Recently picked up this Model 2 Army that I'm interested in attempting to fire. I have a box of Navy Arms .32 rimfire. The rotational play in the cylinder seems acceptable, but there is some end play there and also the hinge seems a little loose. Is it possible to get this gun to fireable condition and how would I do that? How can I tighten the hinge and how concerned should I be about the end play of the cylinder? Thanks for any and all suggestions.
Ryan

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Ryan - it looks like the pivot screw is not original and probably been replaced. It might be an all thread replacement and causing it to be loose, or the hinge might be spread apart allowing side-play in the hinge. You can carefully compress the frame hinge to make a tight fit to the barrel, but go slow and do a little at a time until the barrel needs slight pressure to seat properly. If the screw has been replaced, who knows what was done to the hole or the threads, so that can be problematic to properly repair. If you could find an original hinge screw, you could have the hinge drilled and sleeved to properly fit the screw diameter and proper threads, but it might be difficult to find a competent gunsmith willing to do this job.

As for the end-play, I have repaired this problem in a couple of Model 2s effectively. Assuming that you are not going to put hundreds of rounds through that old gun, you can mix up some J-B Weld. I keep a small amount of steel grindings around and also mix it into the epoxy. Clean the existing hole carefully using some Acetone and Q tips, then fill the pivot hole on the barrel end of the gun and let fully harden (48 hours). Use a drill bit by hand and start drilling out the hole. Keep fitting the cylinder until you drill out enough that it is tight, but yet turns freely. It has been 10 years since I "repaired" my first Model 2 and do shoot it occasionally and the cylinder is still tight. There will be a larger than original gap, but really doesn't affect safety or performance.

Nice to see a really early 2 pin.

If you are interested in having the gun repaired, I would contact David Chicione @ [email protected]. You can send him the gun and for a nominal fee like $25 he will submit an estimate for the repairs. He can replace parts, remanufacture parts and even refinish the gun if desired.

They also make very unique wooden cases for the gun that are modeled after cases of the time period.

You can view his website at oldwestgunsmith.com

These are great old guns and served during a very difficult time in American history and deserve to be preserved.

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James Redfield
LM #497

Maybe I'll do that before I ruin it trying to fix it. Thanks.

Mike told me to try adjusting the pivot pin screw to cure the endshake of the cylinder. Mike, are either of these screws the one you're talking about?
Ryan

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Ryan,

Nope. You'll need to take the cylinder out and look in the hole that is dead center at the rear of the cylinder. There should be a screw head visible down the hole. That screw pokes out the front of the cylinder and becomes the pin or nub that the cylinder rotates around and fits the indention between the small screw and the barrel (photo 1). Flood the hole where the screw head is with a good rust penetrating fluid such as Liquid Wrench as the fine threads may be rusty. I recommend repairing the hinge first as you may not need to make this adjustment. Mike #283

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Mike Maher #283

Let us know if you can get the pivot screw to move. I have tried this on several Model 2s with every kind of penetrating oil known to man and think I only got one to move. Maybe it is just my naturally bad luck. I think the black powder residue gets into the threads and over the last 150 years the rust welds the parts together. I had thought about applying heat, but did not want to potentially compromise the cylinder strength.

It looks like the slot that holds the barrel lock has some play, so I doubt that tightening up the hinge pin will solve the cylinder shake problem. Fixing the hinge will, however, prevent the barrel from moving side to side.

Loose cylinders and hinges are common problems with Model 2s that have see lots of use. Many old repairs have involved enlarging the hinge holes and using a larger screw. It looks like that might have already happened to your revolver.