Conversion cylinder?

[will52100]

Just out of couriosity, will the pietta handle a R&D or Kirst without streaching the frame all outa whack with factory spec. 45 loads?  I know eventualy anything mechanicle will wear out, but most cowboy guns go for 10s of thousands rounds before doing so.

Thanks.

[knucklehead]

Kirst and R&D both will handle blackpowder loads and cowboy action loads for the 45lc.

I think the handgun will wear out before a ruger will but i doubt that it will streach out of wack.
I wouldn't recomend using a conversion cylinder in a brass frame gun though.
I bet you allread know that though.

[Deadeye Don]

I would suggest the RandD cylinder as I have not been hearing good things about the Kirst from my FFL (he aslo owns a large Sutler distrubution company).  As long as you keep the loads in the cowboy range of shooting you really shouldnt have problems with the revolver at all. 

[will52100]

Thanks, the reason I asked is that I have had some trouble with soft internals, namely the hammer and trigger sears were worn so bad after about a 100 rounds that I was lucky if it would hold fullcock, the trigger is extreamly soft, it actualy had a piened look to it.  I hardened the surfaces with Kasnit caseharding compound, but would like to get good quality internals and am leary of putting a lot of money into this gun.  It's a shame as it fits my hand better than a Uberti, I've got big meat hooks.

I'm of two minds on the conversion, I like the six shot capicity of the R&D, but have heard that they have tight chambers and I load .454 bullets.

Thanks

[Deadeye Don]

Will,  You may already know this, but as a safety measure you should only load 5 chambers just like you would any other cartridge single action revolver.   Safe shooting.  Deadeye

[will52100]

True, but on my cap guns there's a safty notch, or pin to lock the hammer between chambers, and on my RM and opent top the firing pin sits between case rims and locks the cylinder.

[sundance44`s]

I have one of each conversion cylinders Kirst and a R&D ..at first i liked the R&D best because it was a 6 shot cylinder ...the Kirst only being a 5 shot ...here`s what happened ..I always only loaded 5 into the 6 shot R&D and during pratice ..was talking or what not ..and forgot if i had fired 5 or 6 times so several times i dropped the hammer on the empty cylinder hole ....well  after a few times of that the fireing pin is ruined on that chamber ...on the other hand the Kirst is a 5 shot with a safty notch cut out in the cylinder to keep the fireing pin from hitting anything ..and the fireing pin is spring loaded ....so it hurt nothing when these dryfireing occured .....I ordered some spare fireing pins for the R&D cylinder no big deal 2 bucks a piece ..the shipping was higher . I would never intentionally dry fire any of my wepons ...but it does happen ..and the fireing pins on the R&D just can`t take any at all . May be some day they`ll put springs under the fireing pins on an R&D cylinder ...that would improve things ...I have to say the Kirst is my favorite now.

[Deadeye Don]

I actually load a snap cap in the "open" cylinder for safety and to preserve the firing pin from having problems like you described.  I also do a similar thing in my SAA USFAs and Cimarrons.  Load one, snap cap. load four. 

[sundance44`s]

Good idea with the snap caps ...I`ll have to pick me up one soon ....thanks

[will52100]

Got to noticing on my 58 that due to some dry firing getting the action rite that the nipples are getting bradded on one side due to the nipples being at an angle.  Will this affect the firing pins on the R&D?  Also where's the best place to get a R&D?
Thanks

[Wolfgang]

Hi pard, . . don't know anything about the conversions except what I hear, . . and I don't pass on second hand info.  I'm happy shooting my Pietta '58s  good old Cap & Ball style.  You mention wear on hamer / trigger,  sear etc. . . . and I'm curious.  I don't hear other pards mentioning such a problem.  How old a manufacture is your pistol ?  Wear after only 100 rounds sounds strange.  And I'm curious about the "Kasnit caseharding compound"  you mention. Never heard of it.  If you have a problem with wear after just 100 rounds you need to be in touch with  "Alchemista"  ( sp? ).  ie. Alesandro Pietta  of Pietta firearms as he/ they really care about pards being real happy with their guns.  If yours was produced with a problem he wants to know and take care of it.  Good shootin' . . . .

[Deadeye Don]

Got to noticing on my 58 that due to some dry firing getting the action rite that the nipples are getting bradded on one side due to the nipples being at an angle.  Will this affect the firing pins on the R&D?  Also where's the best place to get a R&D?
Thanks

If I am reading your post correctly... you dont want to dry fire the conversion cylinders.  Those pins will deform if you do.   You can pick up the r and d cylinders at Cimarron or Taylors.  There are likely other places that either carry them or you can order them from,  but I always shop around as there may be up to 20 dollars difference in price depending on where you get them.  Taylors also carries snap caps for dry firing.

http://www.taylorsfirearms.com/     http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/     Safe shooting .   Deadeye.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Will;  I make it a practice to NEVER dry fire a Cap & Ball revolver. or any percussion arm for that matter.  Peening over the nipples will lead to stuck caps and then to other things.

[Flint]

If the nipples are getting peened on one side, the angle is wrong on the face of the hammer.  It can be carefully adjusted to match the nipple face.  First, replace the nipples with new Treso or Thunder Ridge SS, then check the contact point.

The hammer nose should just barely touch the nipple with no cap installed.  Th thickness of the cap will cause it to fire, so don't fear a light hit.   The Ruger Old Army hammer does not touch the nipple at all without a cap installed, which allows dry firing.

You can get a Pietta or Uberti Remington drop-in from R&D or Taylors.

www.randdgunshop.com

www.taylorsfirearms.com

[sundance44`s]

2 places not mentioned , where I will buy the next time ...One is http://www.midwayusa.com/ebrowse.exe/browse  the other is Ebay ..just type in 1858 Remington on an Ebay scearch and there are uasually at least one or two conversion cylinders for sale there ..some times at a large saveings ...The price at Taylors was 240 .00 when I bought mine from them but I think they`ve gone up some . Midway puts them on sale sometimes for around 200 bucks .... so it pays to shop around a little ....something us guys aren`t really that good at 

[will52100]

Thanks, I am very happy with the pistol, it's a 5 1/2" model from Cabela's.  The hammer and trigger were very soft.  I could send it back, but from my experiance most Pietta's have soft internals, maybe the newer ones are better?  Anyway I had the means to fix it and it didn't take long.  Other than that the gun is excellent and the Pietta's size fits my hand better than the Uberti.  I haven't run into this with Uberti much, but I have a 73 peacmaker that the hammer sear and trigger were so sloppy fit that it would barrely hold fullcock and I had to stone it to make it safe.  

Kasenitt is a caseharding compound, it's not a color casing, but a spot hardner.  Bassicly you heat the area with a torch and sprinkle the powder in that spot, heat some more and quench.  It's pretty thin, but about rite for trigger and hammer sears.

I didn't dry fire it that much, I've dry fired colt replicas a lot more with no damage.  I replaced the nipples with Tresso, I had the old ones in while doing the trigger work.  I was mainly concerned that the hammer would chew up a R&D's firing pins, but I see from pics that there straight more or less.  I'll look at the hammer face and see if a little stoning will help.

Thanks

[Halfway Creek Charlie]

R & D states in their litature that they make the firing pins so they mushroom to keep from being to hard so as to pierce the primers.
Luckily you can remove the firing pins and replace them a whole lot easier than trying to replace a firing pin or the spring on the Kirsts.

I think Walt needs to drill and tap for a and add a retainer that can be removed for firing pin replacement or spring replacement. 

[will52100]

Thanks, when I order I'll get some extra firing pins.