Pedersoli 1863 Sharps Gas Sleeve

[Raven]

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I have a Pedersoli 1863 Sharps serial # SH2497 that the Gas Sleeve appears to be pressed in is this correct or is there a modification that would include pressing in the Gas Sleeve. The Gas plate has been welded up so i know that some modification was done.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Raven

[Sgt.Jake]

   Raven   Not sure how Pedersoli sets them up from the factory,I do know how Shiloh does it. They are a very snug, finger removable fit,two reasons ,one to act as a gas seal upon firing,to keep gas from escaping the breach block. Number two is to allow cleaning of the gas fouling between the seal and seal chamber in the breach block. You might ask the same question over here     http://www.shilohrifle.com/forums/  or search the 63 fourm there,    http://www.shilohrifle.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=8    Good Luck   Sgt. Jake

[WV Scrounger]

 Concerning a Pedersoli '63....the gas sleeve should be moveable and the pressure plate surely should Not be welded !  they both work together to provide the gas seal.....
   I.A.B. sharps have a pressed in gas sleeve in the chamber but the gas plate in the block is moveable....My old IAB '63 sharps provided a good gas seal with this combination....So I guess you should soak your Pedersoli chamber in some sort of penetrating oil such as KROIL oer Kerosene for awhile and use the pedersoli tool to get it to move....
  The sleeve in the barrel must be kept CLEAN after shooting or it will FREEZE up with BP fouling.....

[Raven]

I ordered a new gas plate from VTI. There were two available an old model and a new model to replace the welded gas plate. niether one fit but I can make some slight modifications to the old model and it will fit fine.
The gas sleeve has been soaking in Kroil for about a month, I've been able to get the sleeve to wiggle a bit. I made a tool to remove it but it will not lock up tight enough to pull it free. So I guess I'm going to buy the Pedersoli tool.

Thanks guys
Raven

[ndnchf]

FWIW - Original Sharps 1859/1863 models had a chamber sleeve that was a press fit.  Not a loose sliding fit like some of the Italian made guns use.  In the original design, only the gas seal plate on the breech block moved when fiiring.  Upon firing, differential pressure caused the gas plate to move forward making a tight seal against the back of the chamber sleeve.  This system worked quite well if kept clean and well lubricated.   But it depended on a tight fit to seal well.  In time, the gas plate erodes, opening up that tight fit.  The pressed in chamber sleeve was there to provide a means to adjust the gap.  The armorer or gunsmith used a special tool (perhaps similar to Pedersoli's) to grip the sleeve.  A rod was inserted from the muzzle to the tool.  With the breech closed,the rod was tapped with a hammer, pushing the sleeve back against the gas seal.  A paper shim was placed behind the gas plate first.  After the chamber sleeve was driven back, the block was dropped and the paper shim removed. This gave the proper tolerance and was how the tight fit was maintained.

The problem with all this was that the chamber sleeve would quickly corrode and stick in place. 

Shiloh did away with the chamber sleeve and relies on modern steel and top rate quality control to build their rifles with tight tolerances.  If the gas plate erodes badly enough, you just replace the plate.

The Italians either can't or perhaps it is not cost effective to build them to the same tolerances.  So they have tried various combinations of floating chamber sleeves and gas plate designs.  I know Pedersoli has at least 3 different gas plate designs.  None of these work as well as a good original or a well maintained Shiloh.

This doesn't really help with your question, but it gives you a little background on the design.       

[Raven]

Well it took a lot of liquid wrench and a little heat but I got the gas sleave loose!

Shot it today and got some very tight groups at 100yds, about an inch and a half across with .485 grain bullets, a little filler, and 60 grains of loose powder.

I didn't have any Cream of Wheat or Corn Meal so I used Cous Cous! My wife has been trying to feed me this stuff for a while now, told her I've finaly found a better use for it Needless to say she wasn't pleased.

Can't wait to roll up some paper cartridges.

Raven