Nite Ryder

How many of you have thought about using conversion cylinders in your cap & ball revolvers? I have a cylinder for each of my three Ruger Old Army's. I load black powder in 45 Colt brass and crimp in a round ball. Lots of fun to shoot and you never have to worry about the caps hanging up so the cylinder won't turn. These cylinders sell for less than $250 each and makes it possible to use smokeless or black powder cartridges in your revolver. Let me know if you are interested in adding any to your collection.

NR

Bountyhunter

I've thought about buying a Ruger Old Army and converting it. Those guns are just about the best looking guns ever produced imo. I just don't own one because I don't shoot C&B guns.

deputy125

i have looked at them and gave them some thought............

the biggest limitation for me would be the price of the cylinder. at 250 bucks, that is awful close to the price of a used blackhawk.

so for 250 bucks, what would i rather have-----a 2nd cylinder or a complete 2nd weapon........i'll have to go with the later.

though i do think those "open top" cylinder conversions of colt 1851 and 1860 revolvers do look sexy..............

and it is an excellent way to get around the govt and BATF records by buying a black powder revolver and then converting it to cartridge with no paper trail to follow.......a possilbly big plus considering the unknown future...............but eventually, they will call this a "loop hole" and go after it as well.

afterall, we can't have gang bangers committing drive-bys with colt navies now can we.........

Johngoboom

I bet they are really hard to hold sideways and still cock the hammer.

JOHNNY WACKO

I ,one day 10 years ago, was working behind a road gradder with my skid loader scooping up the dirt from the berm and loading it in a dump truck.9 hrs of non stop operating and day dreaming.I had the hole thing figured to about the penny.
I had it bought a cylinder ordered and received,all done in a holster I already had.Was gonging to do the same load as Deputy said.even was shooting it.
Thats as far as I got!Ended up,there was a T/Center PA hunter 50 cal flint lock Wright in the way of my eyes when I got to the gun shop.What a beauty it is.Still unfired. ill have to get some pictures of it. " shit happens "

deputy125

ok, i got a question about these conversions.....

namely, going the other way with an 1851 navy in .36 caliber.
Conversion cylinders are sold to convert these to "38 colt" centerfire cartridges.

Researching it, i believe they are refering to the 38 "short colt".

Can 38 "short colt" cases be made from trimming down 38 special brass or it this a totally diferent animal all together?

i can't find data on the "short colt" to compare cartridge dimensions.

in my research, i did find out that the short colt and long colt are not interchangable as they have different bullet diamenters from each other. Seems the short colt was made specificaly for cartridge conversions.

Nite Ryder

I doubt that you would be able to shoot a 38 caliber bullet throught a 36 caliber cap & ball revolver. I've never checked the diameter of either bullet, but you should before you try it. As for the cost, Ruger Blackhawks don't sell for $250 very often, where I live. I have three conversion cylinders on Ruger Old Armys, kind a nice to be able to shoot either black powder or smokeless cartridges throught a gun I wouldn't use very often otherwise. The black powder cartridges I've loaded (using round balls for bullets) are sure fun to shoot, much faster to use than cap & balls, and still make a lot of smoke and noise.

NR

Bountyhunter

Do you have to ship the gun off to have the cylinder fitted? Now the cylinder will fire any 45 colt round off the shelf or hand loaded to safe specs correct?

deputy125

that is a given comparing .358 to the .375 round ball................

i'm looking more at brass case comparisons here using the .375 ball..........

Nite Ryder

Well I just got two more Ruger Old Armies. Both stainless steel with 5-1/2" barrels and non-adjustable sights. Haven't tried the conversion cylinder in these yet. Dang it, does any one really need 5 ROA? Probably not... But they sure are pretty

deputy125

since ROA's are no longer being built.......there are probably quite a few folks thinking that that there is no such thing as "too many"......

they sure ain't getting any cheaper...........

Nite Ryder

Yeah Deputy, you are probably right. Never ever did I think I would have too many guns. I haven't shot the two with 7-1/2" barrels in over a year, even with the conversion cylinders, and the blued one I have, I haven't shot it for probably over 10 years. I bought it (according to my records) for $150 back in 1980.

Bountyhunter

I've come real close to buying a ROA a few times. I love the looks of those guns. I know I would never shoot it, unless I got the conversion cylinder, but I'd like to own just one.

Nite Ryder, you've been MIA for a long, long while. Good to see you.

Tom W.

I've seen the cylinders advertised in "Cheaper than Dirt" I believe it was. As for shooting 38's from the .36 cal, once you seat a roundball in the BP cylinder it swages it down, and you still have the forcing cone to deal with.. And remember that a .38 special shoots a .357 diameter bullet..

tx gun runner

Why would to convert guns that shoot like this to a cartridge . Most Remy 44's and 45 Ruger old army shoot tighter groups that this 36 Remy . You can buy a cartridge gun cheaper that a BP gun and kit .