I Have The Itch

[Wolfgang]

"Has anyone ever converted a .44 caliber '51 to cartridge ?"

Isn't that a brass frame?

The Pietta '51 Colt I just got recently has case hardened steel frame.  Some of the '58 Remingtons in the pictures on my web site are brass framed.  The long barreled one has a conversion cylinder that is for blanks only as I don't trust loading blank loads into a cap & ball cylinders as a "blank load cap & ball cylinder" looks just the same as one that has live ball loads in it.     Not a safe thing in my mind. 

I'm in the market for a '60 Army as well . . . when one appears at a decent "used" price . . . so that is whut I'll probably convert to cartridge.  Was just wonderin' about could a '51 in .44 be converted with the same conversion cylinder. 

Good shootin', . . . . 

[Percussion Pete]

I wish I could help. I like C&B, so i've never messed with conversions.

The way Pietta likes to mix up parts to come up with imaginary guns. I'm sure they used a 60 cylinder in your 51. When you convert the 60 to cartridge it will be easy enough to see if the cylinder fits the 51. Even before converting the 60 you can see if the cylinders will exchange.

Pietta's are cheap at Cabelas right now. I think they's $199 right now. You also have the option of a 5 1/2" 1860. I bought and sold one of those awhile ago. It was a really nice pointing gun, and perfect for CAS. The only problem was the short loading lever. I used an extension rod that slipped over the short stock rod for loading.

Good luck with your project.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Don't fer-git ... the frame has to have the cut to match the cylinder, so NO - it's not just a case of putting the 44 cylinder on a '51 frame.  Pietta uses the 1860 frame with a '51 LOOKING barrel on their imaginary guns.  But it is basically the same SIZED frame.

[Wolfgang]

Did it . . . . .

See here . . .

http://sassnet.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=157236 

[Montana Slim]

.........You must put Cap and ball revolvers  ('Cept Rugers) in the "fun Gun" catagory and never depend on one for real self-defense. They are just too much fun to pass up but they do have their own place in the shooting sports. The Rugers are built on Blackhawk frames and the internals are much more dependable and more ruggedlly built.....

Make no mistake, these are serious weapons.....I'd put the reliability of any of my 1860 Colts (Pietta, Uberti or ASM) against any period cartridge revolver...I'd only get killed if'n the other were faster on the trigger, cause odds are very slim on my missing. For that matter I'd match the relliability against any of the modern "almost" revolvers C&B or cartridge. I understand these weapons well, how to fit and adjust the mechanisms. I use caps that fit the cones, if they don't fit proper, I correct the cone to fit the caps.. Must be doing something right. I haven't missed a SASS target with my C&B Colts all season.

Years ago, I had but one handgun...a C&B. Kept it loaded for months on end. Emptied / reloaded it once or twice a year just to be sure the powder was fresh. It never failed to fire.

Slim

[Noz]

Professor Marvel, go aheadf and order the parts for the 1860 conversion as shown by Pettifogger. I's way easier to do than you would think.  I harden the hands after removing the flat spring.  Been running over a year now on converted hands. they each have a shiney streak up the back where the plunger rides on them.