I got a Pietta 1860 from Cabelas a while ago and just tried to take it apart to clean off the shipping grease. The wedge will not budge. I didn't think they were supposed to be this tight and I don't want to scratch the finish.
Any bright ideas about how to proceed? Years ago I had a copy of a '51 and have a copy of a Sherrif's model in .44 (never made) and neither of those had this problem. This one has a somewhat more dramatic hook on the spring but I can push that down and nothing moves when I tap on it - wooden mallet and the end of the screwdriver so far. Gonna need three hands to hold it down and use a punch. I do have vices and know how to use them!