Lonesome Dove: Black Powder Conversions

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Doug.38PR

Moderator
Watching lonesome Dove I see Augustus McRae is using a converted 1847 Colt Walker. Were there ever such a thing? Did anyone like those first generation Texas Rangers ever convert those old horse pistols? I know they did 1851 navys and armys and such.
Was it cheaper to convert your old gun than it was to buy a new one?
 
I found a picture of a 3rd Model Dragoon converted to cartridge with a backplate similar to the Remington conversion and the current R&D. And a reference to "old model .44s'" in the old Serven book

Bound to have been cheaper to replace the cylinder than buy a new gun, if you could find a shop to do it. There were Colt conversions, gunsmith conversions, and blacksmith conversions. Some conversions could even go back to the C&B cylinder if you couldn't find or afford cattiges.
 
Show biz

I have never myself heard of a cart. conversion on those. Actually it would be rather ungainly as a much handier smaller gun would fit the purpose better. No point in converting that gun to cart. if it only has the same power as a nice lighter Army model. I think that gun could hold a larger load and have more power as a front stuffer. Probably was a rare commodity too, by the time they did conversions. I would bet the use of conversions on the TV shows and movies is just as much due to the fact that prop people prefer to use standard blanks in the guns. Handloading a blank charge into a perc. is a lot more work than dropping in a blank standard cart. That is my bet.
 
I didn't think it was a conversion...

I thought his was a "straight walker".

I don't doubt that there were conversions done on the Dragoons, but, I have not heard of any on the Walker. i'll have to go back and check.

Pee-Eye used an opentop, if i remember correctly.

Alot of those riders carried 1860 armies and 58 NMA revolvers. (44s were sought after on the frontier, and the fact that Rems outsold Colts towards the end of "The War", its not surprising)

R&D is working on a conversion kit for 2nd and 3rd model Dragoons. (which can use 6 45lc carts w/o changing the loading angle like on the 58 Rems)
 
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