R & D Conversion Cylinders

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bunker43

Inactive
Hello all,
Has anyone had anything to do with the R & D Conversion Cylinders from cap & ball to .45 Colt as in a Uberti copy 1858 revolver, I see them advertised & was wondering if they are worth looking at.
 
While we're on the topic, I see that Brownells is now carrying two different models of conversion cylinders. Any comments on which is better designed, better manufactured, more reliable, etc.?
 
Altho I have never been around these I always wondered if a guy wouldn't be better off getting one that was already a converted model from cimmaron, seems like the R&D conv were kind of $$$$$$$$$$$
 
At the time they first came out, the conversion cylinders from R&D and Kirst were the only game in town, since the replica '75's weren't out yet.

I have several of the R&D's from Taylor's, and I love them. My two Uberti Remmies are more accurate (and lots less expensive, even with the cost of the cylinders) than my Vaqueros. In fact, I'm thinking of selling the Rugers and keeping the Remmies.

OBTW, another nice thing (especially if you live in a state with OGAM rules or waiting periods): you can buy a BP Uberti through the mail. You can also buy the conversion cylinder through the mail. You can then put the two together.

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Im a little confused by the queston

Since Colt capandball revolvers were 32, 36, and 44 cal.
The conversion to 45 Long colt must have left very few parts to the origional gun parts.
 
.44 ball is close enough to .45 Colt that you can simply swap out the cylinder with the conversion cylinder and use RNL ammo in it. You can't use full-house FMJ loads in it, they won't fit (at least, when I tried to use some Blazer it didn't) and even if they did it probably would be too high a pressure to do it for long.

BTW, we're talking about replicas for the Remington '58, not for Colts.

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I've owned two, one for a Ruger Old Army and one for a Colt Blackpowder Arms Walker. The Ruger just dropped in. The Colt revolver had to be sent to R&D so that they could fit it. Took months and months. Now if you buy a Walker cylinder from Taylor's I think that you have to do the fitting.

I asked Taylor's about that at the last Shot Show. They said that most Colt cylinders did just drop in but not all.

Taylor's, incidentally, does not, as far as I know, sell all the cylinders that R&D makes. The Spencer cylinder, for example, is available elsewhere.

Of course R&D isn't the only company making these cylinders but they are the only brand that I have used.
 
I've got two of the R&D Conversion cylinders for my Pietta 1858 Remington Clones. One of my R&D cylinders came from Taylor&Company as I still have the Taylor&Company packaging. The R&D cylinders are very high quality parts and are capable of handling light smokeless loads as well as BP and BP substitute loads. Allthough they are supposed to be drop in parts this isn't always the case with them. I had to do minor fitting to both revolvers in order to make them function smoothly with the R&D cylinders. If you're gonna use a 58 Remington to shoot CAS competition this is the route to go unless you plan on carrying ten spare loaded and uncapped percussion cylinders with you to the match which I sometimes do when I shoot my Remingtons as percussion guns. Someone asked "why not just buy one of the opentops or other ready made cartridge conversion revolvers?" An advantage to using the R&D is that you are able to switch the revolver back to its original percussion configuration by simply swapping the cylinders back to the percussion cylinders. You're not permanently altering the revolver with the R&D conversion. Some cartridge conversions such as the full Kirst conversion include adding a loading gate and ejector rod, these conversions are irreversible so once the gun is altered in this way "Permanently" it becomes a cartridge gun and subject to all the legal regulations governing cartridge guns
 
I totally agree. If you want to sell your pistol to a friend then you don't have to do the paperwork (or wait for a bgrnd ckeck or pay for a bgrd check) because it is considered an antique, and sell the cylinder ( almost for what you paid for it) as a part. Just don't sell them at the same time with the same person.
 
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