Colt 1860 Long Cylinder conversion in .46 Rimfire?

[Tuolumne Lawman]

I remember reading somewhere about an 1860 Colt "Long Cylinder" 5 shot (like a Remmie) private conversion in .46 Short Rimfire.  I thought it was McDowell's book, but I checked the book and  can't find it.  Maybe it was one of the antique firearms auction sites. 

The .46 Rimfire was a perfect cartridge for the Remington New Model Army (so called "1858").  With a thin plate and a new 5 shot cylinder, no other changes had to be done, not even to the hammer.  The .456" bullet of the .46 Rimfire was a much better fit for the the bores of the 1860 and 1858, than the .44 Henry with its .442" bullet.  Accuracy with the .46 in the Remmies was very good. but from what I have read, the accuracy of the .44 rimfire bouncing down the barrel of the average long cylinder conversion (not 1872 Open Top) was somewhat erratic.

Any help would be appreciated.

[LonesomePigeon]

I know there was an article on Long Cylinder conversions in Guns of The Old West within the last couple of years.

[Tuolumne Lawman]

The McDowell and Adler books on cartridge conversions are a wealth of information, and my primary source.  I also research old Rock Island and Julia auctions, as well as old catalogs from the time period like Sears and Wards.  Julia actually had a thick plate conversion of a Remington NMA (1858) in .45 Colt!  Old cartridge collector boards are also a great source. 

I have been obsessed with cartridge conversions since I first handle a thin plate Remmy NMA in .46 rimfire about 25 years ago.  A .46 caliber rimfire just intrigues the heck out of me!  There was an article in the cowboy chronicle about 1996 or so where someone came into possession of a NMA in .46 rimfire, along with holster and belt, that belonged to an outlaw in Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch.  That shows it was still a viable option, even into the 1900s.  Even the 1860 Colt conversions in .44 Colt were very viable.  225 grain bullet over 32 grains of powder in Remington's load of it was hotter than the .45 Schofield or military downloaded .45 Colt.

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[LonesomePigeon]

Kirst made some cool Remington "thin plate" conversions. If I recall he made only 6 or 7 of them about a year ago and as of now he only has 2 left.

https://www.kirstkonverter.com/remington-thin-plate.html