Conversion 44 Russian revolvers

[Pertsev]

Here are some Colt type cap and ball revolvers converted to center fire cartridge.
Two are "open top" Colts,not exactly conversions,but you can see the Colt cap n ball heritage.
The one on top is marked AMERICAN FRONTIER. It is chambered for 44 Russian and 44 Colt.It was built with parts supplied by ASM in Italy.

The two bottom revolvers are Uberti made for Cimarron.These are Colt "open tops"
Chambered and marked for 44 Special and 44 Russian.

I use 44 Russian cases in all three. The American Frontier will not accept a 44 Special case. The two Ubertis will accept a 44 Special,but bullet seating depth is critical.

Just aquired the American Frontier,took it out a few days ago. It shoots well,but action will need a little work.Not as well made as the Uberti copy.It is a Richard Mason type conversion,the hammer is ground flat and it has a conversion ring/frame mounted firing pin.

The two Uberti open tops needed minor tweaking to smooth the actions. Both shoot well. The long barreled one is very accurate.They have hammer mounted firing pins.

Am using 5.2 gr Unique in Starline cases.Topped off with a LEE 44 cal Round Nose Flap Point bullet advertised for the 44-40. Sized to .429. LEE says it is a 200 gr bullet,but it drops at about 210 grs with a WW and plumber's lead alloy,sweetened with a spoon full of tin.

Just enough recoil so you feel like you are shooting something,not so much recoil that you cannot get quick follow up shots.

All three are more accurate than similar revolvers tried in cal 38 spl or 45 Colt.

I like the "feel" of the Colt cap and ball revolvers.They point well.The conversions were probably used more in the taming of the "Wild West" than is generally thought.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Looks like what Viggo Mortensen used to finish off Jeremy Irons in Appaloosa.

[Von Dingo]

Lickey very much.

[StrawHat]

I have an ASM Richards conversion in 44 Colt. After I shot it a bit, it became apparent the internals were a "little" soft. I ended up replacing everything except the screws. I like the fact it is a 44 Colt as were the originals.

Here's mine.

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/StrawHat/RichardsConversion001.jpg

[Pertsev]

The little bit of shooting with the ASM shows it is accurate,but the action needs some work !
Have heard the quality is hit or miss with ASM,some good,some not so good :confused:
Going to tear it down and look for bright spots !
Where do you get parts for the ASM ?

Here's a couple pics of a Uberti 1860 conversion in 45 Colt.
Used a Kirst Konverter. Took 3 hours start to finish including the barrel trim.
Makes a good belly gun,much fun w/ Black Powder loads !

[StrawHat]

...Where do you get parts for the ASM ?...

I used parts from other makers and fit them to my revolver. The hammer notches were also soft and I needed to replace the hammer. A used one (off an ASM revolver) was rewroked and hardened. I also hardened the trigger tip. Springs were reworked from other makes. A bit of work but I enjoy returning broken firearms to functioning status.

[lathesmith]

Persev, here's some light reading for you. I firmly believe you are correct, these and other conversions were as popular, by numbers, if not more so, than the 1873 Peacemakers that Hollywood would have us believe were the only firearms being used by folks out West(and east).

lathesmith

[Pertsev]

Will shop around for that book. From what I've seen,they ain't cheap >
But,a good book is worth it.

[Dale53]

I checked Amazon for that book - $195.00. That IS pricey.

Dale53

[lathesmith]

Yes, it isn't a cheap book, but if you shop around you can sometimes find a decent price for one. This thing is a fantastic resource for the 19th century revolver freak ( Pause-- I gotta raise my hand here). The author relates things like how the Civil War affected revolver developement and useage, patent laws, rim fires, pin fires, and all kinds of other cool stuff. I don't believe I've ever seen more useful information in one place on the subject of revolver conversions than is contained in this one book. Lots of great pics too!

lathesmith