I finally went out this morning to try out the 1860 Army conversion cylinder I purchased from Taylor’s. Here are some thoughts;
First off, the fact that I was shooting modern cartridges in an 1860 Army is awesome. I know there are plenty of conversion models that make it easier than using the conversion cylinder, but this was the first time I shot anything other than lead balls out of it.
The new cylinder dropped right into the gun without any gunsmithing or modification of any kind. I did notice that most of the .45 Colt I had was a bit too long for the cylinder and wouldn’t allow it to rotate, since it protruded out of the front. The only ammo I had on hand that worked was the Fiocchi flat nose 255 grain FMJ. It shot high, as expected, but once you learned the point of aim, it was easy to get used to.
Loading and unloading definitely took longer than having a typical loading gate, but compared to using cap & ball, it felt a lot faster. My only concern is the wedge and wedge spring wearing down faster now, but so far it’s still as snug as it was when I brought it home.
I’m happy to answer any questions you guys have!
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First off, the fact that I was shooting modern cartridges in an 1860 Army is awesome. I know there are plenty of conversion models that make it easier than using the conversion cylinder, but this was the first time I shot anything other than lead balls out of it.
The new cylinder dropped right into the gun without any gunsmithing or modification of any kind. I did notice that most of the .45 Colt I had was a bit too long for the cylinder and wouldn’t allow it to rotate, since it protruded out of the front. The only ammo I had on hand that worked was the Fiocchi flat nose 255 grain FMJ. It shot high, as expected, but once you learned the point of aim, it was easy to get used to.
Loading and unloading definitely took longer than having a typical loading gate, but compared to using cap & ball, it felt a lot faster. My only concern is the wedge and wedge spring wearing down faster now, but so far it’s still as snug as it was when I brought it home.
I’m happy to answer any questions you guys have!
