1851 ASM 36cal conversion cylinder

kayakfisher · August 5, 2013, 05:38 PM

I purchased a used 1851 ASM thirty six caliber five inch barrell blackpowder pistol.I would like to purchase the drop in conversion cylinder to shoot 38 Long Colt rounds which cylinder should I purchase the one for Pieta or the one for Uberti.Does anyone know wich one works the best for ASM.

Doc Hoy · August 5, 2013, 09:40 PM

That might be a question to ask the people who sell the conversions.

duelist1954 · August 5, 2013, 09:46 PM

I can't speak from experience about .36 caliber, but I put a Howell .45 Colt cylinder on an ASM 1860. Used an Uberti cartridge cylinder. Worked fine

Captchee · August 6, 2013, 07:31 AM

I cant really say about your ASM , so I may not be much help there .
What I can tell you is that I on my Uberti 1851 , I had alittle trouble getting the kirst cylinder to work properly . Not only could I not get the timing right but it would jam up .
When I set the cylinder and back ring in my Pietta , it worked just as nice as the percussion cylinder .
I ended up letting a friend work the Uberti 1851 over and he got it working ..

A word of advice if I may here . Let me also say its advice that I did not take .
So here goes .
When it comes to converting a 36 cap and ball to 38 long colt , chances are your going to run in to more money then if you just purchased a new gun that’s built for 38 long colt ..
In my case I got everything real cheep . Both the pistol and the un used but older Kirst for less then the cost of what it costs to order a new kirst . IE I paid 300.00 for both .
So 200 less then what I could have bought a Uberti R. M 1851
I thought that was great tell I tried getting it to hit a target at more then 10 yards .
At first I ordered cowboy loads , 2 boxes 38 long colt which ran me 75.00 including shipping
The bullets tumbled badly and POI was a crap shoot .
So I reloaded with hollow base . Again same issue . There went another 50.00
Wad cutter worked better but IMO still un satisfactory so there went another 20.00
that’s not including the cost of reloading dies
I then looked at having the barrel lined , which I still may do sometime down the road .
What I ended up doing was going with a heel bullet and got a mould and die. But that cost me another 150 .00 . I am however a whole lot happier with the way it shoots .
But as you can see im over the cost of by the Uberti R.M .
The whole thing has been a learning experience . Frustrating at times but over all for me its been enjoyable.

Bill Akins · August 7, 2013, 04:16 AM

Captchee, in reading your last post, it reminded me of some of the gun projects I've done in the past also. I know I've made mistakes like that, thinking I was saving on something and then having it cost me more time, money and trouble than if I had bought something already made the way I wanted instead of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. My wife calls it, me "tripping over a dollar to pick up a dime" Lol. So I can definitely relate brother.

The thing is, I'll probably do it again on another project. Each time we do something we think it will be different. And sometimes it is, and sometimes it ain't. My wife is fond of reminding me that the definition of insanity is making the same mistake over and over again and expecting a different result. Lol.

The best I can say for myself is that I think I do learn from my mistakes and TRY not to repeat them. Even if sometimes I inadvertently do. I think all of us who tinker with guns can relate.

.

Captchee · August 7, 2013, 06:08 PM

Quote:

The thing is, I'll probably do it again on another project. Each time we do something we think it will be different. And sometimes it is, and sometimes it ain't

Ya but Bill , isnt that the fun part

Jamesmyboy · August 15, 2013, 11:58 AM

ASM (Armi San Marco) is out of business. Common thought of cause was their lack of quality control. I picked up a '58 by ASM and it's a piece of unrepairable junk. I would suggest you seriously consider a different platform for your conversion.

August 5, 2013, 05:38 PM	#1
kayakfisher Junior Member Join Date: June 18, 2013 Posts: 4	1851 ASM 36cal conversion cylinder I purchased a used 1851 ASM thirty six caliber five inch barrell blackpowder pistol.I would like to purchase the drop in conversion cylinder to shoot 38 Long Colt rounds which cylinder should I purchase the one for Pieta or the one for Uberti.Does anyone know wich one works the best for ASM. Last edited by kayakfisher; August 5, 2013 at 05:49 PM.

August 5, 2013, 09:40 PM	#2
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	Kayak... That might be a question to ask the people who sell the conversions. __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

August 7, 2013, 04:16 AM	#5
Bill Akins Senior Member Join Date: August 29, 2007 Location: Hudson, Florida Posts: 1,135	Captchee, in reading your last post, it reminded me of some of the gun projects I've done in the past also. I know I've made mistakes like that, thinking I was saving on something and then having it cost me more time, money and trouble than if I had bought something already made the way I wanted instead of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. My wife calls it, me "tripping over a dollar to pick up a dime" Lol. So I can definitely relate brother. The thing is, I'll probably do it again on another project. Each time we do something we think it will be different. And sometimes it is, and sometimes it ain't. My wife is fond of reminding me that the definition of insanity is making the same mistake over and over again and expecting a different result. Lol. The best I can say for myself is that I think I do learn from my mistakes and TRY not to repeat them. Even if sometimes I inadvertently do. I think all of us who tinker with guns can relate. . __________________ "This is my Remy and this is my Colt. Remy loads easy and topstrap strong, Colt balances better and never feels wrong. A repro black powder revolver gun, they smoke and shoot lead and give me much fun. I can't figure out which one I like better, they're both fine revolvers that fit in my leather". "To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target".

August 15, 2013, 11:58 AM	#7
Jamesmyboy Junior Member Join Date: August 9, 2013 Posts: 7	Changes ASM (Armi San Marco) is out of business. Common thought of cause was their lack of quality control. I picked up a '58 by ASM and it's a piece of unrepairable junk. I would suggest you seriously consider a different platform for your conversion.

August 5, 2013, 09:46 PM	#3
duelist1954 Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2011 Location: Central Pennsylvania Posts: 567	I can't speak from experience about .36 caliber, but I put a Howell .45 Colt cylinder on an ASM 1860. Used an Uberti cartridge cylinder. Worked fine

August 6, 2013, 07:31 AM	#4
Captchee Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 2013 Posts: 439	I cant really say about your ASM , so I may not be much help there . What I can tell you is that I on my Uberti 1851 , I had alittle trouble getting the kirst cylinder to work properly . Not only could I not get the timing right but it would jam up . When I set the cylinder and back ring in my Pietta , it worked just as nice as the percussion cylinder . I ended up letting a friend work the Uberti 1851 over and he got it working .. A word of advice if I may here . Let me also say its advice that I did not take . So here goes . When it comes to converting a 36 cap and ball to 38 long colt , chances are your going to run in to more money then if you just purchased a new gun that’s built for 38 long colt .. In my case I got everything real cheep . Both the pistol and the un used but older Kirst for less then the cost of what it costs to order a new kirst . IE I paid 300.00 for both . So 200 less then what I could have bought a Uberti R. M 1851 I thought that was great tell I tried getting it to hit a target at more then 10 yards . At first I ordered cowboy loads , 2 boxes 38 long colt which ran me 75.00 including shipping The bullets tumbled badly and POI was a crap shoot . So I reloaded with hollow base . Again same issue . There went another 50.00 Wad cutter worked better but IMO still un satisfactory so there went another 20.00 that’s not including the cost of reloading dies I then looked at having the barrel lined , which I still may do sometime down the road . What I ended up doing was going with a heel bullet and got a mould and die. But that cost me another 150 .00 . I am however a whole lot happier with the way it shoots . But as you can see im over the cost of by the Uberti R.M . The whole thing has been a learning experience . Frustrating at times but over all for me its been enjoyable.