Cap and Ball Pistols
- Thread starter budman
- Start date
The majority of 1849 Pocket Colts were 5 shot cylinders which would make finding a 6 shot replacement even more difficult.
Here is a picture of a 5 shot .36 Cal. 1862 Police which is the same size as a '49 Pocket, notice the rebated cylinder:
Here is a picture of a 5 shot .36 Cal. 1862 Police which is the same size as a '49 Pocket, notice the rebated cylinder:
There are far too many "ifs" for a project of this sort. Also with this being a small frame .31 you'd likely need a 5 shot .36 cylinder. And that means the hand and stop bolt are not going to be timed correctly without major changes to the parts in the action train. And you can forget about machining down a bigger size cylinder. It would remove too much metal from the outer wall.
If you want a C&B revolver just simply buy one as suggested by Dantforth. The final cost will be far less. Marstar currently has a sale on their Pietta C&B guns with particularly good looking prices on the .36's.
If you want a C&B revolver just simply buy one as suggested by Dantforth. The final cost will be far less. Marstar currently has a sale on their Pietta C&B guns with particularly good looking prices on the .36's.
OK, but the 5 vs 6 thing is because if the cylinder is sized for 6 x .31 it's highly likely that the diameter of the cylinder to fit this size frame will only accept 5 x .36 bores and still leave enough metal between the chambers and line up with the hammer and also line up with the barrel.
And the internal parts of the action are set up to advance the cylinder by 30 degrees. To advance it by the angle needed for a 5 shot the guts of the action has to also change. And that means even MORE parts.
Anyhow by now I hope the message from all of us is clear. Don't bother with this gun and any conversion. Just buy a new Pietta C&B gun for much less than the cost of this already broken antique.
And the internal parts of the action are set up to advance the cylinder by 30 degrees. To advance it by the angle needed for a 5 shot the guts of the action has to also change. And that means even MORE parts.
Anyhow by now I hope the message from all of us is clear. Don't bother with this gun and any conversion. Just buy a new Pietta C&B gun for much less than the cost of this already broken antique.
Is the new cylinder from the U.S. a .31 Cal. 6 shot??? If so you have a pretty good chance of making it work, I can't see converting a '49 Pocket Colt to .36 Cal. the arbour is too small and so is the frame.
If you go ahead with this project keep us posted, I for one would like to see how it works out. (pictures would be great also)
If you go ahead with this project keep us posted, I for one would like to see how it works out. (pictures would be great also)
I replaced the cylinder on a 5 inch Pocket Colt as well as the home made grips that came with the gun when I bought it. The replacement cylinder is a period replacement that came with no nipples and was not stamped with a serial number and has a near perfect stagecoach hold-up scene. Here are before and after pictures:
Lee Precision makes a double .31 Cal mold for balls not sure about the conicals, I have never seen one in their catalog.
The original molds that were made for the 1849 Pocket Colt are slow to use but the conicals that they produce are easy to load in the guns due to the reduced diameter at the base.
The original molds that were made for the 1849 Pocket Colt are slow to use but the conicals that they produce are easy to load in the guns due to the reduced diameter at the base.
