June 12, 2023
By Layne Simpson
During the four years prior to the 1873 introduction of his Single Action Army revolver in .45 Colt, Sam Colt offered the 1860 Army, 1861 Navy, and other percussion revolvers converted to fire metallic cartridges. That tradition is kept alive by Taylor’s & Company (T&C) with conversion cylinders in .45 Colt for the Ruger Old Army and various reproductions of the Remington New Model Army and 1860 Colt, and they are available through Brownells. I have one for my Ruger Old Army and replacing its percussion cylinder with the T&C cylinder takes less than 10 seconds. Switching back to the percussion cylinder is just as easy. Because the conversions are intended for revolvers designed for blackpowder, souped-up loadings of the .45 Colt intended for the Ruger Blackhawk and other modern revolvers should not be used. As on some of the original conversions, the T&C cylinder has to be removed for loading. When carrying a loaded gun, its hammer should be lowered on an empty chamber.
It has been reported that both lawmen and bad guys sometimes carried more than one loaded cylinder for their converted revolvers. In the movie Pale Rider, Clint Eastwood empties his Remington during the final gunfight, calmly removes its cylinder, slips in a loaded cylinder, and keeps on center-punching baddies.
