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ast month we showed a one-day cartridge conversion of a 51 Navy revolver using the Kirst Cartridge Konverter. The project generated a fair amount of mail so we decided to do another one-day cartridge conversion. This month we are converting a 58 Remington percussion revolver using the Kirst five-shot .45 Long Colt safety cylinder and the Kirst cartridge extractor. The 1858 Remington revolver first saw service during the Civil War. It was a .44 caliber percussion revolver with a distinctive look created by the reinforced loading arm directly under the barrel. The Remington design lends itself well to being converted because of its top strap that connects the recoil shield to the front frame. This makes it an "O" type frame, which is similar to the later Colts and is much stronger than the Colt revolvers of the same time period. Our Remington style .44-caliber revolver is made by Pietta of Italy and shot well with .452 inch diameter balls, so the 452 diameter bullet of the .45 Long Colt cartridge should perform well. We

With duct tape as a guide for grinding away metal, disassemble the firearm down to the last parts. When taking a gun apart I like to keep all the parts together in little plastic tray. One excellent source of these trays is to go to Taco Bell and purchase one of their Fiesta Taco Salads. It comes in a black styrene tray that can be taken home and used for loose parts.

It took several attempts to get it just perfect and we were fortunate the final cut removed all evidence of our previous attempts. This finished the initial grinding needed to prepare our conversion.

We removed all the parts from the revolver again so that we could clean up any irregularities in the grinding we had done. We installed a half-inch diameter fine grit sanding drum in our rotary grinder and used very light pressure to clean any Remove the loading lever retaining screw and slide the irregularities in the loading port. This left us with very clean work, loading lever out the front of the frame. Remove the Kirst and we were tempted to not ejector assembly and cylinder polish these cuts. pin, and remove the cylinder We used the half-inch diameter and backing plate. Remove the grip screw and remove the sanding drum with 400 grit sandpaper to move in an out of wood grip panels. Remove the loading port to continue the mainspring tensioning screw and slip the mainspring polishing away any previous grinding or standing marks left out one side of its retaining slot. Remove the small screw by the rotary tool. We used unscented mineral spirits and in front of the brass trigger guard assembly and remove continued working until we had a polished and clean loading port. the trigger guard. Remove We slightly beveled the area the cylinder-locking bolt and between the loading Port and the trigger spring screw, and Kirst backing plate to prevent remove the spring. Remove cartridges from hanging up while the trigger and cylinder bolt pivot screw from the left side being extracted. This is very slight and does not have to be of the frame. This is a small done, but it improves the ability screw just forward of the hammer pivot screw. Remove to extract cartridges at the

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the trigger and the cylinder locking bolt assembly out through the bottom of the frame. Remove the hammer pivot screw from the left side of the frame and push the hammer down toward the bottom of the frame to expose the hand pivot screw. Using a very small gunsmith screwdriver, remove the hand The Pietta 1858 Remington style pivot screw and slide the revolver before we began work at hand out the bottom of the noon. frame. Remove the hammer through the top of the frame. The Kirst Safety Cylinder Your Remington revolver is was a bit controversial in the now completely cowboy action shooting world disassembled. when it was first released nearly a year ago. Most There are three ways to cowboy action sanctioning grind the loading Port in the bodies require one chamber recoil shield: use a milling of the revolver remain machine, use round rattail unloaded so the hammer can files, or use a rotary grinder. rest on the empty chamber to Although we have used a prevent an accidental milling machine and files in discharge. Although the Kirst past projects, will be using a Safety Cylinder has five rotary grinder for this project. chambers, it is technically a One problem with using a six shot cylinder because the rotary grinder is the potential star is designed to index to six that the bit may slip or run separate positions. away and damage other parts of the frame. To minimize this, we always brace the hand holding the grinder in a way to minimize this risk.

have converted similar guns using the shorter .45 ACP cylinders and know how well that cartridge performs with a soft lead bullet.

unloading table. After polishing our work, we installed a small rotary buffing tool into the hobby grinder. We used emery-buffing compound to buff our loading port to a mirror finish. We used gun scrubber solvent to remove buffing compound and expose the bare metal in the loading port and the notch we cut in the loading arm. This was the final preparation before using cold blue solution.

The frame is ready to be cold-blued.

We used Birchwood-Casey cold blue solution to blue the bare metal. We applied the solution as per the instructions and let it set for about one minute before wiping with a towel. We then buffed the darkened metal with 0000 steel wool. We repeated in the bluing process three more times until we could see we were making no further progress. We completely cleaned the gun with unscented mineral spirits to remove any grinding chips, compounds, or We will also use duct tape oils from the parts. We then The Kirst cylinder showing the to cover all areas of frame that reassembled the gun in the safety chamber at the top. The are exposed to damage by a reverse order in which we runaway tool. To emphasize disassembled it earlier in the cylinder fully indexes on the project. safety chamber during normal the danger of damaging the operation, making it a six shooter outside finish of the revolver frame, we photographed our without the sixth shot. project gun and forgot to put The sixth position can be the protective tape back thought of as a blank cylinder before returning to grinding. for lowering the hammer in a Our tool did run away and left safe position with no cartridge a series of tooth marks down The Birchwood-Casey cold blue under the hammer. This is solution in place on the recently the right side of frame. It can different than percussion polished steel. happen to anyone.

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cylinders that include a safety notch between the percussion caps, because the Kirst Safety Cylinder indexes on the special safety chamber. Cowboy action shooting rules do not require all chambers to be the same caliber so I think of the Kirst safety cylinder as being a .45 Long Colt with a single .22 caliber chamber they didn't drill because it isn't to be used for a cartridge. The Hobby Gunsmith acquired one of the new safety cylinders along with a prototype backing plate with a loading gate. We also acquired in one of the Kirst ejector assemblies that replaces the revolver's cylinder pin. By replacing the cylinder pan with the Kirst ejector assembly, we have a complete conversion that can be converted in one day and shot the next. Follow along as we convert this Pietta made 1858 Remington percussion revolver into a .45 Long Colt cartridge conversion revolver.

We will be grinding with a Carbide grinding bit in a hobby-grinding tool. One problem with using a Carbide grinding bit is that it creates extremely sharp little chips that seem to find a way into the skin and are very painful. We will be using a larger die grinder, which produces even larger and sharper chips. Do not let this discourage you from using a Carbide grinding bit as we will show you a way to avoid getting the slivers into your skin.

One change we made in our project gun was to install a lighter hammer spring from Lee's Gunsmithing. We had used a Lee Spring Kit in our Rossi 92 Puma rifle and were satisfied with the quality of their products. We contacted Lee's Gunsmithing and they modified a mainspring for our project gun. We installed the spring, which significantly smoothed the action, but the spring is too light to be used for percussion shooting. With the gun completely clean, assembled, and oiled, we were able to open the loading gate and effortlessly load it like any other single action revolver. Total time on this project was about four hours of work.

We clamped the revolver frame to a board we spread across an open garbage can. This will allow us to use the grinder with one hand while leaving the other hand free to hold a hose. We used a shop vacuum with the hose connected to the outlet so we could blow air over our grinder and blow the chips away from us. This worked very well and we picked up only one or two chips in our skin this time. We also wore latex gloves and found those to be helpful in preventing the chips from lodging between the tools and the skin. We were careful to use a face shield and safety glasses The Pietta 1858 Remington style while using the grinder. revolver with the Kirst parts With the frame clamped to being checked for initial fit. the board and air blowing the chips away, we began The first step in converting carefully grinding away the our revolver to shoot cartridges is to verify the gun excess metal from the recoil shield. We worked slowly is not loaded. Check the and braced our hand so the percussion cylinder to make sure there are no caps on any tool was under firm control. of the nipples. After verifying We did not press hard on the the gun is not loaded, we will tool and just let the rotary

The completed conversion at around four in the afternoon as we photograph the results. It should be kept in mind that although the Kirst cylinder is made much stronger than the original Pietta cylinder, this revolver frame is designed for the low pressures and stresses of blackpowder loads. I seem to recall that the original Pietta instruction manual recommended a load of only about 20 grains of blackpowder in front of a much lighter bullet than we will be using. We will not take this gun to the range because we have done several other 45 caliber conversions in the past, but this is our first with the 45 Long Colt cartridge. Past conversions have

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test fit the parts to make sure they are correct. We began this process by removing the percussion cylinder and the loading lever.

grinder do its own work. We were careful to not let the tool speed slow as we worked. We kept the tool moving back and forth to prevent tool chatter. Chatter is caused by The loading lever is the tool going down into a removed using a gunsmith groove and vibrating back and screwdriver to remove the forth across the slot. Keeping small screw from the left side the slot wider allows the tool of the frame just under the to move back and forth while barrel. This is the pivot screw producing a clean cut. for the loading lever and doubles as a retaining screw for the cylinder pin. The loading lever can be slid forward out of the frame after removing the screw. With the loading lever removed, the cylinder pin can be slid forward and out of the frame. Be careful the percussion The frame after cutting and ready cylinder does not fall to the to test-fit the clearance of floor. The gun may need to cartridges. be put in half cock position to remove the cylinder. We spent about an hour or so removing metal from the Reverse this process to recoil shield. We stopped install the new Kirst cylinder periodically in check our work into the frame. This is done for depth. This requires by slipping the backing plate removing the frame from the over the rear the cylinder and board periodically so we can sliding the cylinder into the compare the depth of our cut frame. Instead of using the to the line we scribed in the original cylinder pin to retain standing breech. We worked the cylinder, we will slide the slowly and carefully. I Kirst ejector assembly into the emphasize the need to move cylinder pin hole with the the bit back and forth in a ejector positioned on the right U shape as we ground side of the frame. metal out to the lines that denote the edges of the port. If you have difficulties We were careful to hold the installing the new cylinder axis of the grinding tool make sure that the firing pin parallel to the centerline of on the backing plate is on top the cylinder pin so our loading and that the flat sides of the port did not become angled. backing plate are sliding into the frame. I found it is possible to install the backing plate upside-down with some kits, but it should not be a

used the 45 ACP cartridge which has similar ballistics and performance to this firearm.

A close-up photo showing the gun being loaded with the loading gate in the open position. This new kit really makes the old Remington come alive for shooting. We will be using very light smokeless load in our revolver. Our preferred load the will probably be about 3.4 grains of Hodgdon's Titegroup powder and a160 grain soft lead bullet. We feel this will provide reasonable performance for cowboy action shooting without putting unnecessary stress on the frame.

The complete conversion showing the cartridge being extracted using the Kirst extractor. Note that the loading arm is down so the extractor rod could be used. In if we were going to use this gun in a blackpowder category, we would load it with approximately 10 grains of American Pioneer Powder and the same 60 grain soft lead bullet. We would also use a filler material such as calk back or rod to fill any airspace in the cartridge. Each shooter, however, should develop their own load for this gun, but keep in mind this is not a forged steel

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problem if we remember to keep the loading gate on the proper side of the gun. Reinstall the loading lever and its retaining screw, but be aware that the loading lever will not close correctly unless the extractor rod is turned so it points away from the barrel. This completes the installation of the Kirst for the initial trial fit. Check to see that the cylinder can be turned easily without binding. Making sure that the cylinder is not loaded, cock hammer to verify that the cylinder is being rotated correctly, and feel free to dry fire the gun. Make sure the ejector assembly is not interfering with the movement of cylinder. This may require you to slide the ejector rod forward to prevent it from working its way into one of the chambers and preventing the cylinder from turning. When the conversion is complete, the ejector rod will be retained between the barrel and the loading arm, but this cannot be done until we grind or file the notch in the loading arm. After verifying that everything fits, it is time to mark the recoil shield where metal must be ground away for loading cartridges. I find the easiest way to do this is to use a strip of duct tape to outline the area to be removed. This can be done by opening the loading gate and running tape from the edge of the loading port in the backing plate back to the rear the recoil shield. This can be seen in the photographs

frame made from carefully hardened materials. This particular gun and will be heading to a cowboy action match in about three weeks to see how it performs. We are sure, based on our experience with Kirst products, that we will The port is tested with an empty have no problems. We feel this is a very worthwhile project and cartridge. may use this gun as one of our main match pistols. We will After we finished grinding and shaping the loading port probably be shooting in the gunfighter category with this gun in the recoil shield, we in one hand and a .45 Colt 1875 removed the duct tape, Remington in the other. cleaned the frame using unscented mineral spirits to The Gated Remington is remove grinding chips, and tested the Kirst cylinder in the available in small quantities and frame. We had worked slowly is available through Kirst distributors, and carefully so the loading port very closely matched the however most of them don't have inventory yet. The distributor can contour of the loading gate. contact Walt Kirst so he can can We then used an empty drop ship the part directly to the 45-cartridge case to see if it could be loaded through the customer. Retail for the Gated Konverter Assembly (K-Ring & loading port and into the Cylinder) is cylinder. It required a few more attempts to grind and fit $299.95; K-Ring with gate (only) is $233.95 and Cylinder (only) before the cartridge slide freely through the port. This $135.95. is an artistic endeavor There is a full production run of because we want to be able to remove enough material to K-Rings and Gates due at the end of June so availability should allow the cartridge to slide be up to speed shortly after this freely into the chamber, but article appears. not cut away so much metal as to weaken the frame. We worked slowly and carefully at this stage because it easy to go too far. Once we had the recoil shield cut to allow loading through the port, we reassembled the revolver enough to be able to trial fit the extractor assembly. We did this by installing the cylinder and backing plate, Makers of fine Cartridge Conversion kits for: Remington New Army 1851 and 1861 Colt Ruger Old Army

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where I use black duct tape to outline the area to be ground away. Some people use light color masking tape or gray duct tape, but I find the black duct tape to be sufficient and that's what I had in the shop.

and the extractor assembly. We reinstalled the loading arm of the revolver and with the loading arm down, we pulled the extractor rod forward and rotated it until the flat side of the extractor handle is just touching the underside of the barrel.

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We checked to make sure the extractor rod was loose, but not protruding out of the housing toward an open cylinder. When we were satisfied that we had a good The frame draped with duct tape position for the extractor rod, we moved the loading arm revealing only the area where into place and marked each metal is to be removed. side of the rod on the top of I removed the cylinder and the loading arm. This became our guide for grinding laid the backing plate into a notch in the top of the place with the loading gate open. This allowed me to see loading arm to retain the extractor rod in the ideal the area on the inside of the position. recoil shield known as the standing breech. I used a We removed the loading sharp carbide scribe to outline arm and clamped it to our the area that needs to be cut away in the standing breech. grinding board. We ground away the notch that is This will be used later as a illustrated in the photo. We guide for how deep to make made an initial cut that was our cut. very light and reassembled the revolver to make sure that we were cutting in the exact desired position.

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