Yesterday's Weapons Forums

I scored a Pietta crap-n-ball revolver for cheep recently and not content to leave well enough alone, I ordered a 38LC conversion cylinder from Buffalo Arms. Not cheep.

Got it in today, and it was a drop-on fit! Functioned like a champ! Just for grins, I tried 38 Specials in the cylinderr and they fit! The semi wadcutters I use for CCW practice fit & cylinder function was normal!

Well, I'm not as umb-day as I look... I ain't shooting hot 38s in a black powder revolver. I had a box of .360 round balls that are too small for the BP cylinder ( .375 is the right diameter) but the balls are a tight fit in the barrel. I weighed several @ 80+ grains & then looked up the lightest load for that weight bullet.

Lyman #49 shows 3.0 grains of 700X with a 90 grain bullet as the lightest load. I figured that load with a 10 grain lighter ball should be all right and it was! I made 10 loads up & went out for a function test. NO recoil! Very quiet! Smacked a paper grocery bag 5 x 5 @ about 20 paces. Tried the other 5 at various ranges & not too far off the rudimentary sights.

An ejector rod assembly is available for another $125, but I'm cheep & a pencil will work just fine. Actually, fired cases dropped from the cylinder. I think if somebody wanted a ready to run 38 special open top revolver, Cimarron makes one that can handle hotter ammo.

Pics follow:

Before:


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The cylinder w/ loading gate:


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The cylinder with 38 special semi-wadcutters. They fit & functioned!


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Pietta with conversion cylinder in place. Drop in with no adjustments.


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Loaded ammo. .360 round ball with 3.3 grains of 700X. Very mild and quiet.


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The next item is to open up the frame so rounds will easily enter the loading gate. The cylinder came with a template you glue ( I'll use spray glue) to the receiver. The instructions say to use a Dremel with grinding attachment & it will take "2 to 3 hours if parts are allowed to cool as needed". I might try to see if a half round mill bastage file will do the deal. Plenty o' time for that.

I like it!! SW

_________________
Slava Ukraini!!

i think id shoot that for SASS , nice looking rig

Finished it up today. I scored a round single cut bastage file & used my ratty Dremel for the job. Another worthwhile tool is a dedicated SAA screwdriver.

The cylinder came with cut-out templates you are supposed to glue to the frame as a guide where to cut. The Dremel quickly messed it up.

Never say die - I did the cut-n-try bit. I started out using 100 file strokes until I had quite a bit of metal gone - then 50 file strokes and lessening numbers as the cut got close to where a 38 special would drop right into the cylinder.

Now that I'm done, I really can't recommend this to others. I had to remove a lot more metal than I thought, but once I started I figured there was no turning back.

So it was file file file - grind grind grind - repeat as necessary. Took about 2 hours altogether which was what the directions said. Put a flexible abrasive tip in the Dremel to polish everything & cold blued the cut. Made up 20 of the wimpy loads & it worked just fine.

I like it! Being too cheep to buy the dedicated ejector rod @ $125, I found an old pen that works just fine.

Now I need to watch the G,B & U to see if Blondie's pistola has a cut for loading cartridges. I'm pretty sure his doesn't have an ejector rod & still has the ball rammer.

Bottom line? I think you'd be just as well off to score a Cimarron 38 already converted... unless you can grab a Pietta or Uberti for way cheep.

This was a lot harder to do than it looks. SW

1) The frame with the cheep template in place. It didn't last long.


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2) About halfway done.


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3) Back together & ready to shoot.


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4) Tools used: Round file and Dremel. I also recited a few pages from the Funk & Wagnals curse word compendium.


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5) Another shot showing how much metal I had to file away.


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_________________
Slava Ukraini!!

".... I also recited a few pages from the Funk & Wagnals curse word compendium...."

im certain these are the ones they 'stored in a mayonaise jar on the porch' tho right ?

that would make it perfectly OK on the tonight show as it originally existed and in my book as well ...

nice project

Congrats on finishing. I have looked at the conversion kits and wondered, I think you have convinced me to go with one that is already setup to use regular .38 spl., I think that project would drive me a bit farther around the bend than I should venture.

I must say that looks great,,,,,, I have a Amy sanmarco that in .44 that shoots good just the way it is, I was wondering how the cartridge got through.. now I see you have to remove metal......

the metal removal would bother me greatly , i agree with buying one already made-to-order , but i must commend you on a fantastic job ,