Colt's Dragoon and Kirst Konverter

Rigmarol · October 8, 2012, 05:27 PM

I have a brace of Colt Signiture Dragoons that I recently bought Kirst Konverters for and am having some difficulty getting them to work.

I'm converting to black powder cartridges because I'm shooting cowboy action and with six to eight stages that's a lot of reloading and less time to be social with the other shooters and I don't like talking and pouring powder at the same time.

My trouble is one of the guns will not cock and is locked up completely. The other is a little better, it will cock but only if I point the barrel down. It will not cock if I point the barrel up.

Kirst's site says some fitting may be required so I went in with eyes open and was expecting to do some work.

I've talked with the Smith they use a very helpful guy gave me some good advice and some things to try, but they are east coast, and I am west coast and Im one of the lucky few that still has a job. So it's tough calling them with more questions.

I'm hoping someone here might give me a hand.

I think the problem is that the Hand may be too long.

I took out the bolt and tried to cock the hammer and rotate the cylinder but it was still locked. So it can't be the bolt causing the problem right?

If I move the cylinder forward just a hair, the hammer cocks and the cylinder rotates fine.

Since I have two identical guns, I have moved parts from one to the other and the problem seems to be worse with the same hand in either gun.

By the way, the guns work perfectly with the original BP cylinders.

Any suggestions on how to get the conversions to work?
Thanks.

Scorch · October 9, 2012, 11:12 AM

It sounds like your Dragoon is snubbing in transition. The hand needs to be fitted. The problem has nothing to do with the bolt. If you are not familiar with fitting the hand, take it to a gunsmith.

If you intend to switch back to the original BP cylinder at some point, you might want to just buy and fit another hand so that you can switch back without problems in the future.

Rigmarol · October 9, 2012, 02:07 PM

I do want to try doing this myself. It's all part of the hobby in my opinion. If I can't do it, then I'll be sure to take it to a smith, but in the mean time I'm all about learning something new.

A new hand is only about $15 so the worst that can happen is I have to skip lunch a couple of days. If I have any doubt about my work I will not attempt to fire any of these.

During the one conversation on the phone with the gun smith Kirst uses, he said if the hand is fitted properly to the new conversion cylinder it should also fit the original BP cylinder.

Any suggestions are very welcome.

Rigmarol · December 3, 2012, 10:32 PM

Just to put an end to this post, I got some help over in the Black Powder Cowboy Action part of the Forum but it wasn't enough to get the job done.

I tossed in the towel for lack of info anywhere I looked, and sent the guns off to the gunsmith. Now it's just a matter of waiting and writing out the check... how boring is that? LOL

October 8, 2012, 05:27 PM	#1
Rigmarol Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 344	Colt's Dragoon and Kirst Konverter I have a brace of Colt Signiture Dragoons that I recently bought Kirst Konverters for and am having some difficulty getting them to work. I'm converting to black powder cartridges because I'm shooting cowboy action and with six to eight stages that's a lot of reloading and less time to be social with the other shooters and I don't like talking and pouring powder at the same time. My trouble is one of the guns will not cock and is locked up completely. The other is a little better, it will cock but only if I point the barrel down. It will not cock if I point the barrel up. Kirst's site says some fitting may be required so I went in with eyes open and was expecting to do some work. I've talked with the Smith they use a very helpful guy gave me some good advice and some things to try, but they are east coast, and I am west coast and Im one of the lucky few that still has a job. So it's tough calling them with more questions. I'm hoping someone here might give me a hand. I think the problem is that the Hand may be too long. I took out the bolt and tried to cock the hammer and rotate the cylinder but it was still locked. So it can't be the bolt causing the problem right? If I move the cylinder forward just a hair, the hammer cocks and the cylinder rotates fine. Since I have two identical guns, I have moved parts from one to the other and the problem seems to be worse with the same hand in either gun. By the way, the guns work perfectly with the original BP cylinders. Any suggestions on how to get the conversions to work? Thanks.

October 9, 2012, 11:12 AM	#2
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	It sounds like your Dragoon is snubbing in transition. The hand needs to be fitted. The problem has nothing to do with the bolt. If you are not familiar with fitting the hand, take it to a gunsmith. If you intend to switch back to the original BP cylinder at some point, you might want to just buy and fit another hand so that you can switch back without problems in the future. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

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October 9, 2012, 02:07 PM	#3
Rigmarol Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 344	I do want to try doing this myself. It's all part of the hobby in my opinion. If I can't do it, then I'll be sure to take it to a smith, but in the mean time I'm all about learning something new. A new hand is only about $15 so the worst that can happen is I have to skip lunch a couple of days. If I have any doubt about my work I will not attempt to fire any of these. During the one conversation on the phone with the gun smith Kirst uses, he said if the hand is fitted properly to the new conversion cylinder it should also fit the original BP cylinder. Any suggestions are very welcome.

December 3, 2012, 10:32 PM	#4
Rigmarol Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 344	Just to put an end to this post, I got some help over in the Black Powder Cowboy Action part of the Forum but it wasn't enough to get the job done. I tossed in the towel for lack of info anywhere I looked, and sent the guns off to the gunsmith. Now it's just a matter of waiting and writing out the check... how boring is that? LOL