're shot today.

Before you 'do' anything to your clone - polish the cylinder pin's bearing surface and ensure that the cylinder spins freely.

Then - try a different lubricant (I like 'Pro-Gold', since it stays where it's put), reassemble, and try.

It may make all the difference you need, without having to resort to gunsmithing.

Good Luck.

Scouts Out!

[Flint]

The 1875 and 1890 do have a gas ring, but it's not a separate bushing as with the Colt, it is integral with the cylinder like the Ruger.  It does allow the 75/90 to shoot longer without fouling to a stop.

To add a gas ring bushing to a NMA (58) one would have to remove the barrel (to have room to work) and machine away some frame material below the barrel to make room for the bushing to project forward past the barrel's throat.  With the barrel replaced, there would now be a space for the gas ring to occupy.  The cylinder would have to be counterbored and a bushing pressed in.  A slip fit would work, but a press fit would be less likely to be lost.  The barrel might require a flat on the bottom to give the bushing more diameter, but the chamber spacing is so close on the Remington cap & ball cylinder that the gas ring can't be as large as the Colt to begin with, but any shield from the cylinder poin exposure to fouling will work.

Note that the 1872 Opentop has a gas ring incorporated into the cylinder, and it will shoot black powder cartridges much longer than a converted cap & ball without fouling out.  The Ruger Old Army's gas ring also allows it to shoot many cylinders full and keep turning.