Remington Conversion .38spl.

[Rye Miles #13621]

What’s your thoughts on this pistola? A friend of mine, actually my barber,  has one for sale. Hardly fired at all he’s asking $600. Seems a little too much for a used one. I’m thinking about it though.

THOUGHTS? Anyone with experience with these?

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

I have a pair in 5 1/2" and I like them a lot.  Shot 4 clean matches in a row earlier this year with them.  These .38's are very heavy even with the short barrels.  The ejector is fiddly to use but works.  I put Arizona Custom grips on them that are thinner and grippier than stock.

 

 

 

edit to add: I have a variety of holsters and these only fit about half of them, due to the "sail" under the barrel.

Edited October 17, 2025 by Abilene, SASS # 27489

[Blackwater 53393]

Here’s mine! R&D .38 cylinder, Ruger stainless barrel, water buffalo grips, half dime front sight, jeweled hammer, bead blasted frame, and antique dimes inlaid in the grips.

 

It may not be worth that much, but I wouldn’t take $1,000.00 for it.

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2025 by Blackwater 53393

[Blackwater 53393]

I’ve had a couple of requests for closeups of the half dime front sight on my little BBQ ‘58!

 

 

 

 

This is the best my phone will give me.

 

 

Edited October 17, 2025 by Blackwater 53393

[I. M. Crossdraw, SASS# 8321]

Some call them "knucklebusters".  The trigger guard hits your finger knuckle each time when it's fired.  It is just how the grip frame is configured.  Nice pistol though. 

Edited October 17, 2025 by I. M. Crossdraw, SASS# 8321

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

First time I ever heard FDR dimes called "antiques!"    Granted, all silver ones were the norm for a while.  

Now the front sight, yeah, that's an antique. 

 

[Blackwater 53393]

I didn’t mention that this was a reclaimation project.

 

I brought this gun off of Gunbroker, twenty years ago. I knew that it was junk from the pictures on the ad.

I only gave $25.00 for it.

 

When it arrived, I was still a little disappointed. It had been completely covered in bondo and painted!😜

 

I disassembled it and dumped everything into a bucket of caustic carburetor cleaner and left it for a couple of days!  When I got it out and washed it off it was badly pitted and the barrel was ruined.

 

I had the stainless Ruger barrel and lots of good spare parts. I ordered the conversion cylinder and handed the whole thing over to Willy McCoy, one of the local cowboy gunsmiths, to make something out of it.

 

He took it as a challenge and we collaborated on the project! I welded up a couple of the worst pits on the frame and we ground and blended them. He had the Ruger barrel threaded to fit the frame and notched it for the front sight and the loading lever latch.

 

We bead blasted the repaired frame and gathered the best of the spare parts to make it a solid shooter. Along with the already mentioned features, Willy shortened and fire blued the loading lever and gave all the screws the same fire bluing treatment. 
 

We sent the gun, which it turns out is an old Lyman product, to Taylor’s to have the cylinder fitted and when it came back, Willy did a sweet action job on it.

 

Gary Tucker, the guy that made my giraffe bone grips for my ‘75 Remington match guns and several knives for me, contributed the water buffalo grips.

 

 

 

 

That’s the dime on the other side on the grip.

 

 

AND URIAH!!  That’s a ROOSEVELT dime from 1953, the year I was born! At seventy-two years old, it’s certainly an antique!

 

Edited October 17, 2025 by Blackwater 53393

[Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485]

Made this one myself. Made the new cylinder and backing plate, put a firing pin in the hammer, sleeved the  barrel with a Dan Wesson barrel. The gun is a Ubertie, but was originally a .44 cal adjustable sight model. I had a welder at work fill in the area where the rear sight was, the front sight is dovetailed in. and cut deep enough to also hold the barrel so it can't move . The grip frame is different than a Colt, when I was shooting Duelist I found it hard to reach the hammer with my thumb. Shooting two handed is no problem. I think I have about 100 hours in this gun. Side note I once shot it at Tusco before I sleeved the barrel. I hit 4 targets every station, didn't do as well with my Colt. The guys were teasing me that my 38/44 was already more accurate than my Colt so I didn't need to sleeve it.

[Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329]

Rye:

You should see if he’ll let you shoot it before you decide.

I like remmies, but can’t shoot them cuz they beat the hell out of the knuckle of my gun hand — as Crossdraw sez “knuckle buster”, buy  they are nice guns, if shooting them does not beat you up.  How much are they new?  Should be a substantial savings on a used one.

Edited October 17, 2025 by Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

5 minutes ago, Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329 said:

...How much are they new?  Should be a substantial savings on a used one.

$608 at Buds.  $568 at Battlehawk Armory (drop shipper).  plus tax and shipping of course.

[Blackwater 53393]

When I shot a pair of converted Remingtons in competition, I always put a couple of bandaids on my middle fingers.  If I didn’t, I’d be bleeding by the end of the second stage!!

 

If you’re blessed with small hands, they may not do you that way, but then you’re liable to have difficulty cocking them one handed.

 

If it’s not something heavily customized, you can buy a new one for about the same price.

[Rye Miles #13621]

22 minutes ago, Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329 said:

Rye:

You should see if he’ll let you shoot it before you decide.

I like remmies, but can’t shoot them cuz they beat the hell out of the knuckle of my gun hand — as Crossdraw sez “knuckle buster”, buy  they are nice guns, if shooting them does not beat you up.  How much are they new?  Should be a substantial savings on a used one.

 

16 minutes ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

$608 at Buds.  $568 at Battlehawk Armory (drop shipper).  plus tax and shipping of course.

Yea, $600 seems a little steep for a used one. I do remember shooting one years ago and you guys are right they’re knuckle busters. I think I’ll pass , thanks for the reminder! 

[watab kid]

i have three in 45colt , one you remove the cylinder to load and two with the gates , mine work great - i also have an 1851 in 38spcl , and one 1851 in 22lr , theyt are fun to shoot , im not sure on the cost - depends on what you feel is reasonable for it , to start from scratch you will spend more today , 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

On 10/17/2025 at 12:57 PM, Blackwater 53393 said:

 

AND URIAH!!  That’s a ROOSEVELT dime from 1953, the year I was born! At seventy-two years old, it’s certainly an antique!

 

Heh heh.   That's what I said, FDR.   Franklin Delano ROOSEVELT.   

Yeah, that qualifies as an antique, I guess.  Unless...   Do coins been to be pre-1898 to be antiques?  If so, then it's just a relic.  

All jokes aside, while some of the details of your pistol might not be pretty, that gun has go CHARACTER, which makes it interesting to own and to shoot.  I have a couple of pistols with character, and I think they are great.   Hmm...

It may not have character, but here's my 58 Remington conversion.

 

I don't know if it counts as a conversion, as this one seems to be one of those that was made by Remington as a cartridge gun.



And I really don't know if that's a dime or not.

.38 Long Colt, by the way.

Edited October 20, 2025 by H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

3 hours ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

...It may not have character, but here's my 58 Remington conversion.

An original trumps a reproduction regardless of character!  

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

The only issues with the 38 conversions is the Cap & Ball Barrel is 36 caliber witch is .380 and the 38 caliber is .356 / 357 witch is much smaller then .380 

So it's kinda like throwing a hotdogs down a hallway  !

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

51 minutes ago, Rooster Ron Wayne said:

The only issues with the 38 conversions is the Cap & Ball Barrel is 36 caliber witch is .380 and the 38 caliber is .356 / 357 witch is much smaller then .380 

So it's kinda like throwing a hotdogs down a hallway  !

that's if you start out with a percussion pistol.  Lining the barrel or hollow base bullets needed for accuracy.  However, Rye was asking about the Uberti factory conversions which have a .357 bore.

[watab kid]

On 10/20/2025 at 5:25 PM, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

 

Heh heh.   That's what I said, FDR.   Franklin Delano ROOSEVELT.   

Yeah, that qualifies as an antique, I guess.  Unless...   Do coins been to be pre-1898 to be antiques?  If so, then it's just a relic.  

All jokes aside, while some of the details of your pistol might not be pretty, that gun has go CHARACTER, which makes it interesting to own and to shoot.  I have a couple of pistols with character, and I think they are great.   Hmm...

It may not have character, but here's my 58 Remington conversion.

 

I don't know if it counts as a conversion, as this one seems to be one of those that was made by Remington as a cartridge gun.



And I really don't know if that's a dime or not.

.38 Long Colt, by the way.

i like the idea of the ejector assembly on but dont have them , im going to make a tool for my belt that i can use 

Edited October 23, 2025 by watab kid

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

7 hours ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

that's if you start out with a percussion pistol.  Lining the barrel or hollow base bullets needed for accuracy.  However, Rye was asking about the Uberti factory conversions which have a .357 bore.

I guess i miss understood .

I thought Conversion ment converted from the Cap & Ball cylinder to a cartridge cylinder. 

I did not realize they made them as Conversion guns with the .357 barrel size .

Thanks for filling me in on that little play on wording .

Rooster 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

@Rooster Ron Wayne Uberti makes the '58 conversion in .45 & 44-40 also.  But not 44 Special, sorry 

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

12 hours ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

@Rooster Ron Wayne Uberti makes the '58 conversion in .45 & 44-40 also.  But not 44 Special, sorry 

I will load and shoot 44-40 also when I have too 😂🤣

[Mogollon Munk,SASS#303]

I shot an original Remington 38 centerfire conversion at my very first EOT, in 1988. I used hollow based wadcutters and a case partially loaded with 2 F powder. I loaded the wadcutters so they stuck out about .150" above the case mouth. I had to mill a higher front sight to hit a target at 25 yards. It would shoot about 3 - 3 1/2" 5 shot groups. I fired one from the top of a ladder into a five gallon bucket of water. I got soaked, but recovered the bullet and found rifling marks the full length, so the hollow bases bump up to fill the .380" bore. 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

On 10/22/2025 at 12:10 PM, Mogollon Munk,SASS#303 said:

so the hollow bases bump up to fill the .380" bore. 

I could be wrong, but I thought the bore on those things was .375".   

Either way, when I load .38 Long Colt, or .38 Short Colt, I use a 150 grain, .358" RNHB bullet, and it catches the rifling quite well with both smokeless and black powder loads.

I also use this bullet in for .38 S&W nickeled Winchester brass that "bulges" with .360" bullets to the point that it won't chamber.  This is the only brass I have found that has this problem.

[Mogollon Munk,SASS#303]

My original slugged at .380". For 38 S&W, i used to have a source for fired 40mm plastic practice grenade cases. They use a 38 S&W case for the propellent charge.

No headstamp, no plating. They press out of the bottom of the 40mm cases easily. 

[Lucky R. K.]

On 10/20/2025 at 10:09 PM, Rooster Ron Wayne said:

The only issues with the 38 conversions is the Cap & Ball Barrel is 36 caliber witch is .380 and the 38 caliber is .356 / 357 witch is much smaller then .380 

So it's kinda like throwing a hotdogs down a hallway  !

I have found that not to be the case. I shoot .355-57 pure lead bullets in my 1851 Piettia's and have no trouble with target hits at cowboy distances.

Lucky

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

1 hour ago, Lucky R. K. said:

I have found that not to be the case. I shoot .355-57 pure lead bullets in my 1851 Piettia's and have no trouble with target hits at cowboy distances.

Lucky

Yep.  I have switched to hollow base bullets for my '61 w/kirst but then I had no misses the first 5 matches with it using my regular 125gr CAS ammo.  The key here is "at cowboy distances"   Pure lead like you are using will also bump up more so that can help.

[Mogollon Munk,SASS#303]

modern reproductions of the various conversion revolvers will have a .357-.358" bore, in order to be compatible with modern ammunition. The original conversions used a tapered heel bullet design, with the bullet being the same diameter as the case, and a step where the bullet went inside the case. The chambers are bored straight through, unlike modern chambers which have a front shoulder 

[Bullett Sass 19707]

When using hollow base bullets,  if you up the powder a little they shoot more accurately in my guns.  I think the skirt flares out a little more.  Bullett