Step by step instructions for installing R&D's new colt conversion kit

[Bottom Dealin Mike]

If you're concerned about whether you have the technical skills to install an R&D cartridge conversion cylinder on your cap and ball revolver, you can stop worrying. Anyone with enough coordination to successfully butter toast for breakfast can produce a high quality Colt cartridge conversion revolver using your cap and ball sixgun and the conversion kit from R&D Inc.

I'm no professional gunsmith, and I did the conversion over a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon. If I can do it, you can do it. Here are step by step instructions to walk you through it.

R&D Inc.'s conversion kit consists of the following:

1 ea Cartridge conversion cylinder
1 ea Conversion ring with attached loading gate
2 ea 6-32 screws
1 ea six-inch #35 drill bit (sold separately)
1 ea 6-32 long shanked tap (sold separately)
1 ea drilling/tapping fixture (optional)

In addition to the kit, you'll need the following tools and supplies:

An electric drill...variable speed preferred
A small tap wrench
A Dremel-type tool with a sanding drum
Screwdrivers; I recommend a Brownell's Magna Tip set
A center punch
A hammer
A bottle of colt bluing
Light machine oil like 3-In-1 or cutting oil
Duct tape
400 grit sandpaper

The first step is to completely disassemble your revolver. If you are using Brownell's Magna Tip drivers, you'll use the 180-4 tip for all the screws except the hammer screw which takes a 240-3 bit.

After the gun is stripped to a bare frame you will remount the trigger guard. Essentially we'll use the trigger guard as a fixture to secure the frame in a vice for drilling and tapping. I actually used an old, junky trigger guard from my spare parts box. That's ideal, but, if you have to use the gun's actual trigger guard, just wrap it in several layers of duct tape and pad your vice jaws with leather strips.

I strongly recommend you use R&D's optional drilling fixture. They will loan you a fixture at no cost as long as you post a refundable security deposit. This fixture has two sides. One side is marked "D" for drilling, and the other side is marked "T" for tapping.
The first thing we'll do is to mark the frame for drilling. First mount the fixture on the gun frame with the "D" visible. Take the long drill bit and coat the blunt end of the bit with a dab of lipstick (the end that's usually chucked in the drill). Insert the drill bit into the top drilling hole on fixture until it touches the pistol frame. Remove the fixture and you'll see a lipstick spot where the drill touched it. Using the center punch and hammer, mark that spot on the frame. Give it a solid hit with the punch to break through the thin layer of case hardening. Clean the lipstick off of the frame and the drill.

Put the fixture back on the frame and insert the sharp end of the drill bit into the fixture until it touches the revolver frame. Measure one quarter of an inch above the face of the fixture and place a piece of tape on the drill bit at that height; that will mark the depth you'll drill to. Now chuck the six-inch drill bit into your drill. Squirt a liberal dose of oil into the drilling hole, and insert the drill into the fixture and drill a one quarter-inch deep hole into the revolver frame. Drill on slow speed and keep oil on the drill bit. Steel drilling chips should exit between the fixture and the frame, but if the bit binds, back it out and clean off the chips, then oil it and go back to drilling.

In very rare cases you'll have a gun frame that was over hardened at the factory. In that case the steel drill bit won't be able to make any headway on the frame. Stop drilling and call R&D for technical support. They will send you a titanium drill bit, which will make short work of the hardened frame.

After drilling the top hole, repeat the procedure with the bottom screw hole. The metal on the frame is very thin here and you will drill completely through it.

With both holes drilled, reverse the fixture so the "T" is visible on the face of the fixture. Chuck the 6-32 tap into a small tap wrench. Oil the teeth of the tap, and oil the drill holes. Insert the tap through the fixture and turn it clockwise to tap the holes. Go slowly. Back the tap out every quarter to half turn and clean the chips off of it, and keep it oiled. Anytime the tap binds, do not force it. Back it out and clean it, then go back at it.

Do the same with the bottom hole. Then shorten the screws and use them to secure the conversion ring to the frame. You'll need a hex head Allen wrench driver to install these screws. If you're using a Magna Tip driver the proper bit is H52224X.


All of that will probably take you less time to actually do than it took you to read my long-winded explanation.

The next step is to cut the cartridge loading trough into the right recoil shield of the revolver. The opening in the conversion ring will serve as your template. Cover the frame of the revolver with several layers of duct tape. That way a slip of the grinder won't scar your frame. I learned this the hard way because I did put a scratch on my pistol.

With the opening in the conversion ring as your guide use a coarse sanding drum on your Dremel tool to cut the trough. The sanding drum is exactly the diameter you'll need to make the trough. All you need to do is get it down to the right depth. You'll be there when you can close the loading gate and it mates up tightly to the ring. As you wear out sanding drums, replace them with fresh drums. You'll need two or three sanding drums to finish the task.

After cutting the trough, clean and reassemble the revolver, and then try loading and unloading ammunition. If the shell rims bind or scrape on the trough you'll need to run the sanding drum over those high spots. When everything is running smoothly you can polish the cut with 400 grit sandpaper before cold bluing it.

That's all there is to it.

Enjoy shooting your cartridge conversion.   

[Paper Chaser]

   Thanks Mike.  Even a fumble-fingered person like me should be able to follow your instructions.