R&D Conversion Cylinder Question

[Jethro "Black Jack" Harris]

Howdy, Pards,
I posed this question on my previous post about the problems I had fitting an R&D to my Ruger Old Army. That's done, thanks to all who responded, especially Pettifogger. The question that remains to my inexperienced self is this: is it normal for the back plate (or cap if that's the correct term) of the R&D to be bronze when the cylinder is blued? The question didn't occur to me til my machinist friend asked it first.

Thanks,
JBJH

[Driftwood Johnson]

Bronze?

You mean the alloy made up of copper and tin? No, the cylinder and top plate are both made of steel. The information that came with the R&D cylinder for one of my 1858 Remmies says the cylinder is 4150 steel and the cap is 4140 steel.

[Jethro "Black Jack" Harris]

Sorry, I shudda been more specific. I meant bronze in color, not metal. My mistake.

[Flint]

No, it's not normal, that I have ever seen, the blue cylinder has a blue backplate, the stainless cylinder has a stainles (or plated?) backplate, and the plated cylinder has a plated backplate.

You either have a backplate that never got its final nickel plate over the copper, or you have a blue one that had its color stripped, or never got blued.

One firing pin/ferrule is colored differently than the other 5 to clue you as to which chamber is to be left empty when loading only 5 reonds.