A pair of .38 S&W conversions

[Tinker Pearce]

The other  year I made a .38 S&W conversion cylinder. This year I mounted it in an 1860 Army, then remounted it in an 1851/.44 brass-frame, then I remounted it in the Army frame and put a bird's head grip on it. This left me with a brass frame 1851/.44. As it happened I had recently gotten more .38 barrel liner so it just seemed natural to make another conversion on the brass-frame gun. I finished it up tonight- except for the front sight. Still need to mount that...


The loading-lever is purely cosmetic; I just liked the look.  I'd actually wanted to make a 5-1/2" barrel but I wound up a couple inches short on liner so 3-1/2" was the best that I could do.

[Baltimore Ed]

Pretty sharp!

[Johnson Barr]

Where  did you find the .363" I.D. rifled liner material?

[Tinker Pearce]

Where  did you find the .363" I.D. rifled liner material?

I didn't. This is sold as '.357/9mm' barrel liner and it slugs at .357/.358. My bullet of choice for .38 S&W is a .361" 150gr LSWC that is quite soft, so it has no problem swaging down to barrel diameter so far.  These are a favorite bullet of mine because all three of my S&W top-breaks slug at .361" and my LGS sells these bullets quite cheap- they apparently hit the mother-lode of them in an estate purchase.

[Coffinmaker]

Atz a really neat conversion and Snubbie Tinker.  These days when I put together a Snubbie, I do it with Navy pattern barrels because I like the look of the little loading lever stub (useless) and the better balance with the stub. 

It also looks like your started with a reproduction "Dance" (round) Navy barrel.  Also curious, what method did you use to keep the little loading stub rigid ?? 

A most excellent Snubbie/Conversion 

[Tinker Pearce]

Atz a really neat conversion and Snubbie Tinker.  These days when I put together a Snubbie, I do it with Navy pattern barrels because I like the look of the little loading lever stub (useless) and the better balance with the stub. 

It also looks like your started with a reproduction "Dance" (round) Navy barrel.  Also curious, what method did you use to keep the little loading stub rigid ?? 

A most excellent Snubbie/Conversion 

Thanks! If you look carefully there is a brass pin in the rammer- that pin butts against the frame and keeps the rammer (and thus the lever) from moving.

[Coffinmaker]

Ah So Deska!!  That is a nice simple elegant solution.  He Likes it .. He Likes it.

[Johnson Barr]

The '.38 S&W' caught me eye. Sometime back I picked up a R&D .38 Special conversion cylinder on Gun Broker for a hundred bucks for my conversion project. I reamed the chambers for .38 S&W cases and opened up the chamber throats to .375". The doner pistol
came from Cabel's bargain cave; .36 caliber Pietta 1861 Sheriff's model with fake ivories. Another $150 deal. My 'as cast' .363" RNL bullets do well enough at NCOWS distances, but as of late I'm experimenting with .375" Colt heeled bullets loaded in .38 S&W cases. No range time as of yet. Maybe this weekend. 

[Tinker Pearce]

My 'as cast' .363" RNL bullets do well enough at NCOWS distances, but as of late I'm experimenting with .375" Colt heeled bullets loaded in .38 S&W cases. No range time as of yet. Maybe this weekend. 

Very cool- I have been contemplating doing this exact thing (because I always need another project!)  How are you crimping your heel-base loads?

[Johnson Barr]

That's the hold up right now. I have one of Bernie's Old West .38 Colt heeled bullet crimper dies but the brass shell holder is machined for .38 Colt case rims. Working on having Bernie machine a .38 S&W shell holder that will work with his heeled base crimper. I'll let you know how it works out.