Belgian Colt fix

[rifle]

I set the barrel back on a Belgian Colt fer a friend that had one with a LARGE cylinder. gap. They come out the factory that way a lot.
If yer buying one ASK what the cylinder gap is. Setting the barrel back entails milling the bottom lug of the barrel the exact number of .001's without changin that plane in any way. Then making sure the frame pins are right and setting back the arbor end if it was bottomed or will become bottomed with the barrel set back.

The  cylinder gap then is set with a piloted reamer to the breech end since making the barrel a lil close is the way to do it so the piloted reamer can be used.

Last but not least....the wedge will be too small especially if the set back is .020 or more as it sometimes is with the Belgian Colts.

So...a new wedge needs milled out so the barrelcan be make tight again. I did that.

Thing is.....I used 01 tool steel that is oil hardening. Usually I don't harden the 01 tool steel since it's hard to begin with. Harder than Italian wedges. I hardened this wedge with casehardening compound(didn't feel like making a fire and using the bone and wood charcoal old time method).

Well....your opinion please.....what do you Hombre think of hardening a wedge in an 1860 Army Colt type revolver? Some prefer a soft wedge and some prefer the hard wedge. I prefer the hard but not real hard wedge in between.

Some say they want the wedge to go bad instead of the barrel slots. Wedges being cheaper and easier to change out.
I thunk that if a gun (Colt) is set up right then a hard wedge won't hurt anything but the wedge will stay good longer.

Thing is...Italian guns cap&baller types have soft steel thru-out.

The Belgian has hard steel thru-out. Like ordanance grade steel.


What's the verdict?

I'm gonna make a spare slightly wider wedge fer this gun I'm helpin a friend with since it's a Calvary Model with low numbers and fluted cylinder and...came and stills has the original shoulder stock fer it.
I figure it'll be around a long time since the owner is a young guy and says  he plans on keeping it. He might end up needin money and sell it some day as often happens to stuff people plan on "keepin".
The gun was made in 1963 and was shot and had that WIDE cylinder gap from the factory. If it is still in as good of shape as it is and was shot since 1963 it must be a tough bird indeed. Belgians have hard steel compared to Itailian guns.

Anyway I may or may not harden the spare slightly larger wedge I'm gonna make fer it. Usin 01 tool steel oil hardening.

Opinions needed to help decide.

By the way....I should thank WOLF fer helpin me get something to do with my spare time. NOT. I don't have any spare time. Fixin a guys Belgian is an extra chore to do. No money involved either. By the time I get to cutting my fescue grass I'll need a hay bailer and hay rake on a tractor.