Sneak peek of R & D's new conversion kit for 1851/61 Navy

[Cheyenne]

Authentic R-M styling, color cased ring, authentic R-M gate, 38 Colt, and a great price....$ 205.00! 

[Silver Creek Slim]

Kewl! 

Slim

[Cheyenne]

Here's a right side view showing the gate....gun is taken down in this one.

[Pukin Dog]

How hard is it to cut out a chunk for the loading gate on a C&B revolver?  I wish I hadn't given my brother my spare '51 now, I'd a made it into a FC gun

[Cheyenne]

Pukin' Dog, it's not hard at all. You can do it with a dremel tool or even a regular drill using a sanding drum or grinding bit.  It's not hard, just takes some time.

[Cheyenne]

Seth, we plan to be shipping them by the second week of February!  Kenny is like me, and most everybody else, we have been working on these for the past year with prototypes and machining and figuring out all the bugs to make the product ready, and I mean ready, when it was announced.  Like you, I loose interest in a product I read about in a magazine, only to wait a year to actually see it!

We're working on a web site and hope to have it up and running in a week or so also, which will have a lot more products available on it!
 

[Cheyenne]

Seth, the conversion kits are a proprietary product of R&D Gun Shop Inc, will not be sold through distributors. By doing this we will be able to keep the prices down and still offer the customer a quality product at a fair price.

You may have noticed the R&D banner that appears in my posts and at the top of the CAS City page, as soon as our web site is up, it will take you to it. Right now, if you want to order one or more, you can call me at 210-661-2555 or e-mail me and we'll get your order in.  The 1851 kits will be available for shipment within the next couple of weeks.

R&D will be coming out with more new products and will be marketing them directly to the consumer.

[Kill Creek]

Great Idea, I have been looking at buying a Cimarron Conversion, but keeping looking at mine and thinking, if they could make a conversion in 1800 I can surely do one now with all my shop equipment.  Now all I have to do is install one, keep up the good work.

Question though any ideas on an ejector?
Thanks
KC

[Cheyenne]

KC, for an ejector you have a few options.  We can mill and install a R-M one, this one is an exact reproduction of the original part, or, you could get an assembly from VTI for the Uberti Open Top or Conversion (same part) and install it yourself.

One note on the Uberti one, the mounting stud is located differently than the loading lever screw on a standard 1851 barrel, so you wind up with the rear of the rod a bit forward.

We have smoe more prototype kits to get to market, then we are going to turn our attention to an ejector system that retains the authentic 'look', yet requires little to no modification of the barrel.

[Kill Creek]

Cheyenne,
Keep up the good work, sounds like you might make my life easy. 

KC

[Big Hext Finnigan]

Ok.. I think you got the hook all the way to my belly..

Tell me what 51 would be the best to use a base for this conversion?  Looks like I'll need two.
Adios,

[Cactus Cris]

And I was gonna try & sell my 51's at Winter Range.   NOW--there ain't no way.  Gotta have me 2 of them!   Anyone gonna have them at Winter Range??  Yes??

[Cheyenne]

Cris, we won't be set up at WR. Kenny will be there shooting mounted though I'm not sure, but he may take some with him. I'll see and let you know.

[Cheyenne]

Cheyenne -

Thought I'd ask a few questions here, so other folks can get the info, too.

• Is this conversion "maker specific"?  In other words, does it matter if the gun is a Uberti or a Pietta?  The Kirst kits are maker specific.

Yes, they are maker specific : Pietta or Uberti

[li]Does it work with both the 1851 Navy and 1861 Navy?[/li]

Yes they work on either the 1851 or 1861 Navy revolver. The only real difference in these two are the barrel.

[li]Do you offer any assistance with this kit, such as barrel re-ligning, drilling & tapping of the holes necessary to secure the conversion ring?[/li]

Yes and no.  We offer barrel lining for $ 60.00.  We do not drill and tap the frames, however, we have made heavy duty drilling/tapping fixtures that make the job almost foolproof. We also can sell you the needed drill bit and tap, or you can get them from another source, such as Brownell's. The fixture can either be bought, or 'borrowed' by the customer.  To obtain one on 'loan', the customer will put up a $ 40.00 deposit (covers the cost of the fixture) and this deposit is returned to them or credited to their credit card when they return it.  NOTE:Occasionally with the Italian frames you will run into one that is overly hard. In a case such as this, and you are having problems, STOP, and call our Technical Support. If need be, after talking to Technical Support, you can send in the frame with a minimum of the process started, and we can then fix the problem you're having as a 'repair'.  All of R&D's products carry a lifetime warranty to the original owner covering the workmanship. So, this is a Yes and No situation, remember, if you have a problem, something doesn't want to go just right, such as the drill not nbiting the frame, and the frame is too hard, STOP and CALL, then we can evaluate the best course of action to take and help you out.  We want you to be happy with your purchase and proud of the finished project.

[li]Will/Can you cut the groove in the recoil shield?  I'm betting not, since doing so "creates a firearm".[/li]

No. The customer is required to make the modification before any gunsmith could really work on the conversion. It's a simple job really though. A dremel or even your craftsman drill and a rotary grinder will get the job done. The cutting of the loading groove is a permenant modification of the percussion revolver to a 'firearm' under Federal Law.  An individual can do this for their own use, but if we were to do it, it would constitute 'manufacturing a firearm', which is not really a problem as we are a licensed manufacturer, however the customer would then incur federal excise taxes and the 'new' firearm would have to be transfered back to the original owner via a FFL holder in their home state

[li]Does R&D offer any other services that we might want, such as action jobs/tuning, case-hardening the frame after the loading groove is cut?  If so, you might want to consider a "package deal" that would include the installation of the conversion ring, re-ligning the barrel, casehardening the frame, and an action job and spring kit installation.  Everything except cutting the groove in the recoil shield[/li]

While we are still exploring this area, we have come up with a few deals for the customer.  If they want their frames re-color cased after they have mounted the conversion ring and cut the loading groove, we can do this for $ 65.00. We are working on ejector designs that will maintain the proper asthetics of the original Colt conversions, and in the meantime, we will offer the service of milling the barrel and mounting the reproduction ejectors R&D has always used on our full custom conversions.  Also included with this service will be re-bluing of the barrel. The cost for the ejector work and refinish is $ 150.00.  Dove tailed front sights are also available, and we are looking at offering Barrel Package deals combining the lining, ejector, and refinish work for $ 189.00 (by piece cost is $ 210.00) and the same package with a dove tail front sight added would be $ 234.00 ( $ 260.00 individually).  These are rough prices as of now, and are subject to change, though I expect we can hold to them as offering a quaslity productr at a good price is what we are striving for. 

[li]Does the conversion ring and loading gate come case-hardened?[/li]

Yes, the conversion ring and gate are standard color case hardened

[li]Does the cylinder come roll engraved?[/li][/list]

The standard kit for $ 205.00 has an unengraved cylinder. The correct roll engraving is an option for $ 25.00

I'm sure your Web site will answer most of these questions once it "stands up", but there is a lot of interest in these already, so I thought I'd be the one to ask.

You're right, most of these questions will be answered on the site, and I have been working my fingers to numbs typing! But, I do have to thank you as you have sent me well on my way to having my FAQ page done!  
Thanks.[/size]

[Paper Chaser]

Outstanding, simply outstanding.  Of course I've been reminded by my legal-minded offspring that when I do those kind of modifications I am in fact 'manufacturing' a firearm.  I do wish he'd just be quiet sometimes.  Just want to have a little fun with those wonderful old guns.  Maybe I just won't tell or show; or is that show and tell?

[gophergrease]

Is anyone making a healed bullet mould for the 38 colt? Would you need to use soft lead bullets or is tire wight OK? Also is R & D making a conversion of the same style for the 58 Rems?
Thanks

[Cheyenne]

There was a vendor at WR last year with samples of a heeled bullet, Bear bullets? something like that. You can also use a hollow based wadcutter. If you cast your own, you want them soft enough to expand and engage the rifling......wheel weights may be too hard.

Nothing for the '58.......yet!

[Cheyenne]

Seth, a true R-M '61 used the same ejector as the '51 conversion, with the loading lever area filled, then sculpted down to the barrel. Very streamlined and quite attractive. This we can do, and we do have plans for a drop in style ejector for both the 1851 and the 1860. (The 1861 could use the 1860 ejector, very similar to what you have on the ASM's)

We have other projects ahead of these though, so I cannot honestly give you a time frame for them, though it won't be too long....I hope.

As for fitting the ASM ejectors, yes this could be done.

[Lucky Deuce]

I have a question... I have two R&D Conversion Cylinders for my .44 Remington revolvers and love them.  Are you going to come out with a R&D Conversion for the little .31 Remington Revolver?  I would love a .32 cylinder for a Steel Frame Remington.

[Cheyenne]

Lucky Deuce, yes we are working on a cylinder for the little Remington!   Should be available before too long.