Colt 1849 Pocket Pistol

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I have two 1849 Colt Pocket pistols .

So I decided to make one into a cartridge gun and keep one as a  cap gun .

This was a fun project. 

Here is some pics .

Rooster 

[slow poke gear]

What caliber does that converter shoot?

If you don't mind me asking how much was the converter?

Ps looks great

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

1 hour ago, slow poke gear said:

What caliber does that converter shoot?

If you don't mind me asking how much was the converter?

Ps looks great

It converts to a 32 short .

They are a little hard to find anymore because all of the manufacturers stopped making them for this caliber pistol a couple years ago .

When or if you can find one depending on the type .

Around 300 now .

Rooster 

[Fallon Kid]

I bought an 1849 w/conversion cylinder a few years back on this site. I just posted I was a looking and found a ‘I was a selling’ About 500 hundred as I recall. NEVER had one regret. My only complaint is reloading. My fingers work well on a 45-70. Dropped a nickel once and took me 3 hours to find the .32 S&W bullet underneath it

[Dantankerous]

RRW,

 

I toyed with this very idea but never got very far with it.

 

What make of conversion did you use?

 

Drop in or some machining required for the plate?

 

Good lookin' pistolas!

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

Dantankerous

 

I ain't RRW, but the conversion is "almost" a "Drop In."  You do have to cut a cartridge loading channel in the Recoil Shield to load and unload.  As a FYI, once that cartridge channel is cut, you have manufactured a firearm without a license.  Perfectly legal for you to do it for yourself, but disposing of it or trying to sell it on becomes very very very problematic.

 

I don't know who is making a kit for the 1849 these days.  RRW gotta answer that one.

[Dantankerous]

Thanks, CC.

 

Upon more reflection of my a potential project of a few years ago with a pocket pistol I think I was looking into a 1862 pocket police model and after lengthy research discovered there was no conversion kit available for that model.

 

I currently have two 1858s, one with a Howell conversion cylinder, I shoot very infrequently.  They are an absolute hoot with the C&B cylinders.  I just need at least 8 more cylinders to do a match with these.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

Like Coffenmaker stated .

Pretty much drop in once you cut the side plate .

At best some small fitting of the rear plate . 

But most of them will drop right in.

Some don't have a back plate and that one you don't need to cut the side plate .

You just have to take them apart to load them.

This one I dont have to take apart to load .

No one makes cylinders anymore for the .31 caliber guns .

Not really sure why .

Seems to still be a demand for them .

I got mine in a gun traid with a bunch of parts A few years ago.

The best thing to do is keep your percussion cylinder .

As long as you have the percussion cylinder it's still a Cap Gun and this is just a part  .

I can put my percussion cylinder right back in and shoot it or sell it  as a cap gun and sell or ship the cartridge cylinder separately and it's still leagel .

I just keep one gun setup as a cartridge gun and one setup as a cap gun .

But there is a fine line on what and how you sell the gun .

I'm not selling mine .

I'm just showing all of you like minded Pards how it turned out .

It's fun but truthfully I like the .31 cap gun more then the .32 cartridge gun .

Rooster 

[DeaconKC]

Man, that is so sharp! Well done!

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Rooster,

 

You best take a long HARD LOOK at the actual FFL RULES.  Once that loading channel is cut . . It's a firearm.  BATFE is a real ugly bear to poke and they do NOT have a sense of humor.

 

When I held my FFL and had my Shingle out, I paid real attention to the regulations pertaining to Conversions.  I doubt much has changed in the interim.  The conversion cylinder is only a "Part" until you alter the frame of the gun.  A Howell type cylinder remains a "Part" because the base gun is NOT altered.  As soon as you alter the gun to chamber cartridges, it's a firearm.  Put a gun together with a Kirst Konverter and you have manufactured a firearm.  This is a FACT even if you retain and still use a percussion cylinder occasionally.

[watab kid]

that looks like a great project and very fun end result , 

[Bailey Creek,5759]

Get the cylinder and shoot 32 shorts in it.

You will have to take Barrel off to load and unload.

Still a fun project.

[Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329]

Rooster:

I love those little Pocket Pistols, as well as the Uberti Pocket Police, but they don't fit my fat Italian hands.
I had several of them for a long time many years ago.

.31s with 7 without loading levers, and the Uberti PP revolvers, which were .36 revolvers built on the .31 frame.

They had a step in the water table, just like an 1860, which is a 44 built on the 36 frame.

The Ubertis were authentic, while the Piettas built theirs on the 1851 frame -- nice guns but not authentic.
My conversion cylinders were R&D, so I never had to modify the guns to use them.
If I had smaller hands, I'd still have a bunch of them.
They were the most popular of all the Colt pistols -- The concealed carry guns of their day!

--Dawg