barrels and such
the barrels of these guns are NOT made for shooting jacketed slugs.
These barrels are much softer steel than modern ones.
Neither Pietta or Uberti recommend jacketed.
Nor a very hard cast lead.
Why do you think all their manuals indicate PURE LEAD?????????
Yes the conversion cylinders are tougher, But they for most part do not recommend pressures to exceed, I think, 12,000 PSI.
Even a mild powder in a 45 colt / long colt can exceed that pressure.
Remember with higher pressure comes an initial higher velocity.
The barrels are NOT designed for that high velocity. Because you have to remember friction is involved.
And these frames while better steel than 160 yr ago still are not as strong as those of modern smokeless powder cartridge guns.
They don't have to be, as they were designed to stand up under the pressures
and recoil of BP or a sub.
Can you shoot the conversion? yeah. Can you get away with a mild smokeless in the conversion in the BP gun. Yeah.
All the way up until the next one was one too many.
You want to shoot 45 colt / long colt?
Go ahead. But buy a gun designed to handle that loading to begin with.
That or have a damn good insurance policy for when something does go wrong.
Me I would not want to be standing next to you at a range, when that cylinder decided to let go.