Conversion Cylinders

[Bishop Creek]

I have a pair of Remington conversions that I have been shooting for 22 years now. Both are drop in cylinders. The top one is one of the first Kirst .45 cylinders on the market and the one below is an early Howell R & D .38 cylinder with the barrel lined to .357. I have fired hundreds of rounds out of both of them over the years, both smokeless "Cowboy" loads and my own black powder reloads with absolutely no problems.

[Zulch]

Those are very nice Bishop Creek! Thanks for the picture. When approximately, did you get those early conversion cylinders? Just curious as to when they came on the market. Thanks again Z

[Bishop Creek]

I bought the Kirst .45 cylinder in early 2001 and the R&D .38 in 2003. I emailed a picture of the .45 cylinder to Walt Kirst a couple of years ago, and he told me that it was among the first batch of cylinders that he made circa 1999 or 2000. My .44  Pietta Remington was made in 1999 and the Kirst cylinder works perfectly in it, but the timing is way off when I try inserting it into my newer 1858 Remington's.

[Captainkirk]

Finally a great thread on an interesting topic!   I've been wanting to do a conversion on an 1860 or an 1858 Remington.   I have a couple candidates already.   After reading this thread and looking over the Kirst website I think I'll go with an 1860 Pietta I have.   I need to check the manufacture date but I think it was made before 2017. 
Anyway...  there is good info here from everyone but I have to say we are lucky to have experienced guys contributing here and an expert like Mike that is willing to share his knowledge with us.

Agreed; kudos to Mike for his expertise and input! I have a pair of Pietta NMAs, either of which would make a great candidate for a gated Kirst and in fact, have discussed this with Mike. But I've also come to the realization that by the time you install the Kirst and ejector, not only have I way exceeded the cost of the gun in the first place, but also are nearing the cost of a factory conversion gun from Taylor's or Cimarron, etc.
Of course, this doesn't take into effect the 'flying under the radar' aspect previously mentioned. Actually, I think I would prefer a gated Kirst on a Colt, but don't have the guts to tear into one of mine in that fashion...yet.😳

[Bishop Creek]

I also have an 1851 Colt Navy gated Richard's conversion that I bought in 1999. It was made by American Frontier Firearms, I believe on an ASM frame. It takes longer to unload than my Remington conversions with the drop in cylinders. Of course, it doesn't have an ejector, I pop out the spent cartridges with a small ejector tool. For a Colt open top, I think a gated conversion is almost a necessity, but with the Remington models, a drop in cylinder works great.

[mike116]

I have two drop-in conversions on Colt 1860 frames.   Both are the Thuer conversions that Gary Barnes offers.   I won't do any more drop-in conversions on open tops.  I had a drop-in for my Remington but sold it a long time ago. 
Now I want to do a gated conversion and already have the revolver so the cost concerning converting or buying a factory conversion is not important to me now.   Either way the cash outlay is the same at the present time.   There is also the "under the radar" factor along with the "I did it myself" element that appeals to me.

[Bishop Creek]

I have two drop-in conversions on Colt 1860 frames.   Both are the Thuer conversions that Gary Barnes offers.   I won't do any more drop-in conversions on open tops.  I had a drop-in for my Remington but sold it a long time ago. 
Now I want to do a gated conversion and already have the revolver so the cost concerning converting or buying a factory conversion is not important to me now.   Either way the cash outlay is the same at the present time.   There is also the "under the radar" factor along with the "I did it myself" element that appeals to me.

I almost bought one of Gary's Thuer conversion cylinders a few years ago. I wish I had now, as his website doesn't have much on it anymore. Mike did you have any timing issues with the Thuer cylinders on your 1860s?

[mike116]

Bishop Creek,     I had Gary time the first one for me.   He said it was a nightmare.   He blamed it on the revolver I sent him.   Said it was "out of spec for a Pietta" whatever that means.   It works good but I wouldn't call it perfect.   He says the original BP cylinder works good too but I can't cock it more than three times without it locking up.   I just shoot it only with the
Thuer cylinder.
The second one I bought from a member here or on the Remington forum,  can't remember which.   The owner had buggered up the entire unit.   I cleaned it up, put all new screws, and new firing pin assembly in it.   Gary sent me the parts free of charge.   I installed it in a Pietta 1860 I had bought and it worked perfectly but does not work in any of the other three 1860's I have.   BP cylinder works fine too.   I guess you could say it's 50/50 whether they will work well or not.    I wouldn't say "drop-in" is necessarily a good way to describe them.

[Bishop Creek]

Thanks for the info Mike!

[Zulch]

there is good info here from everyone but I have to say we are lucky to have experienced guys contributing here and an expert like Mike that is willing to share his knowledge with us.

I agree and I also think there are quite a few other guys on CC that know a WHOLE LOT about these percussion revolvers including Mike116. Thanks to all for the input on this post. Love to hear more comments. I kind of mull over things before I jump into something like this. One of my concerns and possibly an unfounded concern is that I sure hate to see a good frame get wallowed out for the gate? I know a lot of you have done this. Does it compromise the integrity/strength of the frame? 

[ShotgunDave]

Just hog it out Tim. You won't regret it. I'd venture to say that most guys that convert their revolvers, never put the BP cylinder in it again. I'm sure there are exceptions of course. But most guys don't.

[Zulch]

WOW! There it is again! It's a mighty fine looking gun Dave. Thanks for the picture.

[Captainkirk]

Not gonna hurt the frame, Tim. Except maybe if you butcher it. There is some controversy as to whether modifying the frame for a gated conversion 'alters' the gun into a cartridge revolver requiring an FFL for resale...but one could always plug the original cap cylinder back in and say you have big fingers and needed the clearance. If it's a 'radar-free' gun who cares? No controversy until you go to sell anyway.

[Zulch]

Not gonna hurt the frame, Tim. Except maybe if you butcher it. There is some controversy as to whether modifying the frame for a gated conversion 'alters' the gun into a cartridge revolver requiring an FFL for resale...but one could always plug the original cap cylinder back in and say you have big fingers and needed the clearance. If it's a 'radar-free' gun who cares? No controversy until you go to sell anyway.

Thank you Capt. Kirk. I would most likely have someone like 45 Dragoon do the mod if I go down that trail.

[Captainkirk]

Shotgun, did you do that Kirst yourself?