I've never had to "pry" the barrel off mine ... I just pull it off with my hand and it comes off easy every time. Just make sure there are no burrs in the contact points of the frame and barrel that cause it to bind, like the two pins on the bottom of the frame and the arbor and arbor hole.
Mine’s still really tight on the arbor and the pins but no burrs on either. I’m hoping it will loosen up over time but figured others might have the same issue as me.
@@ncshootist If you keep shooting cartridges out of it should loosen up fairly quickly. I loaded an old Colt Sheriff model up with HOT BP Loads and it loosened up quickly also. I did not "deburr" I wore in my parts. (I was 14 in the 1980's and did not know better.)
I learn something every time I watch one of your videos, Thanks so much for sharing and keep up the fun videos my friend. I love it. I don't have anything this old, but nice to know incase I run across one. :)
Nice pistol.. Id hate to be in a gun fight back in the day with one of those haha.. Id be like Time Out I've got to reload lol This was a great How To video..
Even in the age of the automatic pistol most gunfights are 2.5 rounds unless you are a NYC Cop and need to pump 44 shots out to hit a person once. Not all gunfights are the Hollywood Bank Shootout or the Miami FBI Custerphuck of the 1980's. Most of Wild Bill Hickcock's fights with a Colt Navy 36 were 2 shots - one per person and fatal.
@@ncshootist I just installed the new 6 shot gated conversion cylinder from Howells 295 along with the improved ejector 129 on an 1858 Pietta Sheriffs model and it was worth every penny. I also own the Cimmaron 10 inch Wyatt Earl model and a Dakota by Armi Jager but the 1860 models are worth the expense of a gated conversion because of the balance and beautiful styling.
@@ncshootist Yes those are very nice, I have always preferred the Remington models for durability but that doesn't mean there is no room in my collection for all the Colt models. The cap a ball models are great and so are the conversion models. I am working on a Remington carbine right now converting it to 22 LR.
I’ve had people ask why I didn’t just buy a 45 Colt, but with this I can shoot 44 black powder and 45 Colt from the same gun. This Uberti is a good quality gun and I’m sure the Piettas are probably just as good.
I’m not sure about other people, but here are two reasons I got mine. 1) I got the black powder revolver for free, so for $200 I’ve got a 45 Colt revolver and a black powder 44. 2) No FFL required; the conversion ships straight to your door.
They have them but some conversions take a lot more work. Filing here and there and some modifications to the loading lever and frame. People do it and they work.
This is also quiet popular in Cowboy Action Shooting circles. They have a cap and ball division and cartridge division. Before the Colt 1873 came out drop in conversion cylinders were the next historical step in converting cap n ball guns to use cartridges. Then came the factory built conversions with loading gate then the 1873's and Schofields.
An even better and faster way to load a conversion cylinder is to buy a Remington revolver... I have three Pietta and one Uberti. And 16 C&B .44 cylinders and two .45 conversion cylinders...
@@sirjhonson8218 Well that's why they make black powder /cowboy loads. The early cartridge conversions used the same silver steel as the original open top cap and ball revolvers and fired black powder cartridges. The new cartridge conversion cylinders for open tops come with a warning to keep pressure and velocity down to the original black powder range. If you try to load an old open top revolver to modern pressure specs with smokeless powder you probably will blow it up. Most modern conversion cylinders are made from harder modern steel. If you stick with real black powder and don't do something stupid why would they blow up ? I was going to order a cartridge conversion cylinder but they are a 5 shot and require and different hand and need to be re-timed. They had to go to 5 shots rather than 6 to keep the cylinder and barrel bores properly aligned with the modern straight wall larger diameter cartridges. ( 45 Schofield/ 45 Long Colt ) . I swapped out the original cylinder for a new Uberti 1860 cap and ball cylinder instead. The Uberti cylinder fit the arbor on the original Colt. I honed out the cylinder bores to .454 " and I had to change the hand and re-time it but now it works very reliably with the new cylinder and nipples.
Most States (check your local laws as some States are really wonky) the cylinder is just a drop in part. If you get the cylinder with the loading gate and you modify the BP pistol for the loading gate then the pistol becomes sort of like a "Ghost Gun" and you might have to register it then as it "primarily" fires cartridges.
You should be able to use any “cowboy” loads in the conversion, just don’t use any hot modern loads. I’ve had good success with Fiocchi but good luck finding any right now. I reload my own with cast bullets.
@@ncshootist after hours of searching I found this brand called Wild West 45 long colt s&b 250 gr LFN ammo. Thanks for the help. I just had to be sure before I purchased it
@@stargod3064 - Parts dimensions are different between Pietta and Uberti. The differences are very small, but it means that "drop-in" fit is unlikely. Some parts such as bolt spring are brand specific. The Uberti bolt spring is slightly shorter than Pietta's and attempting to use an Uberti bolt spring in a Pietta won't work reliably. It will slip off the trigger and the trigger will quit working. Putting a Pietta bolt spring in an Uberti means filing to fit. Most parts are like this. If willing to apply elbow grease and fitting techniques, it would be worth a try to put a Pietta barrel on an Uberti, but don't expect it to work right away, and do expect needing to make fitting modifications. If working with a gunsmith, it won't be cost effective. Getting the right part is the way to go. For the time and money required, it would be better to simply convert an Uberti barrel to the desired configuration.
"3/4 cock" isn't required. Half cock is quite sufficient. At half cock the cylinder is freewheeling and all that needs to be added to the instructions you got is to say "roll, by hand, the cylinder to a "between cylinder position"........the rest you demonstrated fine.
The bad thing with these "conversions" is we are running out of "Cowboy" all lead low power ammo and driving up the price of said ammo. You can't find pure lead SWC in 45ACP because of you guys! 45 Colt is going anywhere from $27 to $45 a box in low power all lead rounds! THAT IS A CRIME! I can't find why Copper Jacketed bullets are bad in these except it has something to do with contact with the rifling in the barrels? (Copper Fouling? Bullets getting stuck in the barrel causing "barrel bulge" and explosion? What?) In 36cal conversions people are trying to hammer in 38 Special ammo when their guns can only handle 38 S&W because of the length of the case. If you do this... best invest in reloading equipment and hand roll your own loads. Also the warnings... Do not use conversions in brass alloy framed BP pistols. Although the instructions say to keep all ammo below 1000 feet per second beware there are some 850 fps rounds that might exceed the frame's pressure tolerances (pounds per square inch) turning your Pietta/Uberti into a hand grenade. All things to keep in mind. Be safe out there!
@@ncshootist LOL! I said it in jest but finding "Cowboy" type loads is getting hard or very expensive. You are reloading so no harm no foul. If I was to build my Dream BP Pistol I would reline the barrel with a harder steel, better rifling, and with a bullet tolerance closer to the cartridge round so you could shoot copper jacketed bullets through it. All mods would cost up to $1500 including the pistol itself. Cerakote with Hi Teflon Refinish, Wolf Springs, Stoning all the Internal Parts, "Soaping" and Smoothing all the Sharp Edges, Full Conversion with Gate and Extractor in Stainless, Reline the Barrel with 1 inch extention and Magnaporting the Extension (ok, that might be going overboard, LOL), and a Blued/Case Hardened Sheriff 1858.
Cowboy loads are scarce and expensive due to the popularity of Cowboy Action Shooting. New shooters buy a single action and immediately want Cowboy loads. Most SASS shooters reload and avoid store bought ammo due to the high volume of shooting they do.
@@karlt8233 I am buying a reloading setup myself because then I will know what I am shooting; fps, back pressures on the frames, lead bullets you can't get off the shelf already made up. I'm not paying $27-$45 for a box of pre-rolled already made rounds at those prices with a limited selection. It will pay for itself in a few years.
You can buy a 100 count bag of both alloy or lead bullets and reload them yourself. Maybe $13.00 per 100, $6.00 for primers, a lb of powder last a long time if you don't shoot alot., and casings and loading dies. Not a problem, if you Know what your doing.
My Pietta 1851 Navy is so worn in, I can just bump the wedge with my palm, pull the barrel off with my hand and slide the cylinder off (leaving the firing pin ring hanging on the cylinder pin) and then loading up the chambers). My fingers on each hand look like a Christmas tree with gun parts hanging from them while doing this, HAHA
NCShootist i got mine 18 years ago. After about 2-3 years of constant use and abuse, it gets like that. The two pegs that extend from the frame below the cylinder and hook up to the barrel end can become loose too and tend to fall out and get lost. So watch out for that. The cylinder stop spring, hand spring and even the cylinder stop will occasionally break and need to be replaced. A new bolt stop will need to be refit for your gun. Even the mainspring might occasionally break. A few ways to ease the mainspring are to put a few washers in between the mainspring screw and the frame and even backing the screw out a little (not a lot because you don’t want a light strike that doesn’t pop your primers). With the conversion cylinder you can lighten the hammer even more because it doesn’t require as much force as when you are shooting ball and cap
So...is anybody on UA-cam going to address how to load these conversion cylinders FULLY (all 5 or 6 shots) and still be able to carry it safely? I want a BP revolver and conversion cylinder myself, but I really, really can't get on board with the idea of short-changing myself by one round if that one round could save my life on any given occasion. Note: I don't want "its unsafe, can't be done" or any answers like that. There's a way. Even if I have to pay a gunsmith to put a custom transfer bar or something in the damn thing to keep the firing pin off of my rounds.
I wouldn't trust these old single action designs carrying the hammer on a loaded chamber. If I carried a revolver for CCW, it wouldn't be a design similar to this; I would get a new double action revolver that's safer and more accurate.
@@ncshootist I don't think I've ever gotten a direct reply before, lol. Sorry. I know I kinda sound like a dick sometimes but I just really like these rustic style revolvers. If I could get a modern revolver that was just built to look like an old Colt but had the modern workings, I'd love to just buy that. But who would jump on making a design like that if I petitioned it to any particular gunsmith or manufacturer?
No worries, I really like these old wheel guns too. Unfortunately, I don’t think anybody is ever going to make one with new internals. I try to reply to every comment; my channel is still really small in terms of subscribers.
I love these guns but they aren't any kind of good for daily carry. But if you are going to do it any maybe no cap on the nipple the hammer rests on and use a tiny bit of wax or wax paper to keep water out.
I still like the gated conversion cylinder better. Dislike having to beat the wedge in and out all the time.
There's a safety notch between chambers, you don't need to leave an empty chamber to rest the hammer on.
I've never had to "pry" the barrel off mine ... I just pull it off with my hand and it comes off easy every time. Just make sure there are no burrs in the contact points of the frame and barrel that cause it to bind, like the two pins on the bottom of the frame and the arbor and arbor hole.
Mine’s still really tight on the arbor and the pins but no burrs on either. I’m hoping it will loosen up over time but figured others might have the same issue as me.
@@ncshootist If you keep shooting cartridges out of it should loosen up fairly quickly. I loaded an old Colt Sheriff model up with HOT BP Loads and it loosened up quickly also. I did not "deburr" I wore in my parts. (I was 14 in the 1980's and did not know better.)
Very nice revolver! Got me a brand new Heritage sitting here next to me! Nicely done! 👍
you can load 5 rounds,,you have extra cylinder stops on cylinder for hammer to rest in
Thanks!
I learn something every time I watch one of your videos, Thanks so much for sharing and keep up the fun videos my friend. I love it.
I don't have anything this old, but nice to know incase I run across one. :)
Nice pistol.. Id hate to be in a gun fight back in the day with one of those haha.. Id be like Time Out I've got to reload lol This was a great How To video..
Even in the age of the automatic pistol most gunfights are 2.5 rounds unless you are a NYC Cop and need to pump 44 shots out to hit a person once. Not all gunfights are the Hollywood Bank Shootout or the Miami FBI Custerphuck of the 1980's. Most of Wild Bill Hickcock's fights with a Colt Navy 36 were 2 shots - one per person and fatal.
@@exexpat11 hahahahahahahahaha
Most idiots would run at the first shot.😂
Actually the best way to reload is to start with the Kirst gated conversion cylinder and an ejection rod. That way it loads like an 1873 Colt.
For the price they want for a cylinder and ejection assembly I’d just buy a Cattleman.
@@ncshootist I just installed the new 6 shot gated conversion cylinder from Howells 295 along with the improved ejector 129 on an 1858 Pietta Sheriffs model and it was worth every penny. I also own the Cimmaron 10 inch Wyatt Earl model and a Dakota by Armi Jager but the 1860 models are worth the expense of a gated conversion because of the balance and beautiful styling.
Here’s what I would go for www.taylorsfirearms.com/hand-guns/cartridge-revolvers/c-mason-revolver/c-mason-revolver-1860-army.html
@@ncshootist Yes those are very nice, I have always preferred the Remington models for durability but that doesn't mean there is no room in my collection for all the Colt models. The cap a ball models are great and so are the conversion models. I am working on a Remington carbine right now converting it to 22 LR.
There’s never enough room or money!
I never had a problem taking off the barrel the regular way. The only time I did was when I put a newer short barrel on an older revolver.
John, this barrel is super tight. Hopefully it will losses up over time.
Interesting! I had no clue they made converison cylinders.. i have a black powder pistol that would be great to shoot if it used cartridges
I didn’t know about them either. I just happened across the Taylor’s website one day.
NCShootist guess i got a new 45lc haha. Im from troutman, nc
Check out conbustable paper cartridges. They are historically authentic.
Nice! Had no clue about the conversion cyl's even, good bit of info to learn for guy like me been lookin at some of repro models for while now.
I’ve had people ask why I didn’t just buy a 45 Colt, but with this I can shoot 44 black powder and 45 Colt from the same gun. This Uberti is a good quality gun and I’m sure the Piettas are probably just as good.
Have you heard about conbustable paper cartridges that were used during the Civil War.
@@johnjohnon8767 yes
Details on the conversion from black to brass? Who, what, where and why please?
Brian, I have another video on the conversion cylinder. Search my video list and you’ll find it.
Thats the only way to load it I believe from all other videos on youtube
At that speed, it would be as quick to load cap and ball!
It is a slow process!
Yeah, the conversion cylinders are nice no matter what the make is but it defeats the purpose of shooting black powder or simulated powder.
I don't understand why people are interested in this conversion, woulnd't a full one, including ejector and a loading gate, be better?
I’m not sure about other people, but here are two reasons I got mine. 1) I got the black powder revolver for free, so for $200 I’ve got a 45 Colt revolver and a black powder 44. 2) No FFL required; the conversion ships straight to your door.
Because you can convert an existing black powder gun to cartridges without any gunsmithing knowledge in like 10 seconds
Untraceable
They have them but some conversions take a lot more work. Filing here and there and some modifications to the loading lever and frame. People do it and they work.
This is also quiet popular in Cowboy Action Shooting circles. They have a cap and ball division and cartridge division. Before the Colt 1873 came out drop in conversion cylinders were the next historical step in converting cap n ball guns to use cartridges. Then came the factory built conversions with loading gate then the 1873's and Schofields.
An even better and faster way to load a conversion cylinder is to buy a Remington revolver... I have three Pietta and one Uberti. And 16 C&B .44 cylinders and two .45 conversion cylinders...
@@billyhill4937 I would not use it on an original because the old guns were made of weaker metal . It might blow up in your face.
@@sirjhonson8218 Well that's why they make black powder /cowboy loads. The early cartridge conversions used the same silver steel as the original open top cap and ball revolvers and fired black powder cartridges. The new cartridge conversion cylinders for open tops come with a warning to keep pressure and velocity down to the original black powder range. If you try to load an old open top revolver to modern pressure specs with smokeless powder you probably will blow it up. Most modern conversion cylinders are made from harder modern steel. If you stick with real black powder and don't do something stupid why would they blow up ? I was going to order a cartridge conversion cylinder but they are a 5 shot and require and different hand and need to be re-timed. They had to go to 5 shots rather than 6 to keep the cylinder and barrel bores properly aligned with the modern straight wall larger diameter cartridges. ( 45 Schofield/ 45 Long Colt ) . I swapped out the original cylinder for a new Uberti 1860 cap and ball cylinder instead. The Uberti cylinder fit the arbor on the original Colt. I honed out the cylinder bores to .454 " and I had to change the hand and re-time it but now it works very reliably with the new cylinder and nipples.
In Maryland do you need to register the gun after cylinder conversion or no.
I’m not sure what Maryland’s laws require as far as registering firearms and I don’t want to give you advice that may get you arrested.
@@ncshootist ok man thanks.
Maryland would never know about it in the first place
Most States (check your local laws as some States are really wonky) the cylinder is just a drop in part. If you get the cylinder with the loading gate and you modify the BP pistol for the loading gate then the pistol becomes sort of like a "Ghost Gun" and you might have to register it then as it "primarily" fires cartridges.
i think the catch is the powder. black powder guns are exempt! SO, they catch them shootin smokless powder its a crime. I.M.O..
Hello, can I use any cowboy colt 45 ammunition in this conversion? What’s the. Best ammunition brand and type to use? Thanks.
You should be able to use any “cowboy” loads in the conversion, just don’t use any hot modern loads. I’ve had good success with Fiocchi but good luck finding any right now. I reload my own with cast bullets.
@@ncshootist after hours of searching I found this brand called Wild West 45 long colt s&b 250 gr LFN ammo. Thanks for the help. I just had to be sure before I purchased it
@@ncshootist Can you please tell me if Pietta Barrel 3" Snub Nose .44cal w/sight (1860, 1861, 1862) will fit a Uberti 1860 44cal revolver-? Thank you
@@stargod3064 - Parts dimensions are different between Pietta and Uberti. The differences are very small, but it means that "drop-in" fit is unlikely. Some parts such as bolt spring are brand specific. The Uberti bolt spring is slightly shorter than Pietta's and attempting to use an Uberti bolt spring in a Pietta won't work reliably. It will slip off the trigger and the trigger will quit working. Putting a Pietta bolt spring in an Uberti means filing to fit. Most parts are like this. If willing to apply elbow grease and fitting techniques, it would be worth a try to put a Pietta barrel on an Uberti, but don't expect it to work right away, and do expect needing to make fitting modifications. If working with a gunsmith, it won't be cost effective. Getting the right part is the way to go. For the time and money required, it would be better to simply convert an Uberti barrel to the desired configuration.
where did you buy yours
Is there a version similar to the peacemaker?
I don’t think they offer one for the Peacemaker but you could check their website.
My Lord, powder almost seems faster haha
Haha. It’s not so bad once you get the hang of it, but it still does take some time.
Definitely not lol
"3/4 cock" isn't required. Half cock is quite sufficient. At half cock the cylinder is freewheeling and all that needs to be added to the instructions you got is to say "roll, by hand, the cylinder to a "between cylinder position"........the rest you demonstrated fine.
🏆
The bad thing with these "conversions" is we are running out of "Cowboy" all lead low power ammo and driving up the price of said ammo. You can't find pure lead SWC in 45ACP because of you guys! 45 Colt is going anywhere from $27 to $45 a box in low power all lead rounds! THAT IS A CRIME! I can't find why Copper Jacketed bullets are bad in these except it has something to do with contact with the rifling in the barrels? (Copper Fouling? Bullets getting stuck in the barrel causing "barrel bulge" and explosion? What?) In 36cal conversions people are trying to hammer in 38 Special ammo when their guns can only handle 38 S&W because of the length of the case. If you do this... best invest in reloading equipment and hand roll your own loads. Also the warnings... Do not use conversions in brass alloy framed BP pistols. Although the instructions say to keep all ammo below 1000 feet per second beware there are some 850 fps rounds that might exceed the frame's pressure tolerances (pounds per square inch) turning your Pietta/Uberti into a hand grenade. All things to keep in mind. Be safe out there!
It’s not because of me. I load my own 45 Colt using lead cast from wheel weights.
@@ncshootist LOL! I said it in jest but finding "Cowboy" type loads is getting hard or very expensive. You are reloading so no harm no foul. If I was to build my Dream BP Pistol I would reline the barrel with a harder steel, better rifling, and with a bullet tolerance closer to the cartridge round so you could shoot copper jacketed bullets through it. All mods would cost up to $1500 including the pistol itself. Cerakote with Hi Teflon Refinish, Wolf Springs, Stoning all the Internal Parts, "Soaping" and Smoothing all the Sharp Edges, Full Conversion with Gate and Extractor in Stainless, Reline the Barrel with 1 inch extention and Magnaporting the Extension (ok, that might be going overboard, LOL), and a Blued/Case Hardened Sheriff 1858.
Cowboy loads are scarce and expensive due to the popularity of Cowboy Action Shooting. New shooters buy a single action and immediately want Cowboy loads. Most SASS shooters reload and avoid store bought ammo due to the high volume of shooting they do.
@@karlt8233 I am buying a reloading setup myself because then I will know what I am shooting; fps, back pressures on the frames, lead bullets you can't get off the shelf already made up. I'm not paying $27-$45 for a box of pre-rolled already made rounds at those prices with a limited selection. It will pay for itself in a few years.
You can buy a 100 count bag of both alloy or lead bullets and reload them yourself. Maybe $13.00 per 100, $6.00 for primers, a lb of powder last a long time if you don't shoot alot., and casings and loading dies. Not a problem, if you Know what your doing.
It cap and ball not easier?
Not really. Even having to take the gun apart it’s quicker than cap and ball.
My Pietta 1851 Navy is so worn in, I can just bump the wedge with my palm, pull the barrel off with my hand and slide the cylinder off (leaving the firing pin ring hanging on the cylinder pin) and then loading up the chambers). My fingers on each hand look like a Christmas tree with gun parts hanging from them while doing this, HAHA
I’m hoping mine will loosen up that much. I feel like I need a extra hand to load it!
NCShootist i got mine 18 years ago. After about 2-3 years of constant use and abuse, it gets like that.
The two pegs that extend from the frame below the cylinder and hook up to the barrel end can become loose too and tend to fall out and get lost. So watch out for that.
The cylinder stop spring, hand spring and even the cylinder stop will occasionally break and need to be replaced. A new bolt stop will need to be refit for your gun. Even the mainspring might occasionally break.
A few ways to ease the mainspring are to put a few washers in between the mainspring screw and the frame and even backing the screw out a little (not a lot because you don’t want a light strike that doesn’t pop your primers). With the conversion cylinder you can lighten the hammer even more because it doesn’t require as much force as when you are shooting ball and cap
So...is anybody on UA-cam going to address how to load these conversion cylinders FULLY (all 5 or 6 shots) and still be able to carry it safely? I want a BP revolver and conversion cylinder myself, but I really, really can't get on board with the idea of short-changing myself by one round if that one round could save my life on any given occasion. Note: I don't want "its unsafe, can't be done" or any answers like that. There's a way. Even if I have to pay a gunsmith to put a custom transfer bar or something in the damn thing to keep the firing pin off of my rounds.
I wouldn't trust these old single action designs carrying the hammer on a loaded chamber. If I carried a revolver for CCW, it wouldn't be a design similar to this; I would get a new double action revolver that's safer and more accurate.
@@ncshootist I don't think I've ever gotten a direct reply before, lol. Sorry. I know I kinda sound like a dick sometimes but I just really like these rustic style revolvers. If I could get a modern revolver that was just built to look like an old Colt but had the modern workings, I'd love to just buy that. But who would jump on making a design like that if I petitioned it to any particular gunsmith or manufacturer?
No worries, I really like these old wheel guns too. Unfortunately, I don’t think anybody is ever going to make one with new internals. I try to reply to every comment; my channel is still really small in terms of subscribers.
I love these guns but they aren't any kind of good for daily carry. But if you are going to do it any maybe no cap on the nipple the hammer rests on and use a tiny bit of wax or wax paper to keep water out.
You can. The cylinder has stop points between cartridges. It's safe to carry full. I always do.
Throw that away, better yet put it in foundation of the house, it’ll hold better roof
Any gun is better than no gun.
NCShootist true
I have a better idea...just buy a Remington
One huge plus...these don’t have to be registered with the ATF.