Type II Conversion Idea

[Fox Creek Kid]

I would bet a person could buy a Richards Type II in .45 Colt and turn around and buy a .44 Colt cylinder with the intent of opening up the .44 cylinder throats to accept .45 bullets. You would then have a Type II in basically ORIGINAL .44 Colt. Naturally, you'd have to use heel based bullets but you'd be authentic and stand apart from the crowd. I'm sure I could get my buddy Halfway Creek Charlie to cast me up say 3 or 4,000 bullets as I think he's retired and just plain loafs when he's not shooting. 

[Halfway Creek Charlie]

The heeled bullets would work.....If the Bolt Circle(chamber Center Line Dia.) for the 45 is the same as for the 44 Colt. So the chambers would align with the bore. If both cylinders have the same bolt circle it would work and be more Aunthentic to boot.

I got a better idea on the bullets! FCK,

We'll get Bernie Rowles to cast up the bullets. He has a fair price and that's what I do, I BUY'EM! Right now because I don't have a mould for them yet.
And it's time to restock.

I just got an email from Bernie and he has just made a 44 Henry Flat Mould for a guy in Nebraska.  I need to email him back for the particulars.

[will52100]

Well, I don't know about the type 2, but my first RM came with a 44 cylinder and a 45 barrel.  Couldn't figure out why I was getting 3 foot groups, till I notice the bullets were hitting the paper sideways!.  If you wanted you could have bore the cylinder through and used a heel based or hollow based bullet and been just like the originals.  I don't mind hollow base, except that I cast my own and a single cavity vs. a 6 cavity is a big differance in casting time.

[Halfway Creek Charlie]

The 44 Remington/Colt 248 Grn bullet is .451 Dia...the same as the dia. of the 44 Colt brass so no boring needed. If it'll chamber 44 Colt brass then it'll chamber the 44 Remington/Colt heeled bullet.

And what did you do with the cylinder or the whole gun? It was an authentic conversion!

[Fox Creek Kid]

If it'll chamber 44 Colt brass then it'll chamber the 44 Remington/Colt heeled bullet.

No it won't, Charlie. The .44 Colt (modern incarnation) will have the fronts of the chambers "choked" to approx. 0.430. You would have to have these throats reamed out to 0.451 in order to chamber a cartridge.   

[will52100]

I sent it back to cimmeron.  They replaced it with anouther that I wound up having to reblue the cylinder after stoning down a high spot on the bolt and water table.  The one with the 45 barrel functioned flawlessly, and had some of the best looking wood grips I've ever seen,  just couldn't hit anything with .429 bullets!

[Halfway Creek Charlie]

FCK,
Not a problema, I gots a fancy new 44 Colt Chamber reamer.......it'll do a straight through whiz bang job.
Also Have a new fancy 44 Mag Chamber cutter that'll do the same job for those large dia Brass rims too.
Both my Original Remy 44 Colts ended up being 46 Rem. R.F. conversions first(both had the large dia rim recesses.
46 Remy R.F. chambers will also chamber the 44 Rem/Colt C.F. when the hammers are changed to C.F. that is what had been done to these at time of conversion to C.F. The original cylinder chambers cleaned right up with the 44 mag reamer.

My Rogers and Spencer was chambered for the 46 Remy R.F. as well. It was too big a dia for the 44 Henry, but it was just right for the 46 Remy R.F.It'll take all the 44 Brass, as the rear chamber faces are not recessed at all and the pawl is radiused to accept the large dia rims or the 44 Colt rims. I did convert it from R.F. to C.F. but it would be able to shoot either right now with the changing of firing pins. I was able to drill one hole at an angle to miss the recoil screw and center on the primer in the cartridges. I built a firing pin a bit longer than the original firing pin, thus saving that one. I used the same spring that was on the original firing pin also. I have the original firing pin taped to the inside of the right grip so as not to lose it.

[Fox Creek Kid]

Thanks Charlie, but the project is a bust as there are no correct .44 Colt RM cylinders in country.