.44 cal Colt Army to .45; Does it Really Work?

Your .36 caliber cap n ball pistol has a groove diameter closer to .375, so 357 - 358 bullets are a loose fit. That’s why they keyhole. Pure lead hollow base bullets will expand when fired and get a grip on the rifling. 44 caliber revolvers have a bore .450 or larger, that’s why you use .454 - .457 balls in them.
 
Pure lead and soft alloys will bump up or squeeze down quite a bit and still be perfectly safe and usually accurate.

Early pistol cartridges were loaded with heel type bullets and the widest part of the bullet was the same diameter as the case, and since lead squeezes down and all the bullets were lead, the .36s became .38s and later when .38 had become the known standard term, cartridge tech changed again, and bullets were sized to fit inside the case, and became actual ".36s" (.357-358) again, but the name ".38" stuck.

Modern .44s are loaded with ".43" (.429") bullets as a result of the same process.
 
This is true. It was an old thread, however new-ish components are available or at the least better known.
I am not sure how long the Kirst Konverters have been available because I just found out about them a couple of years ago. It is a great system and much better than the conversion cylinders one has to remove to reload. Additionally I can change back to my percussion cylinder in 30 seconds.
The 45 Colt conversion is better accuracy wise that the 38 conversion for the 36 caliber Navy due to what the 44 Caliber Kid stated above. The only problem with the 1860 Pietta conversion is the little tiny front blade sight causing the revolver to shoot very high. It needs a taller front sight blade.
 
Dang, 1 post! My posts must have been lost from a site upgrade or something. I have been away for a while though.
 
Driftwood Johnson said:
When Colt 44 caliber C&B revolvers were first modified to shoot cartridges, the 44 Colt cartridge was developed. The 44 Colt round was sized to fit the 44 caliber chambers. Of course, the rear end of the cylinders where the nipples were located was cut away. A heeled bullet of about .451 was used because that fit the rifling grooves of the C&B revolvers.
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Those original, conversion rounds are what are today sometimes referred to as ".44 Colt Original." There used to be a couple of people on the Internet who sold cast lead, heeled bullets for loading .44 Colt Original using .44 Special or .44 Russian brass. I have a box of those bullets somewhere in the basement. I believe the guy I bought them from has retired by now. I don't know another source, but I'm sure you can find molds to cast your own .45 caliber heeled bullets.

https://www.chuckhawks.com/44_Colt_original.htm
 
Heeled bullets / molds - Old West Bullet Molds

https://oldwestbulletmoulds.com

I have a number of their molds - pricey but top quality all the way.

On .36 caliber C & B - remember the bore is .375". I use both the Kirst cylinders (gated) and the Howell drop in cylinders in my '51 Navies and '58 Remington Navies. The .36s require a .375" soft lead bullet with a .358 "Heel" - the heel goes in the case mouth and is crimped - remember that these are "outside lubed" bullets. Old West makes a 125 and a 150 grain mold. They also make a special adjustable shell holder and carry a special crimp die for crimping the "heeled" bullet into a 38 Colt Short & Long casing. If you are using a conversion cylinder in a .36 and don't have heeled cartridges or the ability to make them, a standard soft lead hollow base .359 - .360 wadcutter will work with decent accuracy as it is has the ability to expand some when fired to fit the .375 bore fairly decently. The only "conversion" revolver that I have that takes a standard 38 special lead cartridge (.358 slug) is a Uberti 1851 Navy R & M Conversion which is made with the now standard .38 bore (.357).

On my Uberti & Pietta .44 revolvers, Colt/Remington - I have Howell conversion cylinders for them. A standard .452/.454 soft lead bullet works fine. On all conversion cylinders - follow the manufacturer's recommendations for cartridges - there is no need to "push the limit". I normally use a 200 grain soft lead traditional round nose flat point slug and will sometimes use the traditional Ideal/Lyma 255 grain 452-190 or 454-190 round nose flat point. I use both 45 Schofield and 45 Colt brass - I don't shoot competition - some use the short "45 Cowboy Brass" (Starline) - all depends on what you want to try as far as brass and bullet design/weight.

I know this is an old post but am posting this info for reference only. Also - remember that C & B black powder revolvers are not considered firearms as they come from Uberti/Pietta. A "Howell"type conversion cylinder requires no alterations to the revolver - however if you gp tpship them, the revolver and the conversion cylinder must be shipped "separately". IF YOU ALTER THE HANDGUN to accept a "gated conversion cylinder" - such as a Kirst Gate Konverter cylinder - which requires alterations to the recoil shield (where you normally would use the "stock cutout" to put the percussion cap on the nipples - this has to be found out when fitting a gated cylinder so that the cartridges will slide in for loading and spent casings ejected out - the original design of the revolver has been changed and the new alterations have no turned it into a "firearm" that will need to be registered as such in the states and municipalities that require handgun registration - it will also have to be sold as a firearm if you should sell it/trad it/give away.

I enjoy loading and using "heeled cartridges" - lots of fun. I have no ties with "Old West Molds", but I have dealt with them a number of times and have been very pleased with their products and service.
 
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