Conversion Revolver Ammunition Question???

[StrawHat]

The front sight is easy enough to change on any revolver, just remove the one you don't like and dovetail a suitable replacement in place. On the Colt style open frame revolvers, the rear sight is tradionally on the hammer for the C&B types and either on the cylinder ring (Richards) or the breech end of the barrel (Open Tops and Richards and Mason types) Either of the conversion style rear sights are more rigididly fixed than the hammer mounted rear sight but good accuracy can be obtained with all of them. I happened upon the Richards conversion and like the rear sight position. The ring is fixed in place so the sight does not move. The sights on the later style conversion, being on the barrel, also do not move about so not much difference there. As for sight radius, it is hard to find a Richards conversion so you have the shorter RM of Open Top to choose from. Both are very good choices. Avoid the 45 caliber chamberings as they have a history of cracking the forcing cones.

 

[CraigC]

Actually the 1860 Richards-Mason has the rear sight on the hammer, as does the Richards Type II or "Transition Model" and the 1851 Richards-Mason. Only the 1871-72 Open Top model has the rear sight on the barrel. Personally, I prefer the Richards Type I, like yours Strawhat, with the rear sight on the conversion ring. Bummer is that these are no longer produced and have yet to be produced by Uberti at all. `Course these also have a floating firing pin. I would buy one of the ASM guns if I could handle and inspect it beforehand. You just don't see too many of them and I've been tempted to grab one off Gunbroker a couple times.

If you're into this sort of thing, I highly recommend Dennis Adler's book on the subject, "Metallic Cartridge Conversions".

 

[StrawHat]

CraigC

Actually the 1860 Richards-Mason has the rear sight on the hammer, as does the Richards Type II or "Transition Model" and the 1851 Richards-Mason. Only the 1871-72 Open Top model has the rear sight on the barrel.

Thank you for clearing that up. I was going from a clearly faulty memory of what I thought I had read.

Mine is an ASM and after a little rebuilding it is now good to go. I have said it before, I consider all firearms to be kits, some moreso than others!