"dress-up" an 1860 Type II

H.W. French · September 3, 2014, 11:32 PM

I've been thinking about adding .44 Colt to the cartridge belt. I'm specifically looking at the Uberti made/Cimarron imported 1860 Richards Type II.
I know it's slightly scaled up from the original and I know 44 Colt today is not the same as 44 Colt of ye olde days. Those diversions I can live with.
There are however two changes I'd like to make to mine:
(1) Delete hammer safety. Does anyone offer a replacement hammer that does not have the built in safety? It can be removed with ease but can the screw hole and slot be filled and the hammer re"hardened"?
(2) Replace steel trigger guard with brass. Will the guard from an 1860 Army fit this revolver? Since the wood grip is fitted to the factory grip and guard I would probably have to fit a new one. In the end it may be easier to simply nickel plate the steel guard I guess.
(3) Not to hi-jack my own thread, but if so few (relatively) 1860 conversions were produced, why was factory ammo produced for such a long period of time (1870's - 1930's/40's)? Though I guess 60 years really isn't that long.

Cheers.

MJN77 · September 4, 2014, 05:44 AM

1. No one makes a hammer without the safety.
2. Yes, a Uberti brass trigger guard will fit this gun. But like most parts some fitting might be needed.
3. The 1860 conversions were made from about 1872 to 1878. 44 colt was also one of the calibers available in the Colt SAA.

Bootsie · September 4, 2014, 06:40 AM

.44 Colt ammo availability through late 1930s?
Big bore breechloading revolvers, conversions in particular, were popular during the skirmishes of the Mexican Revolution ... because of a lack of more modern pistol designs South of the Border.
Long Johns Wolf

Trum4n1208 · September 8, 2014, 12:08 AM

Well, since we have a thread on this particular six-shooter open, I have a question. I'm kicking around the idea of getting one of these in .45 Colt. I've been told that it should handle BP/BP replicants just fine, but I need soft bullets, to be easy on the forcing cone. Can anyone recommend a source of soft lead bullets? Unfortunately, casting my own is not currently an option, and while I'd enjoy a revolver in .44 special, I'd like to stick with what I already load for now.

Sorry to hijack the thread.

September 3, 2014, 11:32 PM	#1
H.W. French Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2009 Location: Blue Ridge Plateau Posts: 151	"dress-up" an 1860 Type II I've been thinking about adding .44 Colt to the cartridge belt. I'm specifically looking at the Uberti made/Cimarron imported 1860 Richards Type II. I know it's slightly scaled up from the original and I know 44 Colt today is not the same as 44 Colt of ye olde days. Those diversions I can live with. There are however two changes I'd like to make to mine: (1) Delete hammer safety. Does anyone offer a replacement hammer that does not have the built in safety? It can be removed with ease but can the screw hole and slot be filled and the hammer re"hardened"? (2) Replace steel trigger guard with brass. Will the guard from an 1860 Army fit this revolver? Since the wood grip is fitted to the factory grip and guard I would probably have to fit a new one. In the end it may be easier to simply nickel plate the steel guard I guess. (3) Not to hi-jack my own thread, but if so few (relatively) 1860 conversions were produced, why was factory ammo produced for such a long period of time (1870's - 1930's/40's)? Though I guess 60 years really isn't that long. Cheers.

September 4, 2014, 05:44 AM	#2
MJN77 Senior Member Join Date: April 27, 2009 Location: on a hill in West Virginia Posts: 789	1. No one makes a hammer without the safety. 2. Yes, a Uberti brass trigger guard will fit this gun. But like most parts some fitting might be needed. 3. The 1860 conversions were made from about 1872 to 1878. 44 colt was also one of the calibers available in the Colt SAA. Last edited by MJN77; September 4, 2014 at 07:30 AM.

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September 4, 2014, 06:40 AM	#3
Bootsie Senior Member Join Date: April 30, 2007 Location: Hofheim/Germany Posts: 102	.44 Colt ammo availability through late 1930s? Big bore breechloading revolvers, conversions in particular, were popular during the skirmishes of the Mexican Revolution ... because of a lack of more modern pistol designs South of the Border. Long Johns Wolf

September 8, 2014, 12:08 AM	#4
Trum4n1208 Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2013 Posts: 173	Well, since we have a thread on this particular six-shooter open, I have a question. I'm kicking around the idea of getting one of these in .45 Colt. I've been told that it should handle BP/BP replicants just fine, but I need soft bullets, to be easy on the forcing cone. Can anyone recommend a source of soft lead bullets? Unfortunately, casting my own is not currently an option, and while I'd enjoy a revolver in .44 special, I'd like to stick with what I already load for now. Sorry to hijack the thread.