Leech & Rigdon Cartridge Conversion?

[Patrick Henry Brown]

Does anyone here have any documentation of a Leech & Rigdon being converted to cartridge during the 1865-1899 time period. I'm considering a Kirst 1851 conversion cylinder for my Uberti L&R.

[Mogorilla]

Hey Preacher C,
I have not seen one, but troll around the firearm collection sites and you may find one.  I have seen cartridge conversions of the Cooper Double Action (essentially a double action Colt Navy circa 1860s)
I check these sites often and drool

http://www.flayderman.com/

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/admin/show_inventory.php?catID=3


http://www.19thcenturyweapons.com/index.html

[Mako]

Preacher,

I have done some research on the Leech & Rigdon revolvers and I have never heard of, or run across a photo or reference to a conversion.  There aren't that many of them around and there never were that many of them.  The iron cylinders would not be the best candidates for conversion, the material was whatever they could obtain at the time.

The resident expert is probably 'River City John', but he hasn't posted on this forum for a while.  I know he is still active on the site.  Here is a link to one his pistols:

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,21804.msg357484.html#msg357484

He has had the cylinder scene removed and stamped the barrel.

You might want to PM him and ask him if he knows anything.  Like I said he knows L&Rs.

I have two Uberti Leech and Rigdon reproductions and they both have the offending roll engraved cylinders I have pretty much given up on finding plain cylinders at this point.  I'm going to remove the Colt's style engraving and stamp mine at some point.

~Mako

[Fingers McGee]

Hey all.  I've never seen a cartridge converted L&R either; but I have taken a couple Uberti's and had them 'defarbed' and remarked like an original CH Rigdon would have been in 1864, with new serial numbers just outside the original production range.  Just to make sure no one mistakes them for originals, A. Uberti and the date code has been stamped on the barrel under the loading lever.





One was made in 1973 and the other in 2007, both had blank cylinders and were NIB when I got them.  Just recently picked up a NIB Navy Arms/Pietta L&R with a blank cylinder that was made in 1980.  They're out there to be had.

The two CH Rigdons are my back up CAS guns.  

Ya know, converting them just might be a good idea....................................

[River City John]

No cartridge conversion Leech & Rigdon I've ever come across.





RCJ

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Can't find any L & Rs mentioned in McDowell.

[Texas John Ringo]

I'm sure all of you know that High Standard made both a Leech & Rigdon and a Griswold & Gunnison, nether of which had roll engraved cylinders.
Both are/were real nice.

[Fingers McGee]

I'm sure all of you know that High Standard made both a Leech & Rigdon and a Griswold & Gunnison, nether of which had roll engraved cylinders.
Both are/were real nice.

Yep, and there are a couple listed on GB and GA right now too. 

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

If the reproductions were made from stock '51 parts, the creation of a cartridge conversion is well on its way.

[Patrick Henry Brown]

It should be no problem to drop a Kirst or R&D 1851 Conversion cylinder into my Uberti Leech & Rigdon. BTW, mine was made in 2005 and has the plain cylinder with no engraving. Go figure. Don't know why Uberti changes periodically. From an NCOWS standpoint, I guess I was seeking some sort of justification for such a conversion -- that and curiosity. I haven't broke down yet and bought McDowell's book. I'm getting cheap in my old age.