No. I did not say that at all.
Your question: "Are the frames for the Richard-Mason .44 and .45 Conversions the same as the .44 and .45 Richards Type 2 Frames?"
My answer: Yes - only the barrel assemblies differ.
Abilene,
Thank you, I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth, I just wanted to make sure I understood. That is what I have understood ever since I got my pair of Type IIs right after they came out.
But is that '61 barrel on your beautiful conversion a Percussion barrel or one intended for a conversion revolver?
After you telling me that the Type IIs in .38 Special are actually on the "original" correctly sized frame I am seriously considering getting a pair to use as practice guns since they will feel and handle the same. The percussion revolvers are not a a disadvantage in a match since there is a lot of time between stages but it sure extends my range time when practicing. In fact I believe that cartridge guns may catch on and even be here to stay (we will see...Wild Bill wasn't fully convinced).
Truth be told and as I have said in the past the .44 Army with a round ball is basically a .38 Spl in power. Tom even has a nice 140gr Ø.358 BP bullet design that would be almost an analog to the .44 Army load with equivalent powder with a heavy crimped bullet.
The lack of a crimp to build pressure upon firing is the one downside to the percussion revolvers. You are limited to the fit between the bullet/ball and the chamber for your initial resistance. I could chronograph the normal loads and duplicate the velocity with the cartridge. It wouldn't surprise if they wouldn't be equivalent with a "19gr" (17.5 by weight) I know will fit under that 140gr bullet That bullet depth from the base to crimp groove is almost identical to the .38 Snakebite Grease Wagon I normally use. But, just what I need is another mold, I just ordered that Snakebite analog design I submitted to him. The original Big Lube Snakebite and the new one he's making actually weigh 160gr even though almost everyone refers to them as 158gr (even me on my loaded boxes). That is in soft lead, even the 20:1 ratio or wheel weight lead bullets weigh over 159gr. The old fellow I was buying from a couple of years ago thought I wanted "hard cast" bullets since that is what everyone talks about. He later cast 500 for me with a softer but not dead soft full Lead alloy. I lube my own with my homemade lube (I actually use my "Summer" formulation for bullets and use either my Summer or Winter lube based on outside temperatures. Summer formulation is mainly adding more paraffin in place of reduced mutton tallow.
My normal .44 load spouts (marketed as 30gr) on my powder flasks throw about 28.5gr by weight (Goex 3F) of the same powder. I have a "25gr" and a "15gr" spout as well but I can't remember what they actually throw weightwise with Goex 3F.
I have tried the smaller "25gr spout" and couldn't tell much difference in impact point or recoil. I just went back to the "30gr spouts" because the that "30gr" load is actually very
inefficient and spews a
LOT of burning powder out of the muzzle making a spectacular fireball and stream of fire towards the target. If you're gonna go big, go big! However, sometimes on a humid windless morning I have resorted to 25gr (probably 23 by weight) because the targets are totally obscured by the 2nd or third shot. I will admit I have wimped out after a couple of stages of shooting blind and reduced my pistola loads to what most mortals shoot. I might add I use homemade greased Wads (homemade and thoroughly soaked in Mutton Tallow/Bees Wax/Paraffin Lube) between the ball and powder for all percussion loads whether .44 or .36 caliber.
Lubed wads on left:
~Mako