Interchangeability of revolver parts

[user 33697]

Has anyone ever taken an 1860 and turned it into a 1851, or vice versa, with a frame, cylinder and barrel assembly that you purchased as individual parts for the same manufacturer of both revolvers? Maybe even creating a Sheriff's version, swapping brass for steel frames, etc.? I would think that doing so would be limited to same year of manufactured parts unless you were a good enough gunsmith to adapt parts from the manufacturer's same revolver series made many years past where the manufacturer updated his tooling. What put me onto this thought is the scene in the movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly where Eli Wallach is in a gun store and assembles a revolver from separate parts.

 

[bang]

I've switched a 44 1851 brass frame with a 36 1851 steel frame.

 

[Dashing Leper]

The oval of an Uberti 1860 trigger guard is a little shorter than that of a Navy guard. This doesn't matter if you swap an 1860 grip into an 1851 frame because the triggers themselves are the same length, but keep in mind an 1873 Colt's trigger is actually longer. The 1860 Army guard will fit onto the 1873 frame, but the trigger will bottom out against the oval. Something to keep in mind if you wanted a longer Army grip on an 1873 instead of the customary Navy-sized one.

 

[sourdough]

Pietta 1851 Navy .36 4-screw CFS steel frame with a smooth non-engraved cylinder and a part round/part octagon barrel from a Pietta Griswold & Gunnison, Armi San Marco 1860 Army grip frame (trigger guard, backstrap, and wood) and an unidentified 1860 shoulder stock.

Regards,

Jim

 

[No second place]

Yes... Many parts will fit others from same or other brands. Frankin-guns are possible...c

 

[B P Arn]

I bought two recently manufactured 36 caliber Uberti revolvers last year. I wanted to have a long and a short barrel 36 caliber revolver that would work in my 1860 shoulder stock. No short arbor problems with either gun. The barrels do indeed interchange perfectly, and now I have the best of both worlds, and I can still use my 44 caliber 1850.

I made a spare J-hook for my stock to hold the shorter 1851 grip, and no tools are needed to change them.

36 caliber, 1851 short barrel

44 caliber 1860 Second Generation Colt

36 caliber, 1861 long barrel

 

[Rabbit2047]

Eventually I am gonna do one of these birdshead Richard Mason conversions and have it fully engraved like this.

This is a pretty good video comparing an original to the Italian clones, which might help you if you plan to mix and match original parts with a spaghetti slinger.