I remember once hearing a story, possibly apocryphal, that Rollin White came to Samuel Colt with his idea for bored-through cylinders to use self-contained metallic cartridges in revolvers. According to the tale, Colt said something to the effect of "No self-respecting pistol shooter would trust someone else to load his shot for him." IF (and it's a big IF) the story is true, then to Ol' Sam I'd have to say......

 

"No self-respecting pistol shooter would trust someone else to load his shot for him."

Words still uttered by 95% of reloaders! 🤣

 

Awesome Remington. I have the same thoughts about stuff I own- picked up an 1860 Colt Replica for the same reason- probably never shoot it but it's pretty.

 

Very cool! I heard of these conversions being done back then. I have never seen an original. I have had a couple of BP pistols in the past and enjoyed shooting them. I did not realize you could send a BP pistol to be converted today. Will you need load BP rounds for it or will you be able to use modern ammo and powders? They look awesome!! 👍😎

 

You're supposed to use black powder or "cowboy" loads and lead bullets only, especially with the open-top Colt conversions. Solid-frame revolvers like the Remington might hold up better with factory loads, but it's still not advised.

 

they make conversion cylinders for most black powder pistols the only thing do not use with brass frame pistols

 

I've been a black powder fan all my life. Muzzleloading season for Deer is my favorite...

Jon.

 

Very, very few people sent their percussion revolvers back to the East to be 'altered' (Colt's nomenclature ) and no gun co. pursued that avenue as they wanted to sell you a new gun.

As for Rollin White:

https://www.discovercolt.com/SmithWesson.html

 

Very, very few people sent their percussion revolvers back to the East to be 'altered' (Colt's nomenclature ) and no gun co. pursued that avenue as they wanted to sell you a new gun.

Exactly. When cartridge firearms came on the scene the old percussion guns didn't disappear overnight. Hollywood made us believe that people got into running gunfights all the time back in the Old West, when the truth is few ever did. If a gun was actually needed a couple shots usually did the trick. As a result the old front-stuffers remained in wide use up until the turn of the century when smokeless power came out and truly advanced firearms designs.

 

You're supposed to use black powder or "cowboy" loads and lead bullets only, especially with the open-top Colt conversions.

You can get a conversion to shoot .45 ACP in a Colt .44 repro.

Very, very few people sent their percussion revolvers back to the East to be 'altered' (Colt's nomenclature ) and no gun co. pursued that avenue as they wanted to sell you a new gun.

A lot of Colt "conversions" were assembled as cartridge revolvers from parts on hand.
They converted some from percussion for the Navy.
They converted some sent in by customers but Flayderman does not say how many.

 

...A lot of Colt "conversions" were assembled as cartridge revolvers from parts on hand.
They converted some from percussion for the Navy.
They converted some sent in by customers but Flayderman does not say how many.

The Gov't back then was very frugal if not simply cheap and the first lot of Navy conversions had a huge problem with guns locking up and caused quite a stir with everything halted until it was determined that the cause was the faulty copper cased .38 Rimfire ammo.

The late Bruce McDowell if I recall correctly said that the Colt factory Day Ledger books did not show many individual percussion revolvers returned to the factory to be 'altered' to metallic cartridges. Colt's first metallic cartridge firearm (made as such from the start) was the .41 Rimfire House or 'Cloverleaf' in 1871.

Not everyone sold or scrapped their percussion revolvers when ctg. revolvers came out just as not everyone sold/shot their horses when they saw their first automobile. Early metallic ctgs. had issues, e.g., Martin primed ctgs., Spencer ammo debacle of the late 1860's, etc. Probably the most authentic scene in the move The Unforgiven was the shotgun misfire.

Here we are posting on a forum whose main theme is a handgun designed 113 years ago. Imagine Matt Dillon in an episode of Gunsmoke based upon the 1870's using a single shot flintlock from 113 yrs. before.

 

Nice photography too. Handsome pistol. NV

 

Great fun, great fun indeed!

 

I like the Kirst Conversions.
It took me less than two hours to convert my Uberti 1860 Army to .45acp.
Biggest part of the job was grinding the loading port into the frame.
It is strong enough for +P, but I'm just using the same ammo I use in my 1911.
It takes about a minute to switch between c&b and acp.

 

my conversion was even faster. i walked into my lgs and there was a uberti 1860 44 spl conversion! sights are tiny, but it is very accurate on a sunny day. never could pass up a 44 spl if i had money in my pocket.

 

My Cimarron 38 Special Richards Mason is pretty neat. Open top with loading gate and ejector rod. It still has a wedge.

 

mrfairbanks007, your second sentence is absolutely brilliant!

 

Thanks, I do my best.

 

NICE!
Thinking of getting a conversion cylinder for this one...maybe. Same size .44 Remington new model army.
I like shooting round ball in it tho.

The short seating lever is hard on the hands tho.

 

The short seating lever is hard on the hands tho.

A piece of pipe or a box wrench will serve as a cheater.

 

"On the other hand, nearly everything I've read from enthusiasts of these pistols leads me to believe that a regular diet of full power loads in this conversion would be detrimental to my health".

And others who have converted a number of the modern replicas say that they are safe with a steady diet of 230gr +P. My hunch is that they would also be safe with .45 Super, but I haven't run the numbers to confirm that yet.

 

Break down a wooden clothespin into separate parts and use one as a perfect Colt wedge driver. Fast & quick.

 

Indeed the closepin is exactly the right size.
also if you need to tap the wedge (or clothespin), a good cheap mallet is easily made from a small block of wood and a dowel. Use the right diameter dowel and it doubles as a cleaning rod for the sixgun. My range kit includes sev. half clothespins and one of these homemade tiny mallets which also doubles as a cleaning rod.

 

Just curious, but if you do this conversion, have you not made a firearm that will now be subject to all the paperwork if you sell it? And, are there any rules against making this conversion in the first place? Seems kind of fishy - you buy a cap and ball revolver that is not a gun under the law, then you make it one.

 

I have seen converted cap and ball revolvers sold at gun stores - with the conversion cylinder it requires a 4473.
But buying the parts does not.
Taylors and Co., a reputable and well known black powder online retailer, will sell a conversion cylinder and mail it to you as they do a standard cap and ball sixgun. They do say if you order both at the same time, however, they ship the cylinder separately, prob. for this reason.

 

I knew a man who blew up a Kirst conversion cylinder using his smokeless reloads in an Italian Remmy clone. He swore up & down it was not his reloads at fault but.....

 

The BP Ruger was hell for stout, but it had about as much historical appeal as one of Biden's used Depends.

 

I personally think it was a nice looking revolver. It was not historical, but it had elements of some. I always thought of it as sort of an updated whitney revolver. Never owned one myself - too expensive and discontinuing it hiked prices.

 

I have this little Italian Pimp revolver loading the 32 S&W short conversion Taylors Titegroup .

 

b.p revolvers are fun

If I had the $ to get another one right now (so I didn't have to grind down the recoil shield on existing ones for a loading port) I'd probably do a conversion, but then I'd also have to reload as I think you have to use unjacketed bullets for barrel longevity.

(yes I know they make conversions with a removable backplate that don't need a loading port. Considered those but they only make sense for the Remington and I only have one remington)

 

i use plated bullets in my 44 spl. uberti conversion 1860. more, i'd be surprised if i ever shoot it enough to need to replace a barrel. there are also 'blue bullets' available. i can not see why even jacketed bullets would wear out a barrel on bp faster than a 'regular' cartridge gun. i agree cap and ball revolvers are a buncha fun, and hope we get some black powder on the shelves soon!

 

Track of the Wolf is well stocked - although the Hazmat is a killer .

 

powder $.50+shipping $15. + hazmat $30 + transaction fee $2. + cc fee $4 +tax, storage fee= $75per #. ridiculous, and i made it up, but that is how it feels. where i live they sold the land where the magazine was for houses. so black powder is unavailable locally right now. 😟 maybe things will get a little better.

 

Fortunately there is a b.p. specific shop within driving distance of me. A long distance (45 min.) but it is also near the b.p. club's range, so I make it a day trip when i pick up supplies.

 

checked out track of the wolf, cool site! 25#s of fff is a heck of a lot!!! i did not find the hazmat fee, but i am sure its eye watering.

 

I just finished this , aged this one