Open Top question

[Harley Starr]

I'm imagining a Uberti 1871/1872 Open Top with the barrel assembly of a Uberti Richards conversion attached.

Would this be possible and safe to shoot?

[Abilene]

Well, a '51 Richards-Mason barrel will fit on an opentop.  I'm not sure about a '60 R-M or '60 type II barrel.  I'm thinking not but haven't tried it.

[Graveyard Jack]

What would you do for a rear sight?

[Harley Starr]

What would you do for a rear sight?

I'd have one installed.

The goal is to make the gun resemble an 1860 Long Cylinder Conversion.

[Long Johns Wolf]

Like this LCC?
Long Johns Wolf

[Harley Starr]

Like this LCC?
Long Johns Wolf

That's the one.

[Long Johns Wolf]

No loading gate, no ejector, straight cylinder & Frame, .44 cal.
Long Johns Wolf

[Coffinmaker]

Well ..... This question got my curiosity up.
So ..... I took an Open Top and a Richards Type II apart to see what's what.  Who's who, and I don't know .... Third base
The basic answer is yes.  A Richards Type II barrel will mount to an Open Top frame.  That is where it ends.  When the Type II barrel is flush to the frame, there is a 3/16 inch barrel to cylinder gap.  Would make for a pretty awesome fireball with a case full full of BP.  But not so much fun to shoot.  It would require a custom made cylinder.  And still wouldn't look lake a true "long cylinder" conversion (see Long Johns Wolff's).
The actual long cylinder conversions utilized the 1860 BP barrel assembly, newly made cylinder and loading channel thru the recoil shield.  Just like LJW's gun (LJW has some really nice toys )
With enough money to throw at it, you could build a really strange looking "Frankengun" but I doubt you'd be happy with the result.  Or the price (boat load of money).

Coffinmaker

[Harley Starr]

The Man With No Name conversion got me thinking of different possibilities.

Another version would've been an Open Top Navy with a Richards barrel assembly to make it resemble an 1861 Navy; an alternate version of the Man With No Name

[Long Johns Wolf]

What Coffinmaker said: if you have access to a competent gunsmith the making of an LCC from scratch should not be really that expensive.
Actually it might be close to purchasing the parts from VTI or Uberti and having them fitted.
It is certainly much less costly than say having an R1 custom made!
What you need is a quality 1860 clone as a base gun.
The smith will have to
# cut the loading channel into the right recoil shield
# re-contour the hammer and fix a firing pin
# remove the step of the frame
# lathe the new straight cylinder in .44 Colt cal.
The original LCCs are known with and without a thin backplate fitted to the recoil shield. That's an (very useful) optional, however, see pic.
Likewise the rear side on thop of the barrel is PC.
Regarding caliber my LCCs are all for .44 Colt inside lubed cartridges, i.e. .429 dia bullets and the barrels are lined.
But there is no reason not making them for the PC variant with outside lubed bullets thus safing the liner.
Long Johns Wolf